Experience the best of Palmas

Palmas is the capital of Tocantins state in central Brazil and the youngest state capital in the country, laid out from 1989 on a grid of wide avenues with the Serra do Lajeado ridge to the east. The Tocantins River was dammed in the early 2000s to form the Lago de Palmas, a long lake that gives the city a waterfront and beaches.

The Praça dos Girassóis, the Square of the Sunflowers, is a vast open space surrounded by the governor's palace and state offices. Praia da Graciosa, a landscaped lakeside beach with kiosks and a promenade, and Parque Cesamar are favourite places, and Taquaruçu, a district in the hills, has waterfalls. East of the city, Jalapão is a region of dunes, rivers and springs where the water is so buoyant that swimmers float.

Cerrado cooking uses pequi, a strong-flavoured fruit cooked with rice and chicken, and river fish such as tucunaré. Craftworkers in Jalapão weave capim dourado, golden grass, into jewellery and baskets, and the rains fall from about October to April.