If there is a post card of Chapada Diamantina, it is the Pai Inácio Hill. Located just beside the federal road BR-242, its beautiful profile and whitish rock grabs the attention even of the most careful driver. The hiking to the summit, at 1150 meters a.s.l, is through an easy trail which starts behind the hill, from the road viewpoint. There is a rough parking lot and a small house where volunteers ask visitors to sign the visitor’s book and sell juice from local fruits, small necklaces among other souvenirs. From there the trail to the summit takes about 15 minutes on average. At the summit an amazing view of the surrounding hills unfolds and one can observe the peculiar vegetation characteristic of these altitude rocky grounds, composed mostly of bromeliads, cactuses and another small shrubs and trees. If you don’t like many people surrounding you at the outdoors it would be good to arrive kind of early, but without doubt the most crowded time are at holidays at sunset. Given this warning is up to you to plan a good visit to this beautiful place. There are some traditional climbing routes at the Pai Inácio east face. The most popular route is the “Paulicéia Bahiana” which has about 130 meters and needs a full rack of cams and nuts to be made safely. There are other routes, and some boulders, at the surrounding hills and is possible to gather info or to hire a guide at Lençóis. Like the last post, the Devil’s Pool, the Pai Inácio Hill is a good option for a day trip from Lençóis. Practically all the agencies have a tour visiting this place, most of the time combined with other attractions, leaving daily by the morning. Otherwise, if you have a car it’s quite easy to go there. More photos of Pai Inácio Hill can be seen at: Pai Inácio Hill, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil
