Our visit to the Cerrado Protected Areas was nearly a near miss for us. Arriving at the Movida rental car counter at Brasilia Airport at lunchtime, it ended up taking over 3 hours to pick up our car, mainly because their system didn't like our credit card so couldn't take a deposit (although expect pick-up to be slow regardless). Finally, after trying every alternative and calling our bank, they accepted our debit card instead. (Make sure you have a second credit card if hiring a car in Brazil, just in case!) So, it was a rather late arrival at our pousada in Alto Paraiso de Goias, not helped by a truck crash on the outskirts of Brasilia and endless speed bumps on the rural highway.
 
Next morning we head to Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, hiking the Canyon Trail. The Canyon and the nearby waterfall also visited by the trail are both beautiful, plus great swimming spots - what all the domestic tourists are here for! The trails aren't that demanding but the relentless sun (with only thin tree cover) was draining. We started our hike just before 10am and returned about 3:30pm, enjoying the icy cold filtered water dispenser at the visitors centre.
 
Afterwards, it was too late to visit Vale da Lua, but instead that meant I was taking in the scenery on our return drive to Alto Paraiso, and spotted the sign for the Jardim de Maytrea (also pinned on Google Maps). This lookout spot with room for a couple of cars to park overlooks a beautiful section of the savannah of the national park, complete with some fantastic rocky outcrops. Make sure you walk down to the fence along the national park, with signs imploring visitors not to climb the fence due to the fragile ecosystem, but to contemplate and photograph it from afar.