Sossego Waterfall, one of the best day hikes from Lençóis. Cachoeira do Sossego, um dos melhores passeios de um dia próximo a Lençóis

I already made a post about this amazing place, check it out, very close to Lençóis. After two hours hiking, on average, we arrived at this very beautiful waterfall called Sossego, which means peacefulness. Follows some new pictures taken by the dutch photographer, writer and tour guide Tom van der Leij, Toms Travels Tours.

Fiz uma postagem sobre esse lugar incrível, confira, próximo a Lençóis, são aproximadamente duas horas de caminhada, parte por trilha e parte dentro do cânion ao lado do rio. Aqui vão algumas fotos feitas pelo fotógrafo, escritor e guia Tom van der Leij, Toms Travels Tours.

Uma planta típica dos lajedos aqui na Chapada Diamantina, Vellozia sp. A typical plant form the rocky ground at Chapada Diamantina, Vellozia sp.

Travessia Cachoeirão até a Toca do Morcêgo, Vale do Pati, Chapada Diamantina. Pati Valley trekking from Cachoeirão Waterfall to the Toca do Morcego balneary at Paraguassú River.

Encosta leste da Serra do Sincorá. / East ridge of Sierra do Sincorá.

 Começando o dia subimos a encosta leste da Serra do Sincorá para chegar aos Gerais do rio Preto, uma das entradas para o Vale do Pati, na Chapada Diamantina. O Vale do Pati é um dos principais destinos, senão o principal atualmente, para a prática de trekking na Chapada. Inúmeras trilhas cruzam o vale, umas mais frequentadas, outras menos. A área mais visitada fica na parte norte do vale, conhecido como Pati do meio. À medida que percorremos o vale rio abaixo a frequencia de visitantes diminui bastante. Nesse trekking percorremos algumas trilhas pouco frequentadas e visitamos lugares relativamente remotos.

To start we walked up the east ridge of Serra do Sincorá, afterwards arriving at the Gerais do Rio Preto, gerais is the world for our altitude grasslands. The trail described in this post is one entry to the Vale do Pati. This valley nowadays is the main trekking destination in Chapada Diamantina, its northern part is the most visited. The trekking described in this post goes south, to less popular, wilder places.

Morro Branco do Pati à direita e Morro Manoel Vitor à esquerda, vistos do Gerais do Rio Preto. White Hill of Pati Valley, right, and Manoel Vitor Hill, left, seen from the Gerais do Rio Preto.

 Nosso objetivo no primeiro dia foi chegar próximo ao mirante do   Cachoeirão, onde na época de chuvas diversas cachoeiras caem das  paredes rochosas para dentro do canion, que tem cerca de 250 metros de altura, rivalizando em beleza com a própria cachoeira da Fumaça. 

Our goal in the first day was to arrive at the top of Cachoeirão, where in raining times several waterfalls falls from holes in the huge walls of the canyon. It's one of the most impressive sights at Chapada, rivaling with Fumaça Waterfall itself.

Cachoeirão, repare as pessoas no mirante acima. Cachoeirão Waterfall, notice people at the top.

 

 

 

Depois de uma agradável caminhada pelos gerais armamos a barraca já no começo da noite. No dia seguinte, que amanheceu bem nublado e chuvoso, por volta das 11:00 a.m. nos deleitamos com o visual das cachoeiras, realmente único. Sem dúvida um dos lugares mais belos da Chapada. 

After a pleasant walk through the gerais we put the tent at dusk. Next morning was cloudy and a light drizzle keep us in the tent until 10:00 a.m. Afterwards the sky cleared and we had a most awesome view to the Cachoeirão Waterfalls. Without a doubt one of the most beautiful places at Chapada Diamantina.

Cachoeirão. More of the Cachoeirão Waterfall.

Mais Cahoeirão. Same as above.

 Nesse segundo dia nossa missão dia foi chegarmos até uma toca, que fica na foz do rio Guaribas, um afluente da margem direita do do rio Paty. Esse rio percorre um cânion belíssimo, com diversas cascatas e poços. 

