Tuesday, June 28, 2011

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,

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