Peruaçu River Canyon


World Heritage Identification Number: 1747

World Heritage since: 2025

Category: Natural Heritage

WHE Type: Natural Landscapes & Geographic Features

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇧🇷 Brazil

Continent: Americas

UNESCO World Region: Latin America and the Caribbean

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Exploring the Stunning Geological Wonders of the Peruaçu River Canyon

The Peruaçu River Canyon, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2025, showcases a breathtaking blend of geological formations, unique biodiversity, and rich history that draws visitors from around the world. Situated in the north of Minas Gerais, Brazil, this environmental protection area offers an unparalleled exploration into the heart of Earth's natural wonders.

More to come…

UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Located in northern Minas Gerais and featuring dramatic karst landscapes, vast caves, and rich biodiversity, the park’s horizontal cave systems, formed in carbonate rock, reveal striking speleothems, collapsed dolines, limestone arches, and underground rivers. Developed in the stable São Francisco craton, the landscape reflects major climatic and geological changes from the Plio-Pleistocene. The park lies at the intersection of the Cerrado, Caatinga, and Atlantic Forest biomes, supporting over 2,000 plant and animal species, including many threatened ones.

Encyclopedia Record: Cavernas do Peruaçu Environmental Protection Area

Cavernas do Peruaçu Environmental Protection Area is a protected area in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 38,003 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (vii) — Contains superlative natural phenomena or beauty
(viii) — Outstanding example representing major earth stages

Coordinates: -15.075 , -44.2083333333

Image

Image of Peruaçu River Canyon

© Godoi vera, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Historic Centre of the Town of Diamantina
358 km — Brazil
Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks
393 km — Brazil
Brasilia
403 km — Brazil
Pampulha Modern Ensemble
532 km — Brazil
Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves
554 km — Brazil
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Brazil and the World Heritage Convention

State Party since: September 1, 1977

Status: Acceptance

Mandates to the World Heritage Committee: 1980-1987, 1987-1993, 1993-1999, 2007-2011, 2017-2021

Total of Mandate Years: 27

Total of Mandates: 5

WHC Electoral Group: III (Latin America/Caribbean)

Learn more about Brazil

Weather at the World Heritage Site

Last updated: March 26, 2026

Portions of the page Peruaçu River Canyon are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Cavernas do Peruaçu Environmental Protection Area, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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