Roraima

The state

Roraima is Brazil's northernmost state and its least populous, a frontier land bordering Venezuela and Guyana. Rainforest covers the south and west, while the north opens into the lavrado, a savanna of open grasslands, rising to the tepuis of the Pacaraima range at the triple border, where Mount Roraima stands. Indigenous peoples, among them the Macuxi, Wapixana and Yanomami, are central to the state's identity, and Indigenous lands cover a large share of its territory. Boa Vista, the capital, is a planned city with a radial street layout and the only Brazilian state capital located entirely north of the equator.

For agencies, Roraima suits special-interest and adventure programs rather than volume groups: savanna and river landscapes around Boa Vista, the waterfalls and plateau of Serra do Tepequém, birding in Viruá National Park and, for experienced trekkers, Mount Roraima, whose summit treks usually start on the Venezuelan side and require current border checks. Access is by air via Boa Vista or by the BR-174 highway from Manaus. Visits to Indigenous lands need prior authorization from FUNAI, so programs involving communities must be arranged well in advance.