Serra da Canastra Picture 4
More information on Serra da Canastra in Minas Gerais Photo by: Thiago Melo
Serra da Canastra in Minas Gerais
The Serra da Canastra is a mountain located in south-central state of Minas Gerais, near the townships of Delfinópolis, Sacramento and San Roque de Minas. It is about 310 km away from the capital of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte and about 350 km from Sao Paulo. Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra is one of the most important national parks in Brazil, created in 1972 through decree 70 355 1972. Here is the source of the River. Provided with an initial area of 200 000 hectares National Park only occurred in an area 71.525ha and until today is a cause of much conflict in the region due to the intention of IBAMA to expropriate the rest of the area originally planned. It is administered by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio). The Serra da Canastra is shaped like a trunk, hence the name because Canasta is a type of ancient chest. The waterfall Casca d'Anta with approximately 186 feet tall is one of the main attractions of the park, leaving a natural cut of the Sierra about 144 meters, ie the height of Sierra reaches 330 meters. The Sao Francisco River rises 14 km before its fall this page. The Park protects a landscape of rare beauty, its vegetation transition between the "edge of the Atlantic" and the "beginning of the Cerrado, with predominance of high altitude grassland that are home to several species of wild fauna and flora of the Cerrado, like the maned wolf , the giant anteater, the deer, hawks and several endangered species such as duck and loon armadillo. Water is the major factor in the park, whose sources, which number in the hundreds, there are a function of humidity that the rock absorbs cold air, especially at night. The River has its source in the Serra da Canastra historical, more specifically in the municipality of São Roque de Minas and his first big waterfall, the Casca d'Anta, with 186 meters high, is in the district of São José do Barreiro (MG ), to which access is gained by the four National Park, located in this district.