Chapada dos Veadeiros (Alto Paraíso)

Chapada dos Veadeiros needs 3 days: Saltos 1 and 2, waterfalls inside the national park with natural pools for swimming, over a couple of days, and a hike to Vale da Lua, a canyon carved by the river that resembles a lunar landscape, on the other. May-September brings the driest weather, with full park access. It's mid-to-upper priced due to regulated ecotourism. Declared a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site alongside the Pantanal, it's one of the planet's oldest geological formations -over a billion years old-, and its reputation as an energy and spiritual center has drawn a New Age community since the 1980s that coexists with traditional trekking guides.