Jalapão expedition guide: 4x4 tours and fervedouros

Jalapão is a remote region of eastern Tocantins. The road is paved from Palmas to Ponte Alta do Tocantins, about 150 to 195 km (93 to 121 mi) depending on the route, and then turns to dirt that only 4x4 vehicles handle. At the state park, an authorized guide or conductor is required. Most visitors book a 5 to 7 day agency tour, and the best months are May to September.

Why go

Jalapão is a wide, empty Cerrado landscape of orange sand dunes, table mountains, clear rivers and springs. It is one of the wildest places in Brazil that you can visit on an organized trip.

Its best-known sights are the fervedouros, spring-fed pools where rising groundwater keeps you afloat like a cork. You cannot sink in them. Add golden dunes beside a mountain range, waterfalls on wide rivers and long sunsets over the savanna, and you have the classic Jalapão circuit.

Towns are small and far apart. That distance is the point of the trip, and also the reason you need a plan.

Getting there

Fly to Palmas, the capital of Tocantins, and start from there. Palmas has the closest airport, with domestic flights from Brasília, São Paulo and other cities.

The state park lies roughly 250 to 315 km (155 to 196 mi) from Palmas, depending on the entrance and route. Plan a full travel day at each end of the trip.

Most travelers join a tour that picks them up in Palmas. The agency provides the 4x4, driver and guide, and books lodging along the route. Self-driving is possible with a proper 4x4 and off-road experience, but deep sand traps vehicles often, and you still need an authorized guide at the park’s public sites.

There is no mobile or internet signal across much of the region. If you drive yourself, carry a printed map and an offline map, plus extra water and fuel.

Check before you go: Flights to Palmas vary by day and season, so compare routes on the airlines’ own sites and see domestic flights in Brazil. Shared or public transport into Mateiros is very limited. Ask the Mateiros prefeitura or a registered agency before you plan a trip without a tour.

When to go

Go in the dry season, from May to September. May to July gives the clearest water in the rivers and fervedouros.

The rainy season runs from December to March. Water turns murkier, some roads flood and river crossings get harder. The dry season has its own road problem: loose sand. Vehicles get stuck more often late in the dry season, and drivers let air out of the tires to cross it.

September is the best month to see the golden grass (capim dourado) in bloom. Temperatures run slightly higher in the dry season and slightly lower in the rainy season. Days are hot in any month, so carry sun protection.

Brazilian holidays and long weekends bring crowds to the dunes and the most popular fervedouros. Travel midweek where you can.

How many days you need

Plan at least 4 to 5 days, and 5 to 7 days for a relaxed trip. Agency itineraries usually run 5 to 7 days. The distances and sand roads make shorter trips rushed, with most of the time spent in the vehicle.

A typical loop starts in Palmas, enters through Ponte Alta do Tocantins, crosses to Mateiros and São Félix do Tocantins, and returns to Palmas.

Where to base

Tours move between three small towns. Each makes sense for a different part of the region.

• Ponte Alta do Tocantins is where the dirt roads begin, and it is often called the Portal do Jalapão. The first stops on most itineraries are nearby.
• Mateiros is a kind of capital of Jalapão, with fewer than 2,000 residents. The state park and the Mumbuca quilombo are in its municipality.
• São Félix do Tocantins is about 260 km (162 mi) from Palmas, close to several fervedouros.

Lodging is mostly simple pousadas and campsites, with a few more comfortable options. A double room typically costs R$ 250 to R$ 400 a night for a couple (about US$49 to US$79, checked Oct 2026). Rooms fill up in July and on holidays, so book through your agency or directly with the pousada well ahead.

What to do

The main sights are the fervedouros, the dunes, Serra do Espírito Santo, the waterfalls and the Mumbuca quilombo. Most itineraries combine all of them.

Fervedouros. These are pools where groundwater pressure keeps swimmers afloat. Most sit on private land, and each charges a small entry fee. Well-known ones include Buriti, Buritizinho, Por Enquanto, Macaúbas and Bela Vista. Fervedouro do Ceiça is a private site open daily from 6:00 to 18:00. Visits are short and in small groups to protect the springs. Do not wear sunscreen or repellent in the water.

