Boqueirão da Pedra Furada: Rock Art in Piauí

A 75-metre-high sandstone overhang shelters more than 1,000 ochre paintings at Boqueirão da Pedra Furada, the flagship rock-art site of Serra da Capivara National Park in southeastern Piauí. Long before the painted panels, someone built hearths in the dirt beneath the overhang — charcoal samples published by Niède Guidon and Georgette Delibrias in 1986 were radiocarbon-dated to roughly 32,000 years before present, a claim that still fuels the argument over when humans first reached the Americas.

That double identity — postcard arch on top, contested excavation trench below — is why this is the one circuit almost nobody skips. Roughly 7,850 people passed through the park in July 2025 alone, the busiest month of a year that drew about 45,000 visitors, and the Pedra Furada sector absorbs a large share of them.

What You Actually See at Boqueirão da Pedra Furada

The painted shelter

The rock wall is 70 metres wide and holds the largest single concentration of paintings documented anywhere in the park. Pigments are hematite red, ocre siderite and charcoal black. The motifs are figurative and readable without a trained eye: deer with antlers in profile, armadillos, hunters in file with weapons raised, circles of dancing figures. There is also a much-reproduced pair of stylised bodies leaning toward each other, which guides on the circuit usually save for last.

What most photographs miss is the floor. Under the wooden walkway, the old excavation trench is still open — dark lenses of charcoal, ash streaks, fallen blocks. Quartz flakes lie on the surface around it. The site's scientific weight sits at your feet, not on the wall.

The arch itself

The perforated arch that gives the site its name was cut by wind, water and thermal expansion over an enormous span of time. It frames the caatinga behind it and is the image on half the postcards sold in São Raimundo Nonato. Late-afternoon light turns the sandstone amber; by 11:00 the same rock glares hard enough to hurt.

The viewpoint climb

Alto da Pedra Furada sits above the shelter and looks down on the arch and the plain beyond. It adds roughly one to two hours to the visit and involves a climb the boardwalk does not — worth it for the geometry of the arch seen from above, skippable if you are visiting in the August–November heat.

The main loop from the visitors centre to the shelter and the viewpoint runs about 4.8 km round trip with roughly 146 metres of elevation gain, around 1 hour 22 minutes of walking at an easy pace.

How to Visit Boqueirão da Pedra Furada

Reaching the park gate

No public transport runs to any park entrance. Most travellers fly into Petrolina (PNZ) and drive 300–330 km via BR-235/BR-324, roughly 3.5 to 4.5 hours. Teresina (THE) is the alternative, 510–530 km and 6–7 hours by road. São Raimundo Nonato has its own airport, but schedules are thin — confirm before booking around it.

From São Raimundo Nonato, the Boqueirão da Pedra Furada gate is 26 km away on paved road. Staying near the Sítio do Mocó entrance, 1.5–2 km from the gate, buys you the first hour of daylight, which matters more than it sounds.

Guides, hours and fees

Entry without an accredited condutor is not permitted, and no advance booking with ICMBio is required — you arrange the guide through your pousada, AGTURB-SRN or a local agency. Day rates typically run R$200–250 per group, not per person. Confirm current park fees on the official ICMBio site, as rates change. The park opens daily from 06:00 to 18:00. Entry points require a signed risk-awareness form at the guarita.

Rules that get enforced

The boardwalk over the painted panel holds a maximum of nine people at a time, and the shelter walkway serves up to two groups of eight simultaneously. Flash photography on the panels is prohibited to protect the mineral pigments, and touching the rock art is illegal. Speakers and musical instruments are not allowed in the visiting areas. There are no toilets along the trails — use the facilities at the entrance base or visitors centre first.

The night visit

A spotlight tour of the shelter runs after dark, with lamps sweeping the painted wall and the darkness of the caatinga above it. It is limited to 25 people per session and requires a certified guide plus prior arrangement through the FUMDHAM reception. Whispering carries about 30 metres inside the shelter, so the acoustics do half the work.

Timing, Weather and Fitting It Into a Park Itinerary

Best months

The dry season from May to December gives the most reliable roads and trails. January to July is milder, the caatinga keeps its leaves and flowers, and temporary waterfalls appear along the escarpments right after rain. May and June turn the vegetation red, yellow and brown as leaves drop. August to November is the hottest stretch — midday temperatures routinely pass 38°C, and the sandstone glare is punishing. Start at 06:00 or after 15:30 in those months.

Annual rainfall here sits below 1,200 mm, concentrated between October and April, with average temperatures around 28°C and October–November averages near 31°C.

How long to allow

Give the Boqueirão da Pedra Furada circuit two to three hours including the boardwalk, the panel and the visitors centre. Add one to two hours for the viewpoint, or for combining the site with Sítio do Meio nearby. The park as a whole rewards two full days minimum; all fourteen circuits open to the public would take four to six days.

Combining circuits

The Pedra Furada circuit is the park's most accessible sector, with boardwalks and ramps up to the rock-art wall — one of the few archaeological sites in Brazil where a wheelchair user reaches the paintings. Pair it with Baixão das Mulheres for more panels, or Baqueirão das Andorinhas, where a swarm of swallows spirals into the canyon cracks around 17:30 each day.

Do the Museu do Homem Americano in São Raimundo Nonato before or after — the excavated material and Niède Guidon's interpretative panels make the shelter floor legible. It opens Wednesday to Saturday 13:00–19:00 and Thursday and Sunday 10:00–19:00, with the ticket window closing at 18:00. Entry is R$30 full, R$15 for students and visitors over 60 with documentation, capped at 200 visitors a day.

Practical notes

Base yourself in São Raimundo Nonato for services, or closer to the gate for early starts. Infrastructure is basic — simple pousadas, a handful of restaurants. Bring more water than you think you need, a hat, and shoes with grip for the viewpoint climb. Binoculars earn their weight for the birds in the caatinga scrub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to book the Boqueirão da Pedra Furada visit in advance?

No booking is required with ICMBio, but you cannot enter without an accredited guide. Arrange the condutor through your hotel or AGTURB-SRN before you arrive, at R$200–250 per group per day. The night visit is the exception — it must be pre-arranged with the FUMDHAM reception and caps at 25 people.

How old are the paintings at Pedra Furada?

The panel itself is generally dated to within the last 12,000 years, but the charcoal from hearths in the shelter floor beneath it was dated to about 32,000 years before present. That older date is what makes the site controversial rather than settled, and other researchers dispute the association between the charcoal and human activity.

Can you visit Boqueirão da Pedra Furada without a car?

Not practically. There is no public transit to any park gate, and the Boqueirão entrance sits 26 km from São Raimundo Nonato. Most visitors rent a car in Petrolina or Teresina, or join a guided tour that includes transport.

Is the circuit accessible for visitors with limited mobility?

The main Boqueirão da Pedra Furada circuit is the most accessible sector in the park, with boardwalks and ramps leading to the painted wall. The viewpoint climb above the arch is not accessible and involves uneven ground.