Lavrado: The Amazon's Northern Savanna Reaches Boa Vista
Boa Vista sits in the Lavrado — a unique open savanna that interrupts the Amazon rainforest in northern Roraima; the grassland with its giant anteaters, maned wolves, and tepui mountains on the horizon is one of Brazil's rarest ecosystems
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Lavrado Savanna Ecology
Lavrado — covering 40,000 km² of Roraima — is a natural savannah island surrounded by the Amazon rainforest; its ecology is more similar to the Venezuelan Llanos than the cerrado, with grasslands that are seasonally flooded
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Giant anteater at Lavrado
The giant anteater lives in the Lavrado grasslands in great numbers — seeing the prehistoric animal toiling in termite mounds on the open savannah is one of Boa Vista's wildlife experiences
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Tepui Mountains on the Horizon
The Tepui Mountains of the Guiana Highlands are visible on the horizon of Boa Vista — the sandstone plateaus, rising abruptly from Lavrado, are among South America's most dramatic landforms
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Branco River Wetlands
The Branco River - the tributary of the Amazon that passes through Boa Vista - creates extensive wetlands on the Lavrado ridge; the flooded grasslands attract waders, caimans and giant river otters
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Roraima Biodiversity
The transition between the Amazon, Lavrado and the tepui highlands in the state of Roraima creates exceptional biodiversity — many species are found only in this convergence zone of three distinct ecosystems
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The night sky at Lavrado
Lavrado's flat openness and distance from city lights make it one of Brazil's best stargazing spots — the Milky Way visible in detail above the silent grasslands is extraordinary