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Brazil🇧🇷 | national parksEmas National ParkManed wolves, jeep safaris, glowing termite mounds, open savanna | things to do and best time to go

Explore Chapada dos Veadeiros National ParkExplore Itatiaia National Park

Backpacking in Emas
UNESCO World Heritage site
👀 For curious travelersnational park ranked #27
By Johan Kruseman 🇳🇱 | Updated October 19, 2026

Emas National Park has no public transport and no lodging inside its boundary beyond a research base, so most visitors drive in. It sits in the southwest of Goiás state in Brazil, on cerrado savanna. Most visitors tour it by jeep with a local guide. Skip the long dusty loops without a guide. At dusk I heard the low, rasping grunt of a giant anteater’s neighbor, a maned wolf, drifting over the grass. Book your guide before you arrive.

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✨ Why go?
Ranked #27 national park in BrazilReasons people choose to explore here

Emas National Park suits self-driving backpackers who want wildlife without a package price. The savanna is open, so you spot giant anteaters, rheas, seriemas and maned wolves from the road, often within an hour of entering. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and its flat grassland makes for easy viewing. Come for the termite mounds that glow with bioluminescent larvae in the wet season, and the chance to see a maned wolf at dusk. It works far better independently than on a rushed tour.

💡 HighlightsThe experiences that define the visit

  1. Maned wolf sightings: Long-legged and fox-faced, it often crosses the park roads around dusk.
  2. Giant anteaters: They trot across open grass in daylight, tail raised like a flag.
  3. Glowing termite mounds: Click beetle larvae light up the mounds green after dark, mostly in the early wet season.
  4. Greater rheas: Flocks of these flightless birds roam the plains and are easy to approach by vehicle.
  5. Giant armadillos and tapirs: Rarer, but night drives give the best odds.
  6. Formoso River headwaters: Springs and veredas of buriti palms mark the park’s wetter edge.
  7. Jeep safari circuits: Open-top drives across the savanna are the main way to see everything.
For a first visit, the dusk jeep drive is the one to book, since it combines maned wolves, anteaters and the chance of glowing mounds.
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🌤️ When to go?Best time to explore Emas

  • Dry Season (May to September): Cool mornings of 10 to 15°C (50 to 59°F), afternoons of 26 to 30°C (79 to 86°F), and the easiest driving on the dirt roads. Daylight lasts about 11 hours.
  • Wet Season (October to March): Daily storms, 22 to 32°C (72 to 90°F), and muddy tracks. Termite mounds glow with bioluminescent larvae in the first rains, and rates dip slightly.
  • Shoulder (April): Green grass and drying roads.
Book a guided night drive in advance, since anteaters and maned wolves appear most often at dusk.

source: climatestotravel.comJANJanuary: fair for travelingFEBFebruary: fair for travelingMARMarch: fair for travelingAPRApril: good for travelingMAYMay: excellent for travelingJUNJune: excellent for travelingJULJuly: excellent for travelingAUGAugust: excellent for travelingSEPSeptember: excellent for travelingOCTOctober: good for travelingNOVNovember: good for travelingDECDecember: fair for traveling
brazil-national-park-emas-national-park
© Google |

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🛏️ Where to stay?Where staying makes the most sense

Sleep in Chapadão do Céu, the small town about 30 km from the park’s Bandeira gate, because no beds exist inside Emas National Park and camping is not permitted. Pousadas here run roughly US$25 to 60 a night for a double room, and a few offer simple dorm-style or budget rooms. Mineiros, about 90 km away, has more hotels and restaurants, and Santa Rita do Araguaia is another option. Book ahead in the dry season, because rooms are limited and most guests arrive by car.
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👛 Costs (as of 19 October 2026)Travel costs and budget guide for Emas

A realistic budget for Emas National Park is about US$110 a day, with most of it going to the guide and vehicle.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Entrance feeUS$4 to 8Paid at the gate in reais; the fee is charged per person per day.
Accommodation (high season)US$25 to 60Pousadas in Chapadão do Céu.
Local transportUS$25 to 50Taxi or a shared 4x4 ride, since no public buses reach the gate.
Guide or tourUS$20 to 40Guided drives and night safaris are often split between groups.
Food and suppliesUS$10 to 20Simple meals in town; stock up on water beforehand.
Total Daily BudgetUS$84 to 178About US$110 for a mid-range day.


source: gov.br
⚠️ Prices can change and everyone travels differently, so take this as a rough guide. Hope it helps you plan your adventure!

