The name of this natural sanctuary was taken from the book "Grande Sertao: Veredas" written by the Brazilian author Guimaraes Rosa, a fundamental masterpiece of literature in the Portuguese language and pointed out as one of the best books ever written by humanity by the British newspaper The Guardian.

The park is located in the northern part of Minas Gerais, in the southeast of the country. It was created in April of 1989 to protect this valuable 84 thousand hectare ecosystem which was about to be destroyed by the large farmers. It would have been covered by extensive and monotonous soy bean plantations by now.

The book of Rosa revealed to the Brazilians and the world the value of this ecological sanctuary. Guimaraes Rosa wrote his book after a journey through the region in 1952 with a group of cowboys who had to drive 600 heads of cattle across the Sertao. The writer rode along 240 kilometres on the back of a mule for ten days, filling a notebook with notes describing all kinds of details.

The inhabitants of the Sertao are just as depicted by Rosa on his book. That is why it is said that travelling through the region is like diving into a wild place and finding the living characters of Guimaraes Rosa, knowing the plain and peculiar vocabulary of the locals and understanding their innate wisdom and cordiality.

The Sertao is a peculiar world isolated from the modern one. Rosa wrote that the Sertao was endless. There are no newspapers in here, nor magazines or television. The people of Sertao bathe in the rivers and live in mud houses with no luxury or comfort whatsoever. They are nevertheless an optimistic people who play tales of struggle and hope daily.

In the middle of the huge dry Cerrado area, surge the veredas, streams and small flows sustaining an oasis of life with a varied vegetation of palm trees, flowers and fruits.

A natural wealth in its own right is the amount of endangered animal species of the region. You can find the Maned wolf, the Giant Anteater, the Pampas deer, the puma, the rhea, and the red legged Seriema.

Weather

The average annual temperature is of 21° C, which is typical of central Brazil with a well defined dry season. The driest period goes from September to November and the rainiest season from December to February. The average precipitation varies between 1250 and 1500 mm per year.

Attractions

The veredas

The veredas accumulate water, resembling an oasis, that then are turn into streams. The Brazilian native palm trees, the buritis, thrive at these sites which not only protect the river sources but are also used as a refuge by various bird species.

Sierra of the Hubiste arado

A sierra of sandy and rocky formations of varied colorations. It is the refuge zone for the red macaws who build their nests in its surroundings. The vegetation of buritis bordering the hills grow lavishly around the veredas (oasis).

The tracks (The trillas)

The extensive neighbouring roads of the sertao go across villages and settlements which are not shown on any map.

Recommendations

• Rides through the park are possible only with the company of personnel from IBAMA, the state run institution in charge of the protected area which is not a place opened to the public.
• Due to the wild characteristic of the park, it is likely to go for hours without meeting other human beings.
• The herds of cattle and the wagons pulled by bullocks are a common sight on the roads. The tracks show many eroded sectors and some sandy parts, though most of the rural roads can be undertaken with a four wheel drive vehicle.
• Do not pass up the reading of Guimaraes Rosa's book to better understand the culture and the history of the region.