Chapada Diamantina 1

Chapada Diamantina is named after the diamonds that were found in river beds. It was declared a national park due to efforts spearheaded by Roy Funch.

I had originally intended to visit the Chapada before Salvador but the long weekend due to the national holiday on October 12 of Nossa Senhora de Aparecida meant that most holiday accommodation was taken and any left was at high season rates. So I swapped Salvador and Chapada in my plan.


Through bleary eyes I saw the bus arrive at Lençois which