Location: states of Goiás & Mato Grosso do Sul Map
Area: 1320 sq km
Emas National Park is a protected park in thestates of Goiás & Mato
Grosso do Sul and Brazil. It covers an area of 1320 sq km. Emas
National Park is a Brazilian nature conservation unit located in
the southwest of the state of Goiás. The park covers an area of
132,000 ha, distributed by the municipalities of Mineiros,
Chapadão do Céu, and part of Costa Rica. (Mato Grosso do Sul).
Created through Decree No 49.874, issued 11th The first
parameter is required, but it was supplied incorrectly! [[1980]]
by the then President of the Republic, Juscelino Kubitschek, had
its limits later revised by Decree 70.375 of April 6, 1972. The
park preserves the various springs of the Jacuba and Formoso
rivers, tributaries of the Paranaíba river of the basin. of the
Paraná river.
Access to the park can be made by
Serranópolis, Chapadão do Céu, or by Miners. It is currently
administered by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity
Conservation (ICMBio).
Best Time to Visit
Dry season (roughly May–September) is generally
best for most visitors. Roads and trails are more passable, vegetation
is lower (improving visibility), and animals concentrate near remaining
water sources. Daytime highs are typically 25–30°C; mornings can drop to
the mid-teens. Wildlife activity peaks at dawn and dusk.
October–November is ideal if your main goal is the park’s unique
bioluminescence. After the first rains, larvae of the click beetle
Pyrearinus termitilluminans light up the bases and sides of termite
mounds with greenish points of light to attract prey (flying termites).
The display is strongest on warm, humid, moonless nights. Roads can
start getting muddy later in the rainy season.
Full rainy season
(later October–April) brings lush vegetation, more mosquitoes, and
higher bird activity, but many dirt tracks become difficult or
impassable.
Always check current fire conditions (natural Cerrado
fires are part of the ecology) and road access before traveling.
Getting There and Access
The park has two main gates:
Portão da
Guarda do Bandeira (south) — nearest to Chapadão do Céu (GO) or Costa
Rica (MS). About 25–30 km of dirt road from Chapadão do Céu; ~47 km from
Costa Rica.
Portão Jacuba (northwest) — accessed from Mineiros (GO),
roughly 80–88 km, with better paved approach roads.
Major hubs
are Goiânia (GYN, ~420–460 km) or Campo Grande (CGR, ~340 km). There is
essentially no public transport into the park, so rent a vehicle
(high-clearance recommended; full 4×4 is useful after rain). Internal
park roads are dirt but often manageable in the dry season. No cell
signal inside the park.
Plan 2–4 days for a thorough visit; one day
only allows a limited overview.
Entry, Hours, Fees, and Guides
According to official ICMBio information, regular daytime entry is free
and does not require advance booking. Standard hours are roughly
8:00–17:00/17:30 (gates typically close for lunch 12:00–13:00). During
the bioluminescence period, hours may extend later (into the evening).
Special early or late access, safaris, night activities, camping, and
certain trails require an accredited guide.
Some local tourism
sources and operators report a modest fee (around R$18) on the Chapadão
do Céu side or for guided packages, and emphasize that deeper
exploration needs a guide. Guide day rates commonly range from roughly
R$200–350 (or higher for full-day/night options), depending on duration
and group size. Night bioluminescence tours are available in season.
Contact the park directly for the latest details:
Email:
parquenacionaldasemas@icmbio.gov.br
Phone: +55 (64) 99972-8176
Instagram: @parnadasemas
Self-guided short trails exist near the
entrances, but guides significantly improve wildlife sightings and allow
access to more of the park.
Main Attractions and Wildlife
The
landscape is classic Cerrado: open grasslands (campo limpo/sujo), scrub,
gallery forests along streams, and countless large termite mounds that
define the scenery.
Signature wildlife includes:
Greater rheas
(emas — the park’s namesake)
Giant anteaters
Maned wolves (best
chances at dawn/dusk; one tip from visitors is watching near the main
gate around evening)
Pampas deer, tapirs, armadillos, crab-eating and
other foxes
Occasional jaguars and pumas (rare)
300–350+ bird
species, including blue-and-yellow macaws, red-legged seriemas, and many
Cerrado specialties
Wildlife is easier to see here than in denser
forests because of the open terrain. Stay quiet, go early/late, and use
binoculars. Guides know current concentrations.
Other activities:
Guided day and night wildlife drives/safaris (highly recommended)
Birdwatching
Guided boat or float trips on the clear, fast-flowing
Rio Formoso
Cycling (bikes sometimes available at gates)
Basic
camping near headquarters (limited facilities)
Night visits for
bioluminescence and nocturnal animals
There are no restaurants or
shops inside; bring all food and water (potable water is available at
the headquarters).
Practical Visiting Tips
Packing: High-SPF
sunscreen (Cerrado sun is intense), insect repellent, long sleeves and
pants (sun, insects, ticks in some seasons), light layers for cool
mornings, sturdy closed shoes, hat, binoculars, camera (tripod useful
for bioluminescence long exposures), plenty of water, snacks/meals,
spare tire/tools, and basic first aid. Neutral-colored clothing helps
with wildlife.
Health: Yellow fever vaccination is strongly
recommended. Be aware of ticks in dry-season woodland trails.
