spanning 12,500 hectors, the pedra branca park covers over ten percent of the entire municipality of rio de janeiro, making it one of the largest areas of ecological conservation in the world. established over 40 years ago, the native wildlife has been able to flourish in the rich tropical climate, making the area one of the most bio diverse in the entire state.

the pico da pedra branca, as well as being the parks highest peak, is also responsible for the naming of the park, as the name 'pedra branca' translates as 'white stone', which in turn was so named due to a large block of rocks at the peak of the mountain, that have become white in color.