Pai Inácio Hill, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil

 

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

 

The Devil's Pool

Among the most accessible waterfalls at Chapada Diamantina, the Devil’s Pool Waterfall, at the Mucugezinho River, is one of the most visited places around Lençóis. It is located nearby a paved federal road, only half an hour driving from Lençóis. But the easiness of access has its drawbacks, at holidays and at the high touristic season the place is quite crowded, which could spoil the pleasure of being there. But if one is not bothered by early waking, not that early I must assure, it’s possible to enjoy the pool with nobody around. Most of the tourists are wont to arrive at the pool around 10:00 am, so if you manage to arrive a bit earlier you will have all the peace you deserve in a place like that. To reach the pool there is a trail and people usually take around 10 minutes, or less, to arrive there. The Devil’s Pool is a good option for relaxing after more demanding trekking through the Chapada and can be visited along with other places like the Águas Claras Pools or the Pai Inácio Hill, making a pleasant outdoor day tour.

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,

From Lençóis to Lençóis, through the Ribeirão River and Mandassaia River valleys

One great thing about the trails at Chapada Diamantina is their connectivity. This means that there is the possibility of linking trails and of making different itineraries along the main trails. In an early post I described an easy trekking, which went from the surroundings of the Pai Inácio Hill to Lençóis, passing through the Águas Claras Pools and through the valley of the Ribeirão River. This trail can be made in one or two days. There is a different itinerary, a circuit starting and finishing at Lençóis, arriving there through the neighborhood of Barro Branco. This trekking needs at least two days to be really enjoyable and a vehicle is not necessary. The first part is going up the Serra do Grizante until crossing the watershed divide and entering the Ribeirão River valley. From there the trail follows through some grasslands, with an awesome view of the Morrão, until the Águas Claras Pools where there is a good place to make camping. The next day the trail goes through grasslands, with beautiful sightings of hills around and of the Pai Inácio Hill, until the slopes of the Serra do Campo Alegre and follow the Mandassaia River valley until a watershed divide which gives access to the Barro Branco. From there to Lençóis is a gentle walking downhill, through an old unpaved road. More photos of this pleasant trekking can be found at: Trekking through the Ribeirão River and Mandassaia River valleys

Fumaça Waterfall, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil

This is one of the most beautiful, and remote, views of Cachoeira da Fumaça (formerly Glass Falls). Even without water this waterfall is awesome. It's possible to reach this viewpoint in one, two or three days. We made it recently as a part of a four days trekking we call Fumaça Total because it's possible to see the waterfall from all viewpoints around, a experience few have had.

Trekking Through the canyons of Chapada Diamantina: Fundão River Canyon and XXI Waterfall

Pool of Fundão Waterfall seen fron the canyon above

 

The Fundão River is a tributary to the Ribeirão River, which is the river forming the Sossego Waterfall and one of the most famous near Lençóis. The canyon of the Fundão River is a beatiful and remote place.  Going up this canyon, passing through its waterfalls, is one of the most beautiful and challenging trekkings at Chapada Diamantina. Starting at Lençóis the trail goes up the Serra do Grizante. During this part of the trekking is possible to see Lençóis from afar, from some viewpoints at the trail and there is some scant debris of a plane which crashed there in the 80’s. The trail crosses rock outcrops full of rupicolous vegetation like bromeliads and orchids among others. After about one hour walking from Lençóis there is a small waterfall to relax. This trail is an old one which linked Lençóis to the Vale do Capão. It’s possible to see the remnants of the rock pavement used then.

Next we leave the main trail and go down to the Ribeirão River and after going downriver for some minutes we reach the mouth of the Fundão River. The canyon was already visible from the slopes we descended. Entering the canyon the hiking becomes more demanding, for we need to walk over stones in the riverbed for two hours until we reach the Poção Waterfall where we usually make a stop to relax at the pool and to have some snacks. After the Poção the trail becomes very scenic as we walk up the canyon until we reach the XXI after 40 minutes on average. There are good places to camp near this waterfall, it is also possible to sleep under stone ledges just by the river, looking to the waterfall, definitely a good option for full moon nights. The trail finishes at the vale do Capão, after passing by the viewpoint at the top of Fumaça Waterfall. This trekking is a bit demanding because of the riverbed walking and some steep parts after the Fundão Waterfall.  The difficulty of the hiking depends a lot on the amount of water in the river, less water, easier to walk. Sometimes when the river is too full it could be dangerous to go up the canyon. Notwithstanding if one is careful and aware, this is for sure, one of the most beautiful trekkings through the canyons of Chapada Diamantina. Check out more photos at the link Fundão and XXI Waterfalls

Fundão Waterfall