A couple of weekends ago, some friends and family drove fourish hours to the border of Sao Paulo state and Parana to partake in some spelunking activities. At the Parque das Cavernas, a cave system firmly ensconced in the Atlantic Rainforest Biome (considered one of the “most most biodiverse” regions of the planet). The park consists of over 360 individual caves, and here we were able to see some truly stunning sites and engage in a series of adventures that tested my stress limits as a parent to two young boys.
The Petar caves are in the Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park, a UNESCO world heritage site (this area is 21% of all remaining Atlantic Rainforest), a 140 square mile national forest full of hiking, biking, kayaking, whitewater rafting, bird watching, and of course the aforementioned spelunking. Of the more than 300 caves, only around twelve are open to the public- and to go, you need to hire a dedicated guide for your group-at a cost around $30 per person for two full days of adventure.
The Vale do Ribeira, though inhabited by the Indigenous Tapuias since at least 1,000 C.E., found its population intensify at the beginning of the 17th century, with the rush for gold and all the civilization that the notion (or in this case, misplaced hope) of wealth brings along with it. Jesuits, slaves, Japanese, ranchers, farmers, and fishermen… the area has seen a diverse population come and go over the centuries, but few remnants of these disparate peoples exist in the small villages of Apiaí and Iporanga today.
One thing that completely threw me off was that the caves are much less traversable than ANY cave system I have been to in the United States- or even the caves I explored while living in Thailand. These caves are massive structures, and often times the only man-made addition to the cave is a single rope or a rickety, slippery, decrepit wooden ladder or plank- if there are any at all.
Seriously, the lack of any semblance of an internal light system, coupled with jumping across rocks in an underground river, or sliding down a rock face to reach the caverns below made this an unforgettable journey- at one point, we had to swim in an underground river, deep enough that even I, at six-foot-three, couldn’t touch the bottom, having to shimmy across a rope line, with only about a foot of space between the river and the roof of the cave… these were first-of-their-kind experiences for me, and frightening as they were exhilarating. (This is a link to a Brazilian video of what it’s like to go through the cave, starting at around the 6:30 mark, you can see how wild it was- and why I didn’t bring my phone/camera along for the ride). Many of these “wet” caves have to be visited in drier times, as the entire cave can fill with water within minutes!
Sometimes the caves had ceilings two hundred feet high- and sometimes no more than a foot or two. The majority of the caves had a river system too- the Betari, Iporanga, and Pilões rivers flow through many of the caves into the Ribeira River, so many of the caves are linked by one or more of the rivers- though in some cases no one has yet proven that the caves are linked!
Our guides would stop and tell us about many of the formation’s names- Some had names like “King Kong’s Toe” or “Pride Rock”- and if you squinted hard enough, you could see it. Others were named after chapels, or altars reminiscent of those of the Virgin Mary. Below, my children and I get a picture in the “Chapel” window.
Other than the caves and the exceptional wilderness and host of animals there is not a lot of amenities in the area… Restaurants are few and far between, with most food being offered by the “pousadas” (inns) that you lodge in while visiting the state park. I will call out Pastelaria Da Zeni, the pasteis (like a mix between a pop-tart and a hot pocket) place of our guide, Cristian, for being exceptionally delicious. Apparently, they use Cachaça when creating the dough for the pastel, so when fried it creates an extra-crispy exterior. Highly recommended, as very few things are better along with a cold beer after a long day’s hike.
For further dining options, one has to go to the nearby village of Iporanga (a treacherous and insanely bumpy 20km trip from the Alto Ribeiro State Park) and try Casarao Gastronomia, a low-key but charming Brazilian restaurant that makes a stellar Duck Ravioli and amazing Caprese salads.
There is plenty more to explore in this area- more than enough to entice my family back- there is one cave we didn’t make it to that has the world’s only blind catfish- and the possibility of actually rappelling through many massive caves sounds like an opportunity I can’t wait to experience. There are 12 caves that tourists can visit, and the five we blundered our way through were already magical. The caves are rough and not easily traversed, but this fact makes them more isolated, more unique, and more memorable.
Hope to see you there.
Those gifs and photos were wild. Kudos to you for taking the kiddos! Talk about an unforgettable trip.
Incredible story telling. Incredible kids. Good dadding all around.