Chapada Diamantina

Chapada Diamantina National Park, Created 1985; A Region Of Table Mountains, Canyons, Caves And Waterfalls In The Interior Of Bahia · Lençóis, Bahia

Chapada Diamantina is a high region of table mountains, canyons and waterfalls in the interior of Bahia, and it is Brazil's best trekking country. Diamond miners flooded here in the nineteenth century, and the old mining town of Lençóis, with its colonial houses and cobbled streets, is now the base for visitors. The national park, created in 1985, holds the Cachoeira da Fumaça, a waterfall of some 340 metres whose water blows away into mist before it reaches the ground, seen by lying on your stomach at the cliff edge. The Morro do Pai Inácio gives the classic sunset view over the flat-topped mountains. Below ground are caves with flooded chambers, like the Poço Encantado, where a beam of sunlight turns deep water brilliant blue, and the Poço Azul, where you can snorkel. The Vale do Pati trek, three to five days through a remote valley sleeping in farmers' houses, is often called the most beautiful hike in Brazil. It is not to be confused with the Lençóis Maranhenses dunes in the north.

Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina, Lençóis, BA, Lençóis, Bahia, Brazil

Open year-round, but it is a region, not a gated park, and most of it runs on guides and private landowners. Many trails are unmarked and several sites require or strongly expect a registered local guide, hired through the guides' associations in Lençóis or the Vale do Capão. The caves and flooded pools, such as the Poço Encantado, Poço Azul, Lapa Doce and Pratinha, are on private land with their own entry fees, daytime hours and last-entry cut-offs, and the famous sunbeam effects happen only in certain months and at certain hours - confirm before driving hours to see them. Swimming rules differ by site. Morro do Pai Inácio is a short climb from the road and busy at sunset. River crossings and canyons can close after heavy rain because of flash floods. Easter, July and New Year fill Lençóis. Most day tours leave in the morning and return after dark.

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