For the second day our goal was to arrive at a toca, these are stone refuges used in the early times by hunters and miners which now are a good option for trekkers. This toca is located at the confluence of Pati and Guaribas rivers. The last one is a tributary to the right side of Pati River, it flows through a beautiful canyon, full of cascades and pools.

Saída do Rio Guaribas para o rio Pati, nosso acoampamento foiu à esquerda, atrás das rochas. Confluence of Pati and Guaribas rivers, our camping ground is at left, behind the rocks.

Passagem estreita no início do canipon do rio Guaribas. Narrows at the beggining of Guaribas river canyon.

 

No terceiro dia, depois de quase cinco horas de caminhada rio acima, chegamos a uma pequena cachoeira, cuja água escorria do paredão à sua direita. 

In the third day, after almost five hours walking upriver, we arrived at a waterfall by the huge rocky walls of the canyon. After relaxing by the pool we started down, to our cozy camping at the toca.

Cachoeira do Guaribas. Guaribas River Waterfall

Acampamento. Camping ground at the toca.

 Depois de mais uma noite bem agradável na toca, onde havíamos armado apenas o interior da barraca, descemos o rio Paty, passamos pela confluência com o rio Paraguassú e continuamos rio abaixo, até o local conhecido como Toca do Morcego, um tipo de balneário fluvial nas margens do rio Paraguassú. 

After a good sleep at our toca we went down the Paty River, following a trail by the left side of the river, until a Place called Toca do Morcêgo (The Bat's Hollows), a kind of balneary at the Paraguassú River.

Poço incrível nas margens do rio Pati. Amazing pool at Pati River.

 Esse dia foi longo e um pouco cansativo, o fato de ser a primeira vez que passávamos por esse trecho tornou a jornada um pouco mais lenta. Diversas vezes perdemos a trilha e seguimos pelo leito do rio. Durante o dia passamos por locais incríveis, infelizmente não tínhamos tempo para curtir todos eles pois queríamos chegar ao fim enquanto houvesse luz do dia. Quase conseguimos. Após cerca de seis horas caminhando, chegamos ao entardecer e fomos resgatados e levados direto para Lençóis.

This fourth and last day was a bit longer than we expected and a bit tiring. The fact that was our first time there made our journey a bit slower. Anyway we saw amazing places but unfortunately we couldn't sopt too much cause we were trying to arrive at our destiuny with at least a bit of daylight, We almos did it. After six hours walking, with some resting for sure, we arrived at the Toca do morcêgo where a car was waiting to take us back to Lençóis.

Rio Paraguassú. Paraguassú River.

 

A alternative look to the Pai Inácio Hill, Chapada Diamantina

Chapada Diamantina has breathtaking landscapes. The Pai Inácio Hill, and the views from its summit, definitely is one of the most popular (see a related post). The easy access to the summit and its location near a big paved road makes it a busy place sometimes.

But there are other ways of seeing this beautiful hill. Among the trails leaving Lençóis to the Pai Inácio Hill the easiest goes through the neighborhood of Barro Branco and afterwards through the upper Mandassaia River valley. From this trail one has a good view of the hill as one goes up a very gentle slope of rocky ground, among a luxuriant vegetation of bromeliads, cactuses and small flowering bushes. Definitely, a very pleasant trekking and an alternative to more popular views of the Pai Inácio.

The Poção Watertfall at Capivari River, Chapada Diamantina

Poção Waterfall

 The Poção Waterfall, at the Capivari River is one of the most pleasant places to stay some time, be one afternoon or even two or three days. There is a big pool, a gentle cascade, a good camping ground and a very roomy flat rocky ground, to lay down and watch the sky at night. Besides, it’s the best place to stay if you want to visit the Mixila Waterfall, which is up river, deep into the canyon. Definitely is a must see at Chapada Diamantina, for those who love trekking and beautiful landscapes.

Poção Waterfall, seen from a viewpoint nearby.

