Brazil Eco Adventure Tours
Rainforest - Hiking & Biking - Wildlife

Protected Areas
Itatiaia National Park

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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 alkaline intrusive complexes that were emplaced along the Cabo Frio Magmatic Lineament in the northern segment of the Neoproterozoic Ribeira belt. The syentitic 330 sqkm (31 x 12 km) rugged mountain massif with peaks up to 2.787 m (Agulhas Negras) is one of the highest elevation on the Atlantic side of South America.
 
Itatiaia, which represents the most impressive part of the Mantiqueira mountain range, most probably originated beneath an alkaline volcano, at that time 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).

 
Legislation: Decree 1.713/37
                                    87.586/82
                                    87.856/82
 
 
Area: 30.000 ha
 
Altitude: 650 - 2.787 m
 
Climate:  Cwa
 
Address: Estrada do Parque Nacional, Km 8,5,
                Itatiaia – RJ - CEP 27580-000
                Tel.: (24) 3521-1461
 
Tour:  Visconde de Mauá - Ilha Grande
 
Biome:  Atlantic Rainforest
 
Ecosystems:  Seasonal / Tropical Rainforest /
                        Altitude Fields
 
Altitudinal Zones:  Submontane / Montane /
                                 High Montane
 
Flora:  tropical such as orchids, lianas, cacti, mosses,
            lichens, fuchsias, lilies and begonias in the
            lower part and various endemic species in the
            altitude fields
 
Fauna:  294 birds- species, 67 mammals and 2.257
              insects and spiders
 
Peaks: Pico das Agulhas Negras (2.787 m)
             Pedra do Couto (2.682 m)
             Prateleiras (2.515 m)
 

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