Brazil's Central Highlands is home to the so-called Quilombos -- communities of descendants of runaway slaves that existed in the country. In the Kalunga Quilombo in the state of Goias, villagers have been preparing to make a living serving the tourists that come to the area. Our correspondent Paulo Cabral reports.

This is Kalunga Territory. It's vast area of wilderness in Brazil's Central highlands that is 2.6 thousand square kilometers - and with an estimated population of 10 thousand. It's a region known for its sceneries and waterfalls with villages formed by descendants of runaway slaves who in the past fled their masters farms and mines to form the so-called Quilombo free-communities. In the early 1990s, their rights over the land their ancestors' lands began to be recognized and in recent years growing numbers of tourists have been coming here to visit the natural wonders kept by the Kalungas.

GUSTAVO MURTA ENGINEER "I am feeling like a kid, totally amazed. I had seen this fall in pictures before but in person I have no words to describe it.

PAULO CABRAL QUILOMBO KALUNGA, BRAZIL The Santa Barbara Fall is the most popular attraction here in the Kalunga Territory. So much that there is a limit of 300 visitors per day and each person can stay here for up to one hour. It has become an essential source of income for the community.

Visitors pay a fee and have to hire a local guide to get to the waterfall. Members of the community took qualification courses to work with the tourists - and created associations to organize the visitors and guides.

19-year-old Ubirany Maia has been working as a guide for about one year, following on his mother's footsteps. Ubirany took us on a hike to another of the community's highlights: the Capivara Waterfall.

UBIRANY MAIA KALUNGA GUIDE "This work is important to me. I can help my family at home and I have money if I want to do something, like studying. Also it's great to meet people. Tourists learn stuff from me and I also learn things from them."

The increase in tourists has encouraged other businesses like the Santa Barbara guest house and campsite. But the couple who owns it say the community still needs to work on getting visitors to stay longer and spend more.

BEL KALUNGA OWNER, SANTA BARBARA GUESTHOUSE AND CAMPSITE We are working hard to get tourists to know that the Kalung Community is not just about visiting the Santa Barbara fall. We have small guest houses and restaurants here.

Some in the community believe the increase in tourists has been putting too much pressure on the trails and attractions. The community hopes that sustainable management will keep them preserved, amazing visitors and generating income for the Kalungas for generations to come. PCA, CGTN, Quilombo Kalunga, Brazil.