# Januária's caves hold Brazil's grandest underground chambers

> The city of Januária in Minas Gerais sits at the entrance to a UNESCO World Heritage park with over 200 cataloged caves and chambers reaching 180 metres high.
- Title: Januária's caves hold Brazil's grandest underground chambers
- Summary: The city of Januária in Minas Gerais sits at the entrance to a UNESCO World Heritage park with over 200 cataloged caves and chambers reaching 180 metres…
- Keywords: januária, minas gerais, cavernas do peruaçu national park, caves, unesco world heritage site, brazil, Folha de S.Paulo
- Source: Folha de S.Paulo — https://redir.folha.com.br/redir/online//rss091/*https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/travel/2026/11/januaria-in-brazils-interior-is-home-to-monumental-caves-in-the-heart-of-minas-gerais-backlands.shtml
- Published: 2026-11-03T18:58:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: januária, minas gerais, cavernas do peruaçu national park, caves, unesco world heritage site, brazil, travel, news, politics
## Gateway to a UNESCO heritage site
Januária in northern Minas Gerais is home to one of the gateways to Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park, a UNESCO-recognized Natural World Heritage Site in southeastern Brazil.
## Over two hundred caves already mapped
The park was established in nineteen ninety-nine and covers fifty-six thousand hectares across Januária, Itacarambi and São João das Missões.
## World's largest hanging stalactite inside
In Janelão Cave, the country's largest by volume, chambers reach heights of one hundred eighty metres. It is home to Perna da Bailarina, considered the world's largest hanging stalactite, measuring twenty-eight metres.
## Key takeaway

Januária in northern Minas Gerais is home to Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with over two hundred cataloged caves and the world's largest hanging stalactite.