Dunas, Serra do Espírito Santo and the state park. Parque Estadual do Jalapão was created in 2001 and covers more than 158,000 hectares, mostly in the Mateiros area. Its public attractions are the dunes, Serra do Espírito Santo, Cachoeira da Velha and Prainha do Rio Novo. It is the most visited attraction in Tocantins, with about 47,000 visitors in 2022.

The dunes rise beside the Serra do Espírito Santo, and sunset there is the classic Jalapão image. The Serra is a table mountain with a steep hike to the top and wide views over the plateau, best started at dawn.

Cachoeira da Velha is a wide horseshoe waterfall on the Rio Novo. Rafting trips run on the river near it. Prainha do Rio Novo is a river beach for swimming.

Cachoeira da Formiga has clear, turquoise water and a small fall. It is a favorite swimming stop.

Rules at the state park

Entry to the state park’s attractions requires an authorized guide or conductor, under Naturatins Instrução Normativa nº 4 of 26 May 2022. Naturatins is the Tocantins environment institute.

• Each guide or conductor leads at most 10 people.
• Guides, conductors and agencies must be authorized through the state’s SIGAM system, and agencies must be registered with Cadastur.
• Visits run on a digital voucher system that monitors entry to each attraction.
• Entry hours are posted at the entrances and on the Naturatins site.
• Operators must carry out their group’s waste.

The dunes and Serra do Espírito Santo need prior booking and have daily capacity limits. Visits run in set windows, usually early morning and late afternoon at the dunes and early morning at the Serra.

Check before you go: Capacity limits, hours and fees for the dunes, Serra do Espírito Santo, Cachoeira da Velha and Prainha do Rio Novo change from time to time. Your registered agency books these and can give the current windows. You can also contact Naturatins directly.

Conduct on the dunes

• Bring only water. Food and alcohol are not allowed.
• Do not climb or slide down the dunes. They erode fast.
• No fireworks, pets, musical instruments or sound equipment.
• No drones without Naturatins authorization.
• No swimming in the lagoons beside the dunes.
• No camping, bonfires, tobacco or unregistered off-road vehicles.

Mumbuca quilombo

Mumbuca, in Mateiros, is a quilombo recognized by Fundação Palmares, with about 200 residents. It is known for golden-grass crafts: jewelry, bags and baskets sewn from the shining stems of capim dourado.

The community’s Memorial Quilombo Mumbuca project received an honorable mention in IPHAN’s 33rd Prêmio Rodrigo Melo Franco de Andrade. The Associação dos Artesãos Extrativistas do Povoado do Mumbuca organizes the Festa da Colheita do Capim Dourado, the golden-grass harvest festival. The community launched a Mumbuca brand so buyers know where a craft comes from. Harvest is limited to a set season each year, usually from late September to the end of November.

Buy crafts from the artisans, ask before you photograph anyone, and read visiting a quilombo.

Costs

Jalapão is expensive by Brazilian standards because of the 4x4, driver and guide. A tour package is the main cost.

Treat these as a guide. Prices vary with group size, comfort level and season.

Ask at least three agencies registered with Cadastur for written quotes for a 5 to 7 day guided tour from Palmas. Check what each includes: vehicle, driver, guide, lodging, meals, entry fees and park vouchers. Bring cash for small entry fees and crafts, since cards and Pix may not work without signal.

Skip it if

• You have under four days. The distances leave too little time at each stop.
• You want to self-drive without off-road experience. Sand roads strand vehicles often, and the park’s public sites require an authorized guide or conductor anyway.
• You rely on a phone for navigation or payment. There is no signal in much of the area.
• Your trip falls between December and March and you want clear water.
• You want comfort and nightlife. Lodging is simple and the towns are tiny.

For the wider region, see the Center-West Brazil travel guide. For a plateau trip with fixed park hours, see Chapada dos Veadeiros.