Safety:
Stay on designated routes. Inform someone of your plans. The terrain is
mostly flat but remote. Follow guide and ranger instructions, especially
near water or at night.
Photography: Dawn/dusk for mammals; long
exposures and high ISO for bioluminescence. The extreme darkness (far
from cities) is excellent for stars.
Infrastructure: Basic facilities
at gates and headquarters (toilets, some educational exhibits). No
reliable services deeper in the park.
Costs beyond entry: Vehicle
rental, fuel, guide, accommodation, and food. Budget extra for multi-day
stays and transfers.
Where to Stay
Base yourself in Chapadão
do Céu, Mineiros, or Costa Rica. Options range from simple pousadas and
hotels to a few places closer to the gates. Book ahead in the
October–November bioluminescence window, which draws more visitors. Some
lodges can arrange transfers or guides.
Location and Extent
It lies between roughly 17°50′–18°15′S and
52°39′–53°10′W, covering about 131,868–132,941 hectares (approximately
1,320–1,326 km²). The park spans parts of the municipalities of
Mineiros, Chapadão do Céu, and Serranópolis in Goiás, and Costa Rica in
Mato Grosso do Sul. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 2001
as part of the Cerrado Protected Areas with Chapada dos Veadeiros
National Park) and lies within the broader Pantanal Biosphere Reserve.
The surrounding landscape is dominated by intensive soybean agriculture,
making the park an ecological island.
Relief and Topography
The park occupies part of the Serra dos Caiapós plateau on the Central
Brazilian Shield / Planalto Central. The terrain is predominantly flat
to gently undulating plateaus (chapadões) with soft slopes and open
valleys. Elevations typically range from about 720–900 m (average around
820 m), with broader regional figures citing 400–1,000 m depending on
valleys versus plateau tops.
Higher tablelands dominate, while the
northern and northeastern sectors (especially along the Jacuba River
valley) show more incision, with amphitheater-like erosional forms,
narrower valleys, and occasional canyons or scarps. The overall
impression is of vast, horizon-dominated grasslands rather than dramatic
mountains. This gentle topography favors open savanna formations and
facilitates groundwater recharge.
Geology and Soils
The area
is underlain by rocks of the Paraná Sedimentary Basin: Mesozoic
sandstones of the Bauru Group (notably the Adamantina Formation, more
exposed in the northeast due to Jacuba River incision) and associated
basalts of the Serra Geral Formation, with Precambrian basement
influences in places. These are capped by thick, deeply weathered
Cenozoic lateritic materials.
Dominant soils are latosols (Latossolo
Vermelho and related types)—acidic, nutrient-poor, high in aluminum, and
typically sandy to very clayey. These infertile, well-drained (in most
places) soils strongly influence vegetation, selecting for
Cerrado-adapted species tolerant of aluminum toxicity and phosphorus
deficiency. In some southwestern areas, poorer drainage creates
hyperseasonal conditions with temporary waterlogging. Termite mounds
(cupinzeiros), built from soil and organic material, are an iconic
landscape feature—sometimes reaching 2 m high and numbering in the
millions—providing microhabitats and influencing local soil aeration and
nutrient cycling.
Hydrography
Emas is a strategically
important watershed near the continental divide between the Amazon (via
Araguaia–Tocantins), Paraná/La Plata, and Paraguay/Pantanal systems.
The principal rivers are the Formoso and Jacuba, which originate or have
major headwaters within the park, join to form the Corrente River, and
ultimately feed the Paranaíba and then the Paraná (La Plata basin). The
park also contributes to headwaters linked to the Araguaia (Amazon
basin) and the Taquari (Paraguay River / Pantanal). Drainage is
relatively sparse on the plateaus with open valleys, becoming denser and
more deeply incised in places. Gallery forests and veredas (wet palm
grasslands, often with buriti palms) line the watercourses. Features
include meandering clear or blackwater streams, occasional rapids or
waterfalls, and drop pools. The area is significant for recharge of the
Guarani Aquifer.
Climate
The climate is tropical savanna
(Köppen Aw): a strongly seasonal pattern with a wet summer (roughly
October–March/April) and a dry winter (April/May–September). Annual
rainfall is typically 1,200–2,000 mm (often cited in the 1,500–1,800 mm
range), with 70–90% falling in the rainy season, frequently as afternoon
thunderstorms. The dry season brings very low rainfall and humidity
(sometimes below 20%). Average annual temperatures are around 22–25°C,
with hot days and cooler nights; occasional near-freezing temperatures
can occur in winter. This seasonality, combined with periodic fire,
shapes the vegetation and hydrology (including temporary wetlands).
Landscape Mosaic
The dominant landform expression is vast open
grasslands (campo limpo) and shrubby savanna (campo sujo and campo
cerrado), covering roughly 70–80% of the park, especially on the flat
tablelands. Denser cerrado sensu stricto and cerradão appear more on
dissected or hillier terrain. Linear gallery forests and veredas follow
the rivers. A small southwestern sector contains hyperseasonal cerrado
that floods temporarily in the rainy season. Scattered twisted trees,
tall termite mounds, and seasonal wetlands create the characteristic
open, gently rolling Cerrado scenery. The park preserves one of the best
remaining large continuous blocks of this grassland-dominated Cerrado
landscape.