The Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park () is a state park in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It protects a mountainous area of Atlantic Forest and is known for its many caves.
Location
The Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park is divided between the municipalities of Apiaí and Iporanga in the state of São Paulo, lying away from the city of São Paulo. It has over 350 caves, many waterfalls, trails and archaeological and paleontological sites. There are traditional and quilombola communities in the park. There are four visitor centers and support for enforcement activities and research in order to safeguard and protect the rich natural heritage of the upper Ribeira region, represented by the important biodiversity of the remnants of the Atlantic Forest and its paleontological, archaeological, and historical sites. It is home to one of the most important speleological provinces in Brazil with more than 300 caves registered by the SBE - Sociedade Brasileira de Espeleologia.
History
The Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park is one of the oldest parks in the state of São Paulo, created by state decree 32,283 of 19 May 1958. From the 1990s it became popular for adventure sports such as climbing, rafting and cycling and for environmental education, photography and observation of nature.
São Paulo state decree 58.148 of 21 June 2012 created the Paranapiacaba Conservation Units Mosaic, consisting of the Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park, Intervales State Park, Carlos Botelho State Park, Xitué Ecological Station, Nascentes do Paranapanema State Park and the Serra do Mar Environmental Protection Area in the municipalities of Eldorado, Sete Barras, Tapiraí, Juquiá, Ribeirão Grande and Capão Bonito. The purpose was to promote integrated and participatory management of the conservation units, and to seek to guarantee conservation of the areas covered.
Environment
There are a great many streams and rivers. Flora include the Palmito Juçara (Euterpe edulis) and many species of bromeliads and orchids. Bird species include fasciated tiger heron (Tigrisoma fasciatum) and ornate hawk-eagle (Spizaetus ornatus). Large mammals include lowland paca (Cuniculus paca), South American tapir (Tapirus terrestris) and howler monkeys.
Facilities
The park has four visitor centers. Most tours of the parks require a local guide. The Ouro Grosso center is a base for courses on environmental monitoring, seminars and meetings and provides accommodation for public school students. Other than the caves, attractions include: Nucleo Santana Cachoeira Andorinhas Cachoeira Beija Flor Cachoeira Couto Nucleo Ouro Grosso Cachoeira Arapongas Nucleo Caboclos Cachoeira Maximiliano Cachoeira 07 Reis Nucleo Casa de Pedro Canyon Castelo
Caves
The caves are the main attraction. Some have stairs, walkways and bridges to facilitate access, some contain large rivers. Only four are open to visitors.
Its location in the Atlantic Forest encourages visitors to explore a variety of environments, including rivers, waterfalls, and caves. Its wide range of itineraries may please the most demanding of both beginners and veterans. It has four main areas or units for tourist visitation: Nucleo Santana, Ouro Grosso, Casa de Pedra and Caboclos. The most frequented are Santana and Ouro Grosso.
Nucleo Santana
Caverna de Santana is the most visited cave of the State of São Paulo. Rich in formations and labyrinths it consists of a mesh of galleries in three levels, then only two superimposed, through which the Roncador river flows. Part of this cave is easily accessible, with wooden stairs and bridges built in the difficult crossing points. Another can be visited only with the help of highly skilled guides. Finally, a third part is accessible only to specialists and with prior authorization. Caverna da Água Suja is essentially composed of an underground river, which receives two tributaries. Its entrance has very high ceiling and width of approximately 10 meters. On the road connecting the towns of Apiaí and Iporanga a path leads to the parking area of the park 1.2 km ahead. Visit only with permission. Tickets at the entrance.