Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Brasília and the Planalto Central
The geographical heart of Brazil is the central highlands (Planalto Central),
shared by the states of Goiás, Tocantins and parts of Mato Grosso. This
rapidly developing and prosperous agricultural region was, as recently as
seventy years ago, still largely inhabited by indigenous peoples, with a few
colonial towns precariously linked by oxcart trails to the rest of the country.
The founding of Brasília in the late 1950s ended that, shifting Brazil's centre
of political gravity from the coast to the interior and opening up an entire
region of the country to settlement and development.
6
Brasília
remains the region's main attraction, with its extraordinary
architecture
, a
1950s vision of the future now charmingly retro. It is well connected by long but
good-quality
roads
to the rest of the country and is a good jumping-off point for
an overland journey to the Amazon or the Northeast. But although Brasília may be
the region's biggest draw, it is by no means the only one. In recent years, the city
has become the base for a mostly Brazilian
ecotourism
boom. People come for the
emptiness and beauty of the landscape a few hours north of Brasília, as well as great
hiking
and more specialized outdoor pursuits like caving and rock climbing. The main
centre,
Parque Nacional Chapada dos Veadeiros
, is an easy excursion from Brasília.
There is also a national park, the
Parque Nacional de Brasília
, on the city's periphery,
with hiking trails.
he
planalto
is still at that ideal stage of tourist development where there is
enough infrastructure to make it accessible and enjoyable, but not so much that
it feels too crowded or over-commercialized. Two colonial towns in particular are
worth visiting, both in Goiás:
Pirenópolis
, within easy reach of Brasília, and the
old capital of Goiás state,
Goiás Velho
, a little-visited jewel that is as beautiful as
any of the better-known
cidades históricas
of Minas Gerais. Further north still, the
state of Tocantins
has its eastern and western frontiers defined by two of the largest
tributaries of the Amazon, the
Araguaia
and
Tocantins
, but has little to offer the
visitor, and is best bypassed on the way to more interesting destinations in the
North or Northeast.
Brasília
Love it or loathe it, Brazil's capital
BRASÍLIA
is like nowhere else on earth: the
world's largest, most successful, and in its own weird way most beautiful planned
city. The entire city, and especially the central area, has a startlingly space-age feel
and look, with a decidedly retro twist. Originally intended for a population of half
a million by the year 2000, Brasília and the area around it today has close to five
Brasília's climate
p.405
Oscar Niemeyer
p.411
Addresses in Brasília
p.413
Craft shopping in Brasília
p.418
The planalto
p.420
Goiânia's markets
p.424
Tours from Pirenópolis
p.426
Exploring the countryside
p.428
Hiring a guide in the Parque Nacional
das Emas
p.430
Hiking in Parque Nacional Chapada dos
Veadeiros
p.432
Hikes around São Jorge
p.434
