In my mind Brasilia has always been a cinderblock sprawl. Never would I imagine Brazil’s capital as a nature sanctuary. But apparently Brasilia is a menagerie!

Why is this?

A surprising fact about Brasilia (probably because Rio and São Paulo dominate the travel conversation), is that Brasilia is surrounded by wilderness. This surrounding natural environment feeds into the urban one.

As the Mystical Silicon reports:

Zoology, geology and botany also let you enjoy every walk. In the most nondescript suburbs live the most amazing animals – parrots and macaws fly overhead, monkeys sometimes visit for afternoon coffee or steal snacks at parks, little owls can sometimes be found standing outside your house.

Brasilia: life amidst modernism. Gasga, David, Mystical Silicon, July 20, 2022

The Capybara, a metropolitan Guinea pig, are now residents:

There are also capybara spread through the city. They look like giant, cute pigs. They also swim, so sometimes you’ll see them on little islands. Their droppings look like enormous mice poo. Apparently capybara are now everywhere in Brasilia as suburban sprawl pushed out their natural predators (pumas and some form of local wolf).

Brasilia: life amidst modernism. Gasga, David, Mystical Silicon, July 20, 2022

Another surprising fact about Brasilia is her location in relation to the African savanna. They share the same latitude, which according to the Mystical Silicon, keeps Brasilia’s African Zoo animals plump and happy:

If you go to the zoo, the African animals are the happiest ones I’ve ever seen outside of Africa. This zoo is by no means fancy (it hasn’t been fixed up much since the 1960s or so and it’s $1 entry per person!) but the hippos looked amazing. Perhaps it’s because Brasilia is the same latitude as the African savanna… Perhaps it’s because they like the vibes… Whatever the reason, the animals here look fantastic.

Brasilia: life amidst modernism. Gasga, David, Mystical Silicon, July 20, 2022

Lastly, not a point about nature, but a note on travel worth keeping close:

So much of travel is finding positive wherever you are. You have a choice when traveling: you can choose the path of complaining (there is always something you wish was different; something that is better at home) or you can choose the path of gratitude, wonder, adventure and appreciation.

Brasilia: life amidst modernism. Gasga, David, Mystical Silicon, July 20, 2022

Read the post in on full here.

H/T Marginal Revolution