Encounters at the trail

At Chapada Diamantina there are about 25 species of snakes, among the estimated 42 species of reptiles. It’s not easy to find them at the trail, but is always good to keep eyes open just in case for poisonous snakes. However, most of the encounters with snakes are a good and peculiar experience. We found this jibóia Boa constrictor while hiking at the trail from Lençóis to the Capão Valley. It was on the ground next to the trail and as we approached it went up this small tree. With almost two meters the jibóia is a harmless and beautiful creature which must be respected and protected.

Lapão Cave, at Lençóis, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil

At Chapada Diamantina, the Lapão Cave is the second biggest sandstone (meta-sandstone actually) cave in Brazil. It was formed by an underground river, the Lapão River. This river goes to the surface downhill, below the big portal of the cave. Its small cascades, rapids and pools are perfect for bathing and relaxing. It’s possible to cross the cave, after walking about 1 kilometer through the darkness, entering through the cave’s small entry and leaving through the big one. There, an amazing view unfolds in front of you, as the light comes back when you approach the portal. Located nearby Lençóis, Lapão Cave is a good day hike if you want a good river bath and beautiful views to enjoy.

Lençóis city, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil

 

In the middle of Bahia state, Brazil, a rocky backbone stretches for several kilometers along a north – south axis. It belongs to the Espinhaço Range which starts at the Minas Gerais state, down south. One of its sub regions, known as Serra do Sincorá is part of the Chapada Diamantina, a very peculiar ecosystem, in the middle of the Bahia semi-arid region.

Formerly a diamond mining region, now is one important touristic spot, attracting tourists from Brazil and from other parts of the world. One of its main cities is Lençóis, a small colonial city, which now has approximately 10.000 inhabitants and is located about 400 kilometers from Salvador. Founded in the middle of the XIX century, after the discovery of diamonds, Lençóis became an important economic and cultural center. After the vanishing of the golden times of mining, the city entered a decadent period, redeemed after many years by tourism, in its ecological and adventure genres. Now it receives about 120.000 tourists per year and has good hotels, “pousadas” and restaurants. The city is very charming and is one of the main entries to the trekking, hiking and climbing paradise of Chapada Diamantina. It was considered, by a specialized Brazilian magazine, one of the 10 best touristic destinations in Brazil. Notwithstanding, it is not well known outside Brazil and if one takes into account the cities of Salvador and Rio de Janeiro it is not comparatively known even by Brazilians themselves.

For those who are at Salvador is very easy to reach Lençóis. The Real Expresso Bus Company has three daily buses from Salvador to Lençóis and the company Trip Airlines has one flight per week, at Saturdays. Once at Lençóis is very easy to find lodging and guiding services as the city is quite small and people are always willing to help. Some tourists complain about the harassment at the bus station, indeed one has to be carefull not to be lured with false promises. But don’t worry because a simple “No, thanks” (Não, muito obrigado) can drive off most of the annoying people.

At Lençóis there are attractions and tours for people of all ages and fitness condition. Most tourists are Brazilian but there are lots of foreigners, mainly from Europe, UK and Israel. Bilingual guides are not the majority, but is quite possible to find some english speaking guides along with some able to speak french, italian and spanish.

Very near the city there is the Lençóis River, with pools, cascades and waterfalls. A little bit further, but equally of easy access, are the Ribeirão River, which has excellent places for bathing and relaxing. Besides, the numerous agencies and independent guides offer all kinds of tours, from the easy ones mentioned above to the long hikes through huge canyons, plateaus and breathtaking waterfalls. Moreover, the rock climbing area is very near Lençóis and one can reach most of the sectors after just 30 minutes walking from the city.

Among the most sought after tours near Lençóis are the Serrano Pools, the Primavera and Cachoeirinha Waterfalls, the Sossego Waterfall, rappeling at the Lapão cave, rock climbing at Muritiba Municipal Park and the natural water slide at Ribeirão do Meio, which is an excellent bathing place at the Ribeirão River.

So if you are planning a trip to South America or to Brazil think about knowing this wonderful destination, where is possible to see and walk through breathtaking landscapes or just to relax from the agitation of big cities. 

Some photos from the tours around Lençóis can be seen at: Lençóis City, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil

Cheers,