Pico da Bandeira is the third highest mountain

Mountain

Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...

 in Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, situated near the border of Espírito Santo

Espírito Santo

Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...

 and Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...

. It is the highest point in both states as well. It was historically considered the highest mountain in Brazil until the 1950s, when the Pico da Neblina

Pico da Neblina

Pico da Neblina is the highest mountain in Brazil, above sea level, in the Serra do Imeri, a section of the Guiana Highlands on the Brazil–Venezuela border. As determined by a border survey expedition in 1962, its summit lies just within Brazilian territory, at a horizontal distance of only from...

 was explored and measured near the Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

n border. The name means "Peak of the Flag" and it was so named after Pedro II

Pedro II of Brazil

Dom Pedro II , nicknamed "the Magnanimous", was the second and last ruler of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the seventh child of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of...

, Emperor of Brazil, ordered a flag

Flag of Brazil

The national flag of Brazil is a blue disc depicting a starry sky spanned by a curved band inscribed with the national motto, within a yellow rhombus, on a green field. Brazil officially adopted this design for its national flag on November 19, 1889, replacing the flag of the second Empire of Brazil...

 to be flown on it.

It is one of the major attractions of the Caparaó National Park

Caparaó National Park

Caparaó National Park is a park located on the border between Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo states in Brazil. Pico da Bandeira, one of the highest mountains in Brazil, is located there. Its coordinates are 20º19’—20º 37’ S and 41º43’—41º53’ W....

 (Parque Nacional do Caparaó), accessible from the nearby city Alto Caparaó

Alto Caparaó

Alto Caparaó is a Brazilian city in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion of Zona da Mata and to the microregion of Manhuaçu. As of 2004 its population is estimated to be 5,197.-See also:* List of municipalities in Minas Gerais...

. Alto Caparaó and the entrance to the park lie in Minas Gerais, however the summit of Pico da Bandeira lies in Espírito Santo.

The summit is accessible to hikers of most age groups, with only very limited fitness requirements. The track from the park entrance to the summit track (8 km, 1000m climb) can be driven by most vehicles, and the summit track itself runs for approximately 9 km with a further 1000 m (3,280.8 ft) climb.