Serra da Capivara: rock art in Piauí, fees and how to get there

Serra da Capivara National Park in southeast Piauí protects rock shelters covered in prehistoric paintings, some more than 25,000 years old. It holds one of the largest concentrations of rock art in the Americas. Entry is free, but every visit needs a credentialed local guide, and the park is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The base town is São Raimundo Nonato, 26 km (16 mi) from the Boqueirão da Pedra Furada gate.

Why go to Serra da Capivara

Serra da Capivara is one of the most important archaeological sites in South America. Red, white and yellow paintings cover the walls of sandstone shelters. They show hunting, dancing, sex, childbirth, fighting and animals, many of them species that no longer live here.

UNESCO inscribed the park as a World Heritage site in 1991. It recognized the park as testimony to one of the oldest human communities of South America. Researchers who work here date the oldest traces of human presence at Boqueirão da Pedra Furada to around 50,000 years ago, among the earliest dates claimed anywhere in the Americas.

The landscape matters too. Canyons, rock arches and tall cliffs rise out of the caatinga, the dry scrub forest of the Brazilian interior. The trails and walkways are well built, and few tourists make the trip. You can stand alone in front of paintings thousands of years old.

What the park is

The park was created on 5 June 1979 and covers more than 100,000 ha. It holds 1,354 registered archaeological sites. Of these, 204 are prepared for visitors, and 17 are accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Two bodies manage the park together. ICMBio is the federal park agency. FUMDHAM, the Fundação Museu do Homem Americano, is a non-profit research foundation that built much of the visitor infrastructure and runs the two museums.

Getting there

Serra da Capivara is a road destination. São Raimundo Nonato is the main base, and there is no regular public transport to the park gates.

Regular flights to São Raimundo Nonato’s Serra da Capivara airport are suspended, and the airport handles private flights only. Fly to Teresina or Petrolina and continue by bus or car. Petrolina is the shorter drive.

Check before you go: Buy bus tickets at the Teresina or Petrolina terminal, and confirm fares and departure times a day ahead. FUMDHAM’s website lists the terminals’ phone numbers. If airline service resumes, check the airline sites before you plan around a flight.

For long drives and buses in general, see long-distance buses in Brazil and domestic flights in Brazil. Hire a car or arrange daily transport with your guide for the gates.

When to go

The park can be visited all year. January to July is milder. The vegetation has leaves and flowers, which gives more shade on walks, and after rain you may see temporary waterfalls on the escarpments. In May and June the leaves turn red, yellow and brown.

August to November is the hottest time of year. Most plants are bare, shade is scarce and midday walks get hard. If you go then, start at 6 a.m., rest in the middle of the day and return in the late afternoon.

See best time to visit Brazil for the national picture.

Where to base

The park has no lodging, camping or overnight area for visitors. You sleep outside it.

• São Raimundo Nonato has hotels and guesthouses. It is the seat of the park administration, home to the Museu do Homem Americano and the closest town to two main gates.
• Coronel José Dias has guesthouses and a campsite at the settlement of Sítio do Mocó. The Museu da Natureza is here. The Centro de Memórias dos Povos da Serra da Capivara is 9 km (5.6 mi) from the Pedra Furada circuit.

Lodging is simple and mostly family-run. Contact guesthouses directly for rates, and ask whether they can recommend a guide.

What to do

The park has 11 visitation areas. The best-equipped are Pedra Furada, Serra Vermelha, Sítio do Meio and Desfiladeiro da Capivara. Energia, Gongo, Angical and Chapada are less developed and more remote.

• Baixão da Pedra Furada circuit. This is the most visited circuit. It combines accessible sites, a viewpoint walk and the climb to Alto da Pedra Furada, the rock arch that symbolizes the park. The visitor center has a snack bar, an auditorium, a shop and toilets.
• Desfiladeiro da Capivara. A medium-difficulty walk along a valley floor between rock walls, with a viewpoint at Toca da Entrada do Baixão da Vaca.
• Serra Branca. A low-difficulty circuit with hunting and fighting scenes, including Toca do Conflito, and the historic Caminho dos Maniçobeiros trail. The trail recalls the workers who tapped maniçoba trees for rubber in the early 20th century.
• Baixão das Andorinhas. Go in the late afternoon, when swifts dive into the canyon shelters.
• Night lighting at Boqueirão da Pedra Furada. This is the only place where night visits are allowed. A session lasts about 40 minutes. Book at the visitor center or at the Cerâmica da Serra da Capivara, early on the day of your visit. The walkway takes 16 people at a time, in up to two groups of 8, with a recommended maximum of 60 visitors a night.
• Cycling is allowed only on listed roads, with helmet, gloves and water. The park has no bike rental.
• Museu do Homem Americano, in São Raimundo Nonato. Open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 1 to 7 p.m., and Thursday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The ticket office closes at 6 p.m. Tickets are limited to 200 visitors a day.
• Museu da Natureza, in Coronel José Dias. Open Wednesday to Sunday 1 to 7 p.m., with the ticket office closing at 6 p.m. Also limited to 200 visitors a day.

A full visit to the open circuits can take six days. For a shorter stay, ask your guide to match sites to your fitness and your days. Three days lets you see the main circuits and one museum.

Park rules. Carry drinking water, do not touch the paintings, stay on trails and walkways, take your rubbish out and do not bring pets. Drones need prior authorization from park management. Apply at least 10 working days ahead.

Guides and who gets paid

The guide is a local, credentialed professional, and you pay the guide directly. The guide sets the fee by market practice, so agree it in advance. ICMBio lists accredited guides on its visitation page, and the park office takes questions at parnaserradacapivara@icmbio.gov.br.

The park sits among communities that lived there before it was created. The Centro de Memórias in Coronel José Dias (free entry) and the Museu Zabelê, in the former settlement of Zabelê, keep that history. Ceramic workshops around the park sell pieces with rock-art motifs. Buy from the makers and ask before photographing people.

Costs

At the Museu da Natureza, half price applies to groups of 10 or more, under-12s, people over 60, students, people with disabilities and young people aged 15 to 29 on a low income, with proof.

Conversions use US$1 = R$ 5.08.

Your main costs are the guide, transport to the gates and lodging. Sharing a guide and a car with other travelers cuts the daily cost, within the limit of 8 adults per group.

Health and practical notes

• The yellow fever vaccine is recommended for Piauí. See Brazil vaccines and health.
• Carry at least two liters of water per person, a hat and sunscreen. Shade is limited.
• Wear sturdy shoes. Some circuits include steep steps and walkways.
• Piauí uses Brasília time (UTC−3).
• Carry cash. Card machines and ATMs are limited outside São Raimundo Nonato.

Skip it if

• You want to see the paintings without hiring a guide. The rule has no exception for independent visitors.
• You cannot drive or hire a driver. There is no public transport to the gates and no scheduled flights.
• You only have one day. The road from Teresina (about 530 km) or Petrolina (303 km) is long, and the circuits need several days.
• You travel between August and November and dislike extreme heat. It is the hottest season, with little shade.

Other northeast pages are in the Northeast Brazil travel guide. For park fees elsewhere, see Brazil’s national parks.