Few Brazilian ecotourism experiences combine engineering and nature so well: at Ubajara a cable car glides down the flank of the Ibiapaba — 550 meters of descent over the forest canopy — and drops you at the mouth of a cave explored since the 19th century, with chambers bearing poetic names and formations that look sculpted to order. The context of the park is in the Ubajara guide; this is the deep dive into its two symbols.
The descent (hold on to your jaw)
The cabins leave the edge of the plateau and cross the gap of the range with the backlands opening up below — on clear days the view reaches dozens of kilometers of carnauba palms; on misty mornings you literally pass through cloud. It is about 15 minutes down (R$ 30-60 for the cable car and cave combined, half price for the usual categories) to the lower station, where a short trail leads to the cave mouth. Tip: the first slot of the morning means mystical mist; late morning means full visibility.
The cave of named chambers
The guided visit (ICMBio and accredited guides) covers about 400 m of a lit system that runs for more than 1 km: the Salão dos Retratos, the Sala da Rosa, the Pedra do Sino (which rings like bronze), curtains and travertines that 19th-century travelers named with the imagination of their day. It is a classic show cave: safe, with walkways, ideal as the first cave of your life — children come out convinced they are speleologists.
How to build the perfect day
- 8.30am — Arrive at opening; the cable car in the mist.
- 9.30am — Guided cave visit (1h-1h30).
- 11.30am — Come back up and walk the trail to the viewpoints on the edge.
- Afternoon — The Cafundó waterfall for a cold highland swim, or a day trip to the Bica do Ipu.
- The purist alternative: go down (or up!) by the historic trail instead of the cable car — 2-3 hours of dense forest for trained legs.
The usual rules: hands away from the speleothems, silence near the bats, and a caving checklist is worth following even in a structured cave — above all, shoes that do not slip.
🥾 Who is it for?
Effort: light on the cable car and the walkway; moderate on the damp steps inside the cave. Children: from ages 5-6, holding hands in the cave. Older travelers and people with reduced mobility: the cable car is accessible and the cave mouth is close by; the interior has wet stairs — assess it on the spot with your guide.