Road distances and drive times in the Chapada

How these numbers were produced

The distance

is the shortest path across the OpenStreetMap road network, starting at the ranch gate — not the straight line that maps and booking sites usually show.

The time

is an estimate, computed at 60 km/h on asphalt and 22 km/h on dirt — speeds calibrated against two legs we drove and timed.

The road

comes from each road's classification in the network: asphalt, dirt or mixed — some of each, without the network saying how much, so the table does not invent the split.

The reference point

is downtown Alto Paraíso, 19 km (about 25 min) from our gate.

So these are not odometer readings. They are real routes with modelled time — to compare one base against another and decide where to stay, that is more than enough.

The table

24 destinations, sorted by distance. Updated 3 November 2026. Tap a name to see the attraction.

To confirm: destinations with no route through the OpenStreetMap road network yet. Distance, time and road type go into the table once the route is confirmed.

Trails (Canyons & Cariocas, Carrossel Waterfall, Rio Preto Falls): distance and time to the National Park visitor centre in São Jorge, where the road ends and the trail begins.

What the table shows

The National Park lies beyond Vila de São Jorge, 52 km away by road. Stay in São Jorge and those trips take minutes; from the Alto Paraíso side, the village alone is 1h each way.

The reverse is equally true: Papagaio, Loquinhas, São Bento, Almécegas and Cristais are all within 31.1 km of our gate, on the side away from the National Park.

The kind of road matters more than the kilometres. Catarata dos Couros: 35 km in 1h34, mostly dirt. Poço Encantado: 72 km — twice as far — in 1h20, on asphalt. It is the column that decides which car to rent.

To choose a base from this, see the guide to where to stay in Chapada dos Veadeiros. To reach the ranch itself, see how to get here.