Cachoeira do Palmital/Palmital Waterfall

Walking from Lençóis, after going uphill at the Serra do Veneno, through the Muriçoca River valley and after the mirador at Toca da Onça the trail crosses a small river, the Córrego do Palmital*. It is a beautiful and peaceful place, surrounded by high ridges and with rock outcrops full of rupicolous vegetation like orchids and bromeliads. But its main attraction is upriver, hidden in a gorge where the river makes a turn. The Palmital Waterfall has a big and calm pool and the water falls gently from the plateau above. The surrounding rock is a garden full of mosses and ferns, inviting to contemplation and relaxing, while the only sounds are the gentle rumor of the water and eventually some bird or frog.

If one is lucky enough, as I was once, a good rain at night can change the appearance of this usually quiet waterfall to a raging, two falls torrent, making the once peaceful pool wavy and foamy.

There is a good camping ground, in a safe place under some trees and the river water is clean enough to drink and cook. It’s possible to reach this site from lots of places, following distinct itineraries, but the most common are from Lençóis to Vale do Capão or vice – versa, visiting also the Fumaça Waterfall Pool in a three days classic trekking.

*Palmital comes from Palmito, which is the Palm Heart people use to eat. So, Palmital is a place where there is plenty of Palm Heart.

More photos of this wonderful waterfall can be seen at Palmital Waterfall

Cheers,

An easy trekking for beginners at Chapada Diamantina

This is a beautiful and easy trekking which can be made in one or two days. The trail crosses some typical landscape types from Chapada, like Campos Gerais (kind of grasslands) and river valleys. It’s possible to swim at a couple of pools and at small but beautiful waterfalls along the day and most of the way is downhill. The first part goes through some grasslands with a breathtaking view of the surrounding hills and reach the beautiful pools of Águas Claras, near the Morrão Hill. To make the summit of Morrão it would be good to camp there, at Águas Claras.  There is a good camping ground at the pools, but sometimes there is too many people there, like at popular holidays, and then is better to avoid going there at all. From there the trail leads to the valley of Ribeirão River, through which the trails goes for some hours of pleasant walk. Usually we stop by a pool at Ribeirão River to relax and swim before continuing to Lençóis. And if it’s the case of camping, the best place to sleep in the whole trail, in my opinion at least, is under a big stone ledge close to this pool. There is water, very close to the ledge, at least most time of the year, and the view of the valley from there is astonishing. Following, the trail continues through the valley until crossing a ridge to the left. The next and last part is going down the Serra do Grisante until Lençóis. Just at the start of the downward trail it’s possible to refresh at a small waterfall before finishing this hike at Lençóis. It’s also possible to make the summit of Pai Inácio Hill, but if you have no car it will add some hours to the hiking. Overall, this trail is a very good warm up to start walking through the Chapada. Maybe is a good idea for beginners to make it before adventuring in more long and demanding trekking tours. More photos are available at the link: Trekking from Pai Inácio Hill to Lençóis

    Cheers,

An easy trekking for beginners at Chapada Diamantina

This is a beautiful and easy trekking which can be made in one or two days. The trail crosses some typical landscape types from Chapada, like Campos Gerais (kind of grasslands) and river valleys. It’s possible to swim in a couple of pools and small but beautiful waterfalls along the day and most of the way is downhill.  The first part goes through some grasslands with a breathtaking view of the surrounding hills and reach the beautiful pools of Águas Claras, near the Morrão Hill. To make the summit of Morrão it would be good to camp there, at Águas Claras.  There is a good camping ground at the pools, but sometimes there is too many people there, like at popular holidays, and then is better to avoid going there at all. From there the trail leads to the valley of Ribeirão River, through which the trails goes for some hours of pleasant walk. Usually we stop by a pool at Ribeirão River to relax and swim before continuing to Lençóis. And if it’s the case of camping, the best place to sleep in the whole trail, in my opinion at least, is under a big stone ledge close to this pool. There is water, very close to the ledge, at least most time of the year, and the view of the valley from there is astonishing. Following, the trail continues through the valley until crossing a ridge to the left. The next and last part is going down the Serra do Grisante until Lençóis. Just at the start of the downslope it’s possible to refresh at a small waterfall before finishing this hike at Lençóis. It’s also possible to make the summit of Pai Inácio Hill, but if you have no car it will add some hours to the hiking. Overall, this trail is a very good warm up to start walking through the Chapada. Maybe is a good idea for beginners to make it before adventuring in more long and demanding trekking tours. More photos are available at the link: My Picasa Web Albuns

