Brazil Eco Adventure Tours
Rainforest - Hiking & Biking - Wildlife

Itatiaia

The Itaitiaia National Park is an Integral Protection Conservation Unit of the Mata Atlântica Biosphere Reserve in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais (see map). It was created in 1937, due to an initiative of the biologist Alberto Lofgren and is the first and oldest Brazilian National Park. It can be accessed from Visconde de Mauá.

Itatiaia is one of the intrusive complexes of the Mantiqueira mountain chain which was formed about 70 million years ago, through alkaline magmatism in the northern segment of the Ribeira belt. The peaks of this syentitic 330 sqkm (31 x 12 km) rugged mountain massif represent the highest elevations in eastern South America.

Itatiaia most probably originated beneath a huge alkaline volcano, which during the Cretaceous was comparable to present - day Mts Kenya and Kilimanjaro along the East African Rift. Over time, the volcanic cones eroded and only the plutons remained visible.

Flora and Fauna of the park is divided according to altitude. In the lower part, between 650 and 1.500 m occurs the montane dense and mixed tropical rainforest on the oceanic side and semideciduous seasonal rainforest on the continental side. Above 1.500 m occurs high montane rainforest and on the plateau above 1.600 m the so-called altitude fields / (Campos de Altitude).

There are many hiking / trekking and mountain bike trails in and around the park area (see tours).

Location: S 22º 30’ / W 44º 39’

Area: 30.000 ha

Altitude: 650 - 2.787 m

Climate: Cwa

Biome: Atlantic Rainforest

Ecosystems: Seasonal / Tropical Rainforest / Altitude Fields

Altitudinal Zones: Submontane / Montane / High Montane

Peaks: Pico das Agulhas Negras (2.787 m)
Pedra do Couto (2.682 m)
Prateleiras (2.515 m)