subject: Off-the-Beaten-Path in Brazil: Goiás [print this page] Off-the-Beaten-Path in Brazil: Gois Off-the-Beaten-Path in Brazil: Gois
In a country as massive as Brazil, it is easy for beautiful, exciting places to go undiscovered. This is the case for the landlocked state of Gois, located in central Brazil. Without big tourist draws like the beaches in Bahia, or the wildlife in the Amazon, Gois doesn't attract nearly as many visitors as it should. The vast inland plains spread east from Brasilia and are speckled with pretty cobbled colonial towns, hot springs, forests, waterfalls, and cerrado (tropical savannah).
The region is home to interesting counter-culture hubs such as the Vale do Amanhecer (Sunrise Valley), a religious community started by a spiritual truck driver, and the Casa de Dom Incio de Loyola, where a "psychic surgeon" called John of God claims to heal AIDS, blindness, asthma, drug addiction, cancer, spiritual desperation, and other issues. With about 40 mystical, philosophical, and religious groups, Gois draws many hippies and supporters of alternative lifestyles, and is called the Brazilian capital of the third millennium. It is also believed that a large number of UFO fly over this area. According to rumors, the latitude line 14, which crosses over Machu Picchu in Peru into Gois, is the reason for the high number of UFO sightings in the area.
What else is there other than bizarre mystical communities? Endless fields, beautiful waterfalls, vibrant red earth, and picturesque farms, just to name a few things. Another beauty is the Parque Nacional da Chapada dos Veadeiros, a 65,000 hectare park that was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. The rate of habitat loss here is said to be even greater here than in Amazon, therefore, new regulations are being enforced to protect the unique cerrado ecosystem from encroaching cattle, biofuel farming, and other harms. However, it is still full of rich biodiversity. Forty-four percent of the 10,000 plant species found here only exist in the cerrado. In addition to orchids, copa trees, prickly ash, murity palms, and purple trumpet bushes, the park is home to some of Brazil's most interesting animals. Pampa and swamp deer, jaguar, wolves, armadillos, anteaters, capybaras, rheas, tapirs, and toucans all live here. You can only enter the park with an accredited guide via two trails leading to either canyons and rocks, or waterfalls. A five-hour hike will pass towering waterfalls, jagged canyons, natural swimming pools, lush valleys, and stunning plateaus. It is simply a breathtaking experience, and one not to be missed.
