Ecotourism

It’s the type of tourism that uses nature and local culture as attractions in a way that the visit helps conserve the place and generates income for the people who live there. In the Ministry of Tourism’s definition, three ideas go together: the sustainable use of natural and cultural heritage, conservation, and interpretation of the environment, which means learning about it during the visit.

Usually there is a local guide or leader who knows the route, tells the story of the place and knows what can and cannot be done in each area. Physical effort is only the means to reach the landscape.

Two types of trips share the same settings. When the focus is an adrenaline activity, such as rafting or rappelling, it’s adventure tourism. And nature seen at night, under a dark sky, is the field of astrotourism. In a chapada destination, it’s common to combine all three.

Three chapada destinations are in the Cerrado. Chapada dos Veadeiros, in Goiás, has waterfalls, canyons and high-altitude fields inside and outside the national park. Chapada Diamantina, in Bahia, combines trails, caves and bluish pools, with several towns that serve as bases. In Tocantins, Jalapão gathers orange dunes, rivers and the fervedouros, springs where the water pressure makes visitors float.

In Mato Grosso do Sul, Bonito and the Serra da Bodoquena are known for floating in clear-water rivers. Tours have a limited number of visitors per day and are done with accredited guides. In the same state and in Mato Grosso, the Pantanal is the country’s main area to observe animals such as caimans, capybaras, jabirus and, with luck and good guides, the jaguar.

In Maranhão, the Lençóis Maranhenses alternate white dunes and rainwater lagoons. In the Amazon, Manaus is the departure point for tours on the Rio Negro and the Anavilhanas archipelago. In the South, Foz do Iguaçu gives access to the Iguaçu Falls, inside a national park with boardwalks and trails.

Nature destinations are often far from major airports. It’s common to fly to a capital and continue by car or bus for a few hours. Allow for an arrival day and a departure day without scheduled activities. For a first trip, four to six days in a single region are enough for the main tours.

Many attractions are located in parks or on private properties, and each has its own rules: separate paid entrance, visitor limits, requirement of a guide on certain trails. Check these rules before traveling and book in advance during peak periods.

In your bag: already-broken-in closed shoes, lightweight quick‑dry clothing, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, a rain poncho, and a water bottle. A small daypack is enough for a day trip.

Caring for the place is part of the trip: take your trash back, don’t feed the animals, don’t remove plants or stones, and stay on the marked trail. In rivers and floating spots, use of sunscreen and repellent is often restricted before entering the water.