The biggest bird in Brazil, the Rhea or Ema which can reach a height of 1.5 metre and which life expectancy is precarious in the midterm, motivated the creation of a the Das Emas National Park, an ecological sanctuary of the Municipality of Mineros, State of Goiás, in the north-eastern region of the country.

The area shares borders with the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul and has a 131868 hectare surface and a 150 kilometre perimeter. It limits with the Jacuba River to the north and the Hermoso River to the south.

Fauna

Groups of wild boars, capybaras, monkeys, deer, and certainly rheas, are commonly seen. The small anteater, foxes, wolfs, wild dogs, tapirs, armadillos, anacondas, Red-legged Seriema (Cariama cristata), sparrow-hawks, barn owls, Scissor-tailed Nightjar (Hydropsalis brasiliana) and ocelots exist in smaller numbers.

The best time for watching the wild fauna is during the sprouting season when animals are in the search for food.

Flora

The grasslands can reach 2 metre heights and keep hold of 60% of the park's area. The tallest trees can reach four or five metre heights in some zones.
Sub-aquatic woods

The Hermoso and Jacuda Rivers allow the visualization of stones and the sub-aquatic woods, as a result of a good penetration of the sunrays into the water. It reaches 4 metre depths in some places.

The cumpinzeiros

In the early stages of the rainy season the cumpizeiros perform the bioluminescence phenomenon which consists in the irradiation of a blue greenish phosphorescent light, produced by small larvae stuck to the leafs in search for food. The result is a very beautiful night show.

This park holds the largest concentration of cumpinzeiros per square metre in the whole world.

Weather

The dry season with water shortages shows during the southern hemisphere's winter, from April to September. The summer and spring seasons are very hot with temperatures ranging between 22° and 24° C. Precipitations vary from 1500 to 1750 mm a year.

Recommendations

• Do not leave lit cigarette butts in order to avoid fires.
• Do not leave any kind of garbage inside the park.
• Do not harm the plants and animals.
• Do not drive above 30 kilometres per hour.
• Do not catch flowers, fruits or plants.

How to get there

The access road from Brasilia, 700 kilometres away from the park, is totally asphalted. You can also have access coming through dirt roads from Chapadao do Céu.