Hikes near Brasília
A day at Poço Azul, a little over an hour from the Plano Piloto, or a weekend in Chapada dos Veadeiros. What each hike costs, when it opens and when the rain matters.
Poço Azul, Brazlândia (DF)
About 50 km and 1h15 from the Plano Piloto, via EPCT/DF-001 to Brazlândia, then a rural road to Chapada da Contagem; the end is dirt, slow and slippery in rain. Entry is R$ 20 a person (December 2025), paid at the gate in cash or Pix. Open roughly 7:00 to 18:00, with new visitors let in until about 17:00.
Most people only do the pools near the car park, 1 to 2 km: Poço Azul itself is about 1 km in, with a fall of about 10 m. The full circuit is about 10.7 km and 382 m of climb, with river crossings and steep descents, and takes 8 to 9 hours: it's hard. There have been serious falls on the Véu de Noiva trail (February 2025) and people lost (November 2023). Much of the trail has no signal.
See my day at Poço AzulExample: a Saturday at Poço Azul, hour by hour
| 07:00 | Leave the Plano Piloto. About 1h15 by road. |
|---|---|
| ~08:15 | The gate. R$ 20 a person. Tell someone not on the hike when you'll be back: there's no signal. |
| 08:30 | Poço Azul, about 1 km from the car park. |
| 10:00 | Corredeiras, a trail of about 1.5 km along the river. |
| ~17:00 | Last entry for visitors; the complex closes around 18:00. |
An example with the short route and the published hours. Carry at least 2 litres of water a person, and your own food.
Chapada dos Veadeiros (GO)
The village of São Jorge, gateway to the national park, is about 260 km from Brasília. Three hikes in our catalogue start there or nearby:
- Saltos do Rio Preto: about 11 km round trip to the 120 m and 80 m falls. Ticket R$ 49, valid only for the date bought; entry on foot is 8:00 to noon and everyone is out by 18:00.
- Vale da Lua: about 1.5 km round trip, no guide needed. Ticket R$ 50 (2026 guides), open 8:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:00.
- Cachoeira Santa Bárbara, in Cavalcante: a Kalunga guide is mandatory and the ticket is bought in advance. About 350 km from Brasília, the last 30 km on dirt.
The day-by-day details are in the 3-day Chapada plan.
Rain changes everything
In the Chapada it rains from November to April. The park stays open, but with flash-flood risk and slippery trails; at Vale da Lua the potholes turn into whirlpools and part of the valley can close. At Poço Azul rain raises the current and can close passages. May to September, the dry season, is the best time at all four.
It's November, the start of the rains. Your free day shows the chance of rain while you're out and says SKIP IT when it isn't worth going.
Sources: Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, Alto Paraíso town hall, the Kalunga association and reports from 2023 to 2026. Prices change: check first.
The trails in this guide (pages in Portuguese): Poço Azul, Saltos do Rio Preto, Vale da Lua, Cachoeira Santa Bárbara.