  Cheers,

Hiking to Sossego Waterfall

 

The Ribeirão River has excellent places for bath and relax. The pools known as Ribeirão de Cima, Ribeirão de Baixo e Ribeirão do Meio, roughly Upper, Lower and Middle Ribeirão, are amazing places worth visiting. To reach the Ribeirão do Meio there is a good  trail starting at the Ribeirão neighborhood, just ask for directions or hire a guide if you feel uncomfortable going by yourself. With a natural slide ending in a huge pool, Ribeirão do Meio is a nice place to relax and enjoy the sunset but for me the best waterfall around is further upriver, the Sossego Waterfall.

For sure, if you like to walk, this is one of the best day hikes around Lençóis. If you leave by the morning there is time enough to walk without hurry and to enjoy relaxing by the waterfall. An interesting alternative to the trail is going upriver through the riverbed, from the Ribeirão de Cima Pool to the Sossego Waterfall, a bit harder but very enticing. The lower the water the easier it is to hike upriver. It’s important to watch the weather conditions because there is the danger, mostly in the rainy season, of flash floods which can be very dangerous depending where in the canyon you are.

This hiking is a nice warm up for those planning to make a longer trekking. Part of the course is by trail and the final part is over the stones in the riverbed. The trail to Sossego is easy to visualize, but when crossing over stone ledges watch out. And be aware of the returning time, I think it is a good idea to leave Sossego at most at 14:00 for most people.

Trekking and Hiking at Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil. Fumaça Waterfall Pool

I will take the risk and say that Chapada Diamantina is the best trekking and hiking place in whole Brazil. Of course, many won’t agree, but many will. And I bet that those that don’t think so have never been to Chapada. Is a bit hot for those not used to it? But the numerous waterfalls and pools along the trails make the effort easy to bear. Following through old miner’s trails it’s possible to walk days on end, linking canyon after canyon, plateaus after plateaus. From one day hiking to long trekkings, the landscape is amazing and the experience of arriving at a remote waterfall after hiking through an alluring canyon is unforgettable.

The trekking to Fumaça Waterfall is one of these classic treks. There is more than one way to go to the pool of Fumaça Waterfall, it depends on the number of days one has to spend and of course, on the disposition to walk a lot and scramble a bit.

Last time I did it we leaved Lençóis by the morning and took the trail, which is the same of Ribeirão do Meio, until the beginning of the Serra do Veneno. This is a sometimes steep, sometimes not so much, trail which leaves the Ribeirão River valley and go to the Murissoca River. After crossing the Murissoca river, in half an hour we rested a bit at the Mirador Toca da Onça, then follow to Palmital Waterfal where we made camping.

Next day we went to the Toca do Macaco, a camping ground with stone ledges and a small cave. It’s an amazing place to make camping, but unfortunately sometimes there are too much people, which can spoil the experience of remoteness. But outside the big holidays this kind of situation is quite unlikely to happen.  

From there we went to the pool of Fumaça only with day packs, in two hours. After relaxing there we came back in another two hours to the Toca, where we made camping for the second night.

After a good rest, by the morning of the third day we went up the Serra do Macaco, for me the most demanding part of the whole trekking. Looking to the good side of things the landscape is enthralling and there is a view to a huge valley looked upon by a huge monkey profile, or gorilla profile if you think is more thrilling. This amazing rock formation gives the name to the Serra do Macaco (which means Monkey Hills).

