Sete Cidades: Piauí's Natural Rock Architecture
The Sete Cidades National Park — 180 km from Teresina — is a landscape of sandstone formations eroded into shapes that resemble ruined cities, complete with rock art; one of Brazil's most surreal natural landscapes
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The Seven Cliff Cities
The seven groups of sandstone formations – eroded by millions of years of rain and wind into towers, arches and walls – resemble the ruins of ancient stone cities; the effect is eerie and magnificent in the caatinga landscape
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Rock Art at Sete Cidades
The rock art at Sete Cidades—which predates recorded history—includes geometric patterns and human figures; the proximity of the prehistoric paintings to the natural formations has fueled theories (unconfirmed) of Phoenician or Sumerian contact
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Caatinga Flora of the Park
The Caatinga vegetation at Sete Cidades includes rare species found nowhere else – the 78 species of orchids, the cacti growing on the sandstone peaks and the gallery forests in the canyon bottoms are botanically extraordinary
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Sandstone Geology
The Sete Cidades Formation is part of the Parnaíba sedimentary basin — one of the world's largest intracontinental basins; The sandstone layers that record 300 million years of geologic history are exposed in the canyon walls
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Wildlife in Sete Cidades
The park protects caatinga wildlife including tamandua anteaters, armadillos and an outstanding range of birds; toco toucan, araripe manakin (critically endangered) and over 200 other bird species have been recorded
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Trail System
Sete Cidades has a well-maintained trail network connecting the seven formation groups - the combination of natural architecture, prehistoric art and caatinga ecosystem make it one of Brazil's most rewarding day-hiking destinations