These mountains near Teresópolis, named after their strange rock formations, which are said to look like organ pipes, preserve some of the most diverse stretches of Atlantic coast forest in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The wildlife, plant and birdwatching here are excellent, as are the walking and rock climbing. The best way to see the park is on foot. A number of trails cut through the forest and head up into the alpine slopes, including the ascent of the Dedo de Deus (God's Finger); a precipitous peak that requires some climbing skills. Other trails lead to the highest point in the park, the Pedra do Sino (Bell Rock), 2263 m, a three- to four-hour climb up a 14-km path. The west face of this mountain is one of the hardest climbing pitches in Brazil. Other popular walks include the Pedra do Açu trail and paths to a variety of anatomically named peaks and outcrops: O Escalavrado (The Scarred One), O Dedo de Nossa Senhora (Our Lady's Finger), A Cabeça de Peixe (Fish Head), A Agulha do Diabo (The Devil's Needle) and A Verruga do Frade (The Friar's Wart).
Ins and outsIf you have a car, a good way to see the park is to do the Rio-Teresópolis-Petrópolis- Rio road circuit, stopping off for walks in the forest. This can be done in a day. The park has two ranger stations, both accessible from the BR-116: the
(headquarters, T/F021- 2642 1070) is closer to Teresópolis (from town take Avenida Rotariana), while the
is just outside the park proper, off the BR-116. By the Sede entrance is the Mirante do Soberbo, with views to the Baía de Guanabara. Both the Sede station and the Mirante can be reached on the bus marked 'Mirante do Soberbo', which leaves every half an hour from the Teresópolis
and city centre.
Anyone can enter the park and hike the trails from the Teresópolis gate, but if you intend to climb the Pedra do Sino, you must sign a register (those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult and have permission from the park authorities). Entrance to the park is US$2, with an extra charge for the path to the
top of the Pedra do Sino.
The park belongs to the threatened
coastal rainforest, designated by
Conservation International
as a global biodiversity hot spot and the preserve of what are probably the richest habitats in South America outside the Amazonian cloudforests. There are 20- to 30-m-high trees, such as paineiras (floss-silk tree), ipês and cedros, rising above palms, bamboos and other smaller trees. Flowers include begonias, bromeliads, orchids and quaresmeiras (glorybushes). The park is home to numerous rare and endemic birds including cotingas, the rarest of which is the grey-winged cotinga, guans, tanagers, berryeaters and trogons. Mammals include titi and capuchin monkeys, all of the neo- tropical rainforest cats including jaguar and oceleot, tapir and white collared peccary. Reptiles include the sapo-pulga (flea-toad), which at 10 mm long vies with the Cuban pygmy frog as the smallest amphibian in the world.
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This is edited copy from Footprint Handbooks. For comprehensive details (incl address, tel no, directions, opening times and prices) please refer to book or individual chapter PDF
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