Vale da Lua

Over millions of years the river has scoured the quartzite bedrock of the Chapada dos Veadeiros into a channel of smooth bowls, potholes and sculpted ridges that look like a lunar surface, hence the name. The water runs clear through a series of natural pools you can swim in.

The site is on private land at the edge of the national park and charges a small maintenance fee; the wider Chapada has dozens of waterfalls, most requiring a guide.