Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park (Portuguese: Parque Nacional Cavernas do Peruaçu) is a national park located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is known for its large limestone caves.
Location
The Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park covers an area of 56,448 hectares (139,490 acres). It was established on 21 September 1999 and is managed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation. The park is located in parts of the towns of Januária, Itacarambi, and São João das Missões in the northern part of the state of Minas Gerais. Nearby are the Veredas do Peruaçu State Park, which is managed by the State Forestry Institute, and the Xakriabá Indian Reserve.
The Peruaçu River flows through the park from the northwest to the southeast, joining the São Francisco River, which forms the southeastern boundary of the park. The Cavernas do Peruaçu Environmental Protection Area (EPA) covers 143,866 hectares (355,500 acres) and was created on 26 September 1989. The EPA includes the Peruaçu River basin and overlaps with both the National Park and the State Park. However, both the National Park and the State Park extend beyond the EPA’s boundaries.
Average temperatures in the area are about 18°C (64°F). Winter temperatures are slightly higher due to more cloud cover in summer. The average annual rainfall is less than 1,200 millimeters (47 inches), mostly occurring during the summer. The relative humidity is approximately 70%. The park is located between the Cerrado and Caatinga regions and includes seasonal montane deciduous forest, semi-deciduous forest, savannah with trees, and transitional zones. These varied environments support many types of wildlife. The Gruta do Janelão and other caves contain rock art that is over 10,000 years old.
Conservation
The park is a fully protected area as defined by Law 9.985/2000, which created the National System of Conservation Units (SNUG). Its goal is to protect the region's geology, ancient artifacts, examples of cerrado and seasonal forest ecosystems, plant life, animals, landscapes, water sources, and other natural features. Construction work, finished in July 2014, built six visitor paths with eight caves open to the public. The park is intended to bring more tourists to the northern part of Minas Gerais.
In 2013, WWF Brazil worked with Instituto Biotrópicos to study mammals in the Cerrado region of the park. Some protected animals include the maned wolf, cougar, jaguar, ocelot, colocolo, chestnut-bellied guan, Minas Gerais tyrannulet, and the fish Trichomycterus itacarambiensis.
The park was recently created, and not all land ownership issues have been resolved. Many small farms, estates, and indigenous lands surround the park. People on these lands often use fire for farming. Hunters sometimes enter the park and leave fires burning, which creates a risk of fires inside the park.
In 2025, the park was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
- Cave entrance
- Rock painting in Janelão cave
- Dolina dos Macacos sinkhole