Jalapão is a state park in eastern Tocantins

Tocantins (state)

Tocantins is one of the states of Brazil. . The state was formed in 1988 out of the northern part of Goiás, and construction began on the capital, Palmas, in 1989, in contrast to most of the other cities in the state which date back to the Portuguese colonial period...

, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, about 250 kilometers from the Tocantins capital, Palmas

Palmas, Tocantins

Palmas is the capital of the Brazilian state of Tocantins. According to IBGE estimates from 2011, the city had 235,315 inhabitants. It has an area of 2474.95 km²....

. It occupies 34,000 km², making it the largest state park in Tocantins

Tocantins

Tocantins may refer to:* Tocantins, a state in Brazil* Tocantins River, a river in Brazil* Survivor: Tocantins, a reality show set in Tocantins, Brazil* Tocantins Esporte Clube, a Brazilian football club...

. The region is considered one of the biggest attractions of the cerrado

Cerrado

The Cerrado, is a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil, particularly in the states of Gioas and Minas Gerais...

, a tropical savanna ecoregion

Ecoregion

An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...

 of Brazil, and has increasingly received interest among adventure tourism

Adventure tourism

Adventure travel is a type of tourism, involving exploration or travel to remote, exotic and possibly hostile areas. Adventure tourism is rapidly growing in popularity, as tourists seek different kinds of vacations. According to the U.S...

 and ecotourism

Ecotourism

Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...

 fans.

This site was also the filming site of the eighteenth season of Survivor: Survivor: Tocantins

Landscape

The vegetation is predominantly savannas, cut off by a web of rivers, streams and creeks.

Found in full transitional forest, Jalapão is dominated by scrubland vegetation similar to the savannas, where waterfalls, rivers with crystal clear waters, rapids and large plateaus make the landscape. It is in this scenario where golden sand dunes, up to 30 meters high, stand out, giving the place its name: desert of Jalapão. It would be a desert, if Jalapão were not also a paradise of waters, flowers, and exotic animals.

The Jalapão is an arid region dotted with oases. The average temperature is 30°C or 86°F.

Location

Jalapão covers the Tocantins municipalities of Ponte Alta do Tocantins

Ponte Alta do Tocantins

Ponte Alta do Tocantins is a town and municipality in the state of Tocantins in the Northern region of Brazil.-References:...

, Mateiros

Mateiros

Mateiros is the easternmost city in the state of Tocantins. It is the only city in Tocantins to border the state of Piauí...

, São Félix do Jalapão, Novo Acordo

Novo Acordo

Novo Acordo is a town and municipality in the state of Tocantins in the Northern region of Brazil.-References:...

, Rio da Conceição

Rio da Conceição

Rio da Conceição is a town and municipality in the state of Tocantins in the Northern region of Brazil.-References:...

, Santa Tereza do Tocantins

Santa Tereza do Tocantins

Santa Tereza do Tocantins is a town and municipality in the state of Tocantins in the Northern region of Brazil.-References:...

 and Lagoa do Tocantins

Lagoa do Tocantins

Lagoa do Tocantins is a town and municipality in the state of Tocantins in the Northern region of Brazil.-References:...

, occupying an area equivalent to the Brazilian state of Sergipe

Sergipe

Sergipe , is the smallest state of the Brazilian Federation, located on the northeastern Atlantic coast of the country. It borders on two other states, Bahia to the south and west and Alagoas to the north, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean...

.

The rivers Sono, Soninho, Novo, Balsas, Black and Caracol drain the arid landscape and rasteira, ranging from savanna to the low meadow. Matas of gallery appear close to rivers, waterfalls, lagoons, sand dunes, mountains and big hills of up to 800m high.

Its strategic position has continued with the Environmental Protection Area (APA) of Jalapão, Ecological Station of Serra Geral and National Park springs from the Rio Parnaíba.

Crafts

A feature of the region is the production of handicrafts, silk and golden grass, buriti, which have become a main source of income for local communities and has been the subject of studies and actions to ensure its sustainable use, ecologically and economically.