Tocantins · Brazil Capital
In the destination Jalapão.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
The city
Palmas combines a planned layout with squares, parks and freshwater beaches on the Tocantins lake. The Espaço Cultural José Gomes Sobrinho brings together a theater, a movie theater and other spaces dedicated to the arts.
3 places to stay in Palmas.
3 places picked to eat.
What to know before you go.
The local experience
Said to be the largest square in Latin America, it is home to the seats of the three branches of state government and monuments linked to the founding of the capital. Here you will find the Cruzeiro, which marks the cornerstone laid in 1989, and the bronze group Súplica dos Pioneiros.
A freshwater beach on the lake formed by the Luiz Eduardo Magalhães hydroelectric dam on the Rio Tocantins, a few minutes from downtown. It has a stretch of sand about 520 meters long, a central obelisk and a view of the Fernando Henrique Cardoso bridge at sunset.
It is the tallest waterfall in the district of Taquaruçu, with a drop of about 70 meters. At the bottom there is a shallow grotto and a natural swimming pool, and the rock face is also used for rappelling.
Discover Cachoeira da Roncadeira
Designed by Oscar Niemeyer and opened in 2001, it honors the passage of the Coluna Prestes (Prestes Column) through what is now Tocantins in the 1920s. Reopened in 2026, it has photographs, documents and personal belongings, with sculptures by Maurício Bentes outside.
Discover Memorial Coluna Prestes
The seat of the state government, it opened in 1991 on the Praça dos Girassóis and is open to visitors. The facade has plaques recording the creation of Tocantins and the founding of the capital, and the interior holds murals with historical themes.
An urban park with a lake surrounded by a walking track and an ecological trail of about 2 km through cerrado woodland. Capybaras and monkeys roam freely, and the park is also home to agoutis, armadillos and many bird species.
Created in 2001, this protected area covers almost 10,000 hectares of cerrado, with its entrance about 18 km from downtown. Visits require advance notice and are accompanied by guides, on trails such as Cerradão and Integração.
Discover Parque Estadual do Lajeado
In the district of Taquaruçu, it is about 25 meters tall and has the largest volume of water in the area. The falls drop in front of a crescent-shaped rock wall covered in ferns and moss and form a wide pool that gradually gets deeper.
