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Right down in the southwestern corner of Goias state, the Parque Nacional das Emas , a cerrado reserve some 1300 square kilometres in extent, is beginning to open up to regular tourist visits now that it is possible to fly here from Goiania or Brasilia. Until the growth in eco-tours, this national park was only frequented by zoologists and botanists. Located in the central Brazilian highlands near the Mato Grosso do Sul border, it consists of about 1320 square kilometres of fairly pristine cerrado, and supports an enormous population of emas (South American rheas) and also large herds of veado-campeiro deer. Both are more easily spotted here than anywhere else in Brazil. The Emas park is also famous for its wide range of variously coloured and extremely large anthills . They are used by coruja-do-campo owls as lookout posts dotted across the flat plain, and are a good source of food for bandeira anteaters. Some of the anthills glow phosphorescently green and blue due to the activity of larvae living inside them - an amazing sight on a dark night. There is no accommodation in the park and almost all visitors come by small plane from Brasilia or Goiania. The nearest hotels are just over 100km away in the small town of Mineiros , the best of which is Piloes Palace, Praca  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
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Dep. Jose Alves Assis (tel 062/661-1547, fax 661-3580; $35-50). Vehicles and drivers can be hired from around $80 per day. Although you don't need official permission to travel independently to the park, you're still advised to contact Ibama, the national parks authority: in Goiania at Rua 229, #95, Setor Universitaria (tel 062/224-2488 or 224-2441); in Brasilia, at Av. W-3 Norte 513, Edificio Imperador, Loja 301-320. Tours and flights can be organized through most travel agents in either city.
Your Tips For Parque Nacional das Emas
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