Chapada Diamantina Destination Guide

Chapada Diamantina National Park occupies an area of 152,000 ha. The beauty found in the area is unique. There are trails with different levels of difficulty - many of them opened by slaves, cattle drivers, and miners - but because there are no signs, the presence of a guide or taking a Chapada Diamantina tour is fundamental, especially on the longer trails. It has several springs sprouting from the rocky cliffs and more than 35 rivers - the largest are the Paraguaçu and Preto Rivers. Due to relief variations and to diverse forms of vegetation, the fauna is very rich and some species can be seen very easily, such as humming birds, parakeets, parrots, capybaras, and small lizards. It also has some small rodents, known as mocós (a kind of guinea pig) - which adapt from the feet of calcareous hills to the plateaus, over the mountain - and even some species of large mammals threatened with extinction, such as jaguars and pumas.

Canyoning on the Capivari Waterfalls, 20 km (12 miles) from Lencois, is one of the most sought after itineraries. The outing lasts three days and two nights, camping, and includes trekking and rappel on the waterfalls, which is 37 m high. Fumaça Waterfalls, a 48 km (30 miles) trip between Lencois and Palmeiras, is one of the hardest outings. It lasts four days and three nights, with trekking over the Vale do Capão and tirolesa - a 60 m descent on a steel cable - and then diving into a pool of water, are part of the program.

Tourists who come to Chapada Diamantina looking for extreme sports will certainly be satisfied. Radical sports, such as cascading and caving are practiced in most waterfalls and caverns, with several levels of difficulty. Cascading on Fumaça waterfalls, in Palmeiras - a 340 m water fall and 420 m from the pool to the top - is the greatest challenge, and it is recommended only for the very experienced sportsman.

Pratinha Cave
is an excellent place with crystal waters where you can practice snorkelling,
It is part of a road map with 5 attractions in 1 day.

Torrinha
This cavern has a great number of rare formations, like stalactites with transparent crystal and aragonite flowers. In some points it is necessary to walk crouched down.

Lapa Doce
This is an 850 m subterranean cave full of stalactites and stalagmites. On this tour, it is possible to visit the external lake and part of the river crossing the cave - wearing a mask and floating vest.

Blue
This is a steep cliff with a lake in the background - or a funnel-shaped depression - where the sun shines between 2:30PM and 3:30PM. This can be visited together with Pratinha because they are near each other.

Blue Well
This is a bluish coloured subterranean lake. The best time for visitation is between 1:30PM and 2:30PM, and it has easy access.

Do Lapão
This cave is made of quartzite, with a 50 m diameter entrance. It is a 3 hour walk over difficult terrain - 5 km (3 miles) starting from Lencois.

These are formed by the erosion of granite rocks and sandstone conglomerates, where artisans collect several hues of sand to fill bottles with several pictures offered to tourists as souvenirs. These bottles can be found in several arts and crafts stores around the area.

Enchanted Well is located in one of the many caverns in the area and it is the Chapada's most famous postcard destination, but bathing is prohibited there. To observe the turquoise waters of the well it is necessary to enter 80 m into the cavern down a steep decline. The best time to visit is between April and September.

Halley or Paradise Well, as it was originally called, is formed by the Lencois River and it is located in a canyon. The river runs over a rocky bed and opens up wide, forming a 3 m wide by 10 m long and 2 m deep well.

Trails in the Chapada Diamantina are universally good. Many of them are old miners' supply routes. Signage is nonexistent. Carry a map, compass, and some spare food and water (locals insist the water from the highlands is drinkable, but there are enough cattle still pastured up there that I have my doubts). If in doubt of your trail-finding skills, bring a guide along. It's an old tradition in this area, and there are a fair number of good guides. Try a local Chapada Diamantina tour or contact the guide association directly: ACVL (Associação dos Condutores de Visitores no Lençóis).

Lencois is fascinating; a tiny town of cobblestone main streets and dirt roads. You can walk all the way across in about ten minutes. After that, it's out into the highlands to see what the natural world has to offer. Several hikes can be done right from Lencois, a few without needing a guide. To get to the national park, either rent a car or arrange a Chapada Diamantina tour with one of the travel agencies in town.

Popular options are the hike to the Cachoeira de Fumaca, swimming underground in the Pozo Azul, and a three hour cave hike exploring the massive Lapa Doce cave system, a wonder of stalagmites, stalactites, and elactites (they grow to the side). You can also arrange three-to-five day guided treks with any of the in-town travel agencies. Ask at your Chapada Diamantina hotel; the agencies all offer the same trips, and if one is fully booked another might have space.

From the bridge in Lençóis a trail leads up beside the Lençóis River to the Serrano swimming hole and Primavera Falls. An hour's walk south of town will lead you to the Riberão de Meio rock slide, a huge natural waterslide flanked by many natural swimming holes. A long (8-hr.) hike up this same river leads to the Sossego canyon and waterfall.

A popular sport in Brazil, rappelling is the act of lowering yourself down a length of rope with a harness and a locking carabiner. You can rappel down a cliff face, a waterfall, into a cave, whatever.
Rappeling at Lapão Cave is the perfect attraction for those who never practiced this sport, but are willing to learn. The cave is 4 km from Lencois, and rappel is practiced on the cavern's mouth, which is more than 50 m high and 1,200 m long. For the most experienced, there is also the Mount Camelo option, one of the Chapada's symbols, which is 1,050 m high. It is possible to do 240 m of rappel and 200 m more of cliff climbing.

Ribeirão do Meio is 3.5 km (2.17 miles) from downtown Lencois. To get there, the preferred option for German and French tourists as well as tourists from São Paulo is a half an hour horseback ride.

This place, an old mine, is a natural belvedere, from where you can see the city and the São José River valley. Further ahead, this will join the first one and flow into the Paraguaçu River. The place provides an invigorating bath.

Located 2 km from the city of Lencois and a 45 minute walk, Spring Waterfall is the first of a series of spectacles offered by the local nature. This 6 m high waterfall formed by the Grisante Creek, a Lençóis River tributary, is a cold and strong waterfall, great for massaging the body.

Tranquility (Sossego) waterfall is located 8 km from Lencois - a 6 km walk along a trail and then 2 km over the Ribeirão River bed.

Pratinha Cave is an excellent place with crystal waters where you can practice snorkelling.

It is part of a route, with 5 attractions in 1 day.