Parque Nacional de Itatiaia

Parque Nacional de Itatiaia

Some 9km/5.6mi from Itatiaia is the entrance to Itatiaia National Park, which lies partly in Rio de Janeiro state and partly in Minas Gerais. This very hilly region rises in four stages at average altitudes of 816km/2677ft, 1100m/3610ft, 1900/6235ft and 2450m/8040ft. Mighty peaks rear up from the highest level, such as the Pico das Prateleiras (2540m/8335ft) and the Pico das Agulhas Negras (2787m/9144ft). Temperatures never rise above 20°C/68°F, and in winter may fall below freezing point; then there may be frost and hail, though snow is very rare. At lower levels there are cedars, jequitibás, cinnamon-trees and various species of palm; at higher altitudes highland stepped country predominates, with smaller, daintier but thick-barked trees. Gallery forests are found mainly round waterfalls and rivers. The rivers are either tributaries of the Rio Grande (MG) or flow through the Paraíba basin (Campo Belo, Flores, Bonito, Aiuruoca, Preto, Santa Maria, Penedo, etc.). The animals include ocelots, pumas, monkeys, bush dogs, bush pigs and some other species.