Rio Sao Francisco Attractions

The estuary of the Rio São Francisco was known to Europeans as early as 1501, and from there great herds of cattle were later driven up the valley into the arid regions of Piauí, negotiating on the way, with great difficulty, the 80m/260ft high falls of Paulo Afonso.

Ecology

The Paulo Afonso hydro-electric station (1955), like the one at Sobradinho, farther upstream, is a textbook example of a development policy conceived only in quantitative terms. The only real beneficiaries of such schemes for the generation of power are the large industrial installations in north-eastern Brazil: in the immediate neighborhood of these projects living conditions and the ecological situation have deteriorated substantially.

The river is navigable for some 1400km/870mi. The most scenically attractive stretches are the lower course of the river downstream from Paulo Afonso and the 230km/145mi between Pirapora and São Francisco (both in Minas Gerais). On both of these sections there are organized river cruises for tourists.