🥾 TrailsTrail guide for Emas national park

Emas National Park is mostly explored by vehicle across its 354 km of tracks, with walks and bike rides on some of them.
  • Savanna jeep circuits: Guided drives of several hours cross open cerrado grassland with termite mounds, palm swamps and birdlife. Easy and flat.
  • Night drives: Led by guides with spotlights, these target maned wolves, tapirs and armadillos.
  • Short guided walks: Some stretches near springs or the research base may be permitted with an accompanying guide, usually brief and easy.
The terrain is gently rolling, with grass, scattered shrubs and gallery forest along streams. Dirt tracks … read more 👉
Emas National Park is mostly explored by vehicle across its 354 km of tracks, with walks and bike rides on some of them.
  • Savanna jeep circuits: Guided drives of several hours cross open cerrado grassland with termite mounds, palm swamps and birdlife. Easy and flat.
  • Night drives: Led by guides with spotlights, these target maned wolves, tapirs and armadillos.
  • Short guided walks: Some stretches near springs or the research base may be permitted with an accompanying guide, usually brief and easy.
The terrain is gently rolling, with grass, scattered shrubs and gallery forest along streams. Dirt tracks turn slick after heavy rain, so a high-clearance vehicle helps.
There is no public transport to the park, and entry is through a gate near Mineiros and Chapadão do Céu. Crowds are tiny, often just a few vehicles on the roads. A modest entrance fee applies, and guides are needed for any off-road driving.
⚠️ Hiking info can sometimes be outdated or inaccurate. Before you hit the trail, check the latest conditions with locals. If you do spot anything that's off, I'd love to hear from you, so I can update it for fellow travelers.

🛡️ SafetySafety Tips and Common Scams in Emas

Emas National Park is straightforward and well managed, and the main challenges are sun and distance. The cerrado grassland has almost no shade, so carry a hat, sunscreen, and at least 3 liters of water per person. Walking inside the park is restricted, so most exploring happens by vehicle or guided tour. Keep your distance from wildlife such as maned wolves, pampas deer, and giant anteaters, which can defend themselves with long claws. Wear boots and long trousers against ticks, and expect strong afternoon storms in summer.
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FAQTraveler FAQ

Two days is the ideal length for Emas National Park, with one full day for a loop drive and one for a night safari or the termite-mound area. A single long day is possible from Chapadão do Céu, about 30 km from the Bandeira gate.
Visiting Emas National Park without a car is difficult but possible. Buses reach Mineiros or Chapadão do Céu, but nothing runs inside the park, so you need a taxi (roughly US$25 to 50) or a guided 4x4 tour. Pousadas in Chapadão do Céu can arrange guides and transfers.
Yes, Emas National Park charges a small entrance fee, roughly US$4 to 8 per person, paid at the gate in reais. No hiking permit is needed for the main driving circuit, but a registered guide is required for certain activities such as night drives. Check ahead for opening hours, since the park generally closes after dark except on organized tours.
⚠️ Things can change over time, so always validate details locally before you go.

Other Brazilian national parks near Emas

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We 💚 feedbackParting advice and final tips

Emas National Park pairs well with Chapada dos Veadeiros to the northeast, giving you savanna wildlife followed by waterfalls and canyons on one route. I would drive in with a guide and plan at least one night inside the surrounding region.

✈️ When did I visit Brazil?
Call it good timing or luck, but I was able to celebrate Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro in February 2022, after a round trip in the north and east coast.

✍️ Help improve this page!
The information on this page is based on my own backpacking experience in Brazil, supplemented with up-to-date research and feedback from other travelers. Travel details can change, so if you notice anything outdated or incomplete, feel free to let me know.



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Johan, backpacker and founder of TakeYourBackpackHi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.

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