But as always, no problem, after some time going up through this steep trail we arrived at the Santuário, a resting place by a small river with a refreshing pool. To close this amazing journey we followed to the Vale do Capão for beer and snacks. It is worth remarking that is possible to visit also the top of Fumaça Waterfall in this trekking, before going to Vale do Capão, since it is very close to the trail we take to go to the valley coming from Serra do Macaco.

Check out more photos at my Picasa album through the link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/116391002187238768414/PocoDaCachoeiraDaFumacaPoolOfFumacaWaterfallTrekkingThroughTheCanyon?authkey=Gv1sRgCNuqsa3xvJmCWA&feat=directlink

(The album legends are bilingual Portuguese/English)
 
Cheers,

Rock Climbing at Chapada Diamantina, a concise description of the points at Lençóis, BA, Brazil.

Bruno Melo na Sai de cima do Muro

André Valladão na clássica Arame Liso

  Rock climbing at Chapada Diamantina has developed a lot in the last years. Which is no surprise given the amount and the quality of its rock. 

To date most climbing routes are concentrated at the cities of Lençóis and Igatú, in both places sport routes and boulders predominate and the potential for new stuff is almost endless. In this post I wrote only about Lençóis. Keep in touch for incoming info about climbing at Igatú.

At Lençóis, at only 30 minutes walking from downtown, in the Muritiba Municipal Park, are the majority of climbing routes. This classic climbing sector is called “Primavera” for there is a so called waterfall near the routes, which in summer is definitely perfect for relaxing before trying a climb. In this sector there are some sub-sectors, like: the Corridor, the Diamond, Pink and the Brain, the Cave sector and the Pink Quartzite. Even very close to the waterfall there are a few routes. The rock is conglomerate and quartzite and in some places there is a mix of the two rock types.

Another rock climbing sector which is in full development is called Paradise. Less frequented, it is a bit far away from Lençóis, comparing to the Primavera sector. But anyway you can reach it after an hour walking. This sector has excellent routes and great potential to the opening of even more. Recently the RJ climber Antônio Paulo de Faria, with some local climbers, added some very good routes to this amazing place. More is to come. Definitely is worth a visit.

At both sectors the routes are equipped with expansion bolts and “P” bolts, at the anchors there are, in most routes, two fixed protections to make the cleaning and rappelling safer. All you need to enjoy these amazing routes are runners, a rope and your personal equipment. Don´t forget to bring a canvas or the like to protect your rope from dust and sand. With a 50 meter rope it is possible to climb two routes if they are close. There are routes from third to tenth grade, Brazilian rating system, but most routs are around our 6 and 7’s.

So far there is no comprehensive guidebook to our climbing sectors and routes, though you can find some info scattered through the net. As soon as I get some news about a guidebook I’ll put in the blog.

The access to the Primavera sector is very easy. You can use the same trail system of popular hikings like the Serrano Pools, Halley Pool, Primavera Waterfall and the Mirador to Lençóis. To arrive to the Paradise sector is a little bit complicated and I advise you to ask directions for local climbers.

For those who like bouldering Lençóis has also lots of options. Just around the Serrano Pools there are several places where you can find excellent bouldering. The local climbers are opening new lines almost every week and they are for sure a good source of information and good partners for those who want to climb around.

It’s possible to find amazing photos of Chapada Diamantina at the blog:

 
http://ridingthedream.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-11-16T11%3A05%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=50

which belongs to Alain Denis, a rock and ice climber and an outstanding photographer from Canada.

So remember, if you like to rock climbing and is planning to visit Chapada Diamantina, Brazil, don’t forget at least your personal equipment. The climbers at Lençóis are very friendly and you won’t be without partners.

Diego "Carriola" na Vai quem Quer

O autor na Tio Valla