Most certainly off the beaten path, the Parque Nacional das Emas is tricky to get to, since it’s nearly 500 kilometers from Goiânia, the capital of Goiás, and almost 400 kilometers from Campo Grande, the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul. Ema National Park encompasses 1,300 square kilometers on a plateau with little forest cover.

Since the park is a vast space with little foliage, there are dozens of species of animals to see. You can spot emas, an ostrich-like species, for which the park is named, the largest bird in Brazil. There are several endangered species, including the jacamari, a type of wolf. You can also spot other Brazilian species like tapirs, anteaters, and capybaras, as well as tropical birds, foxes, snakes, armadillos, deer, lizards, and even jaguars and pumas. There also many species of flowers and flora to explore.

One of the features of the park are the glowing termite mounds. Up to two meters in height, the mounds are covered in bioluminescent termite larvae, making them glow at night during the rainy season.

For more information, see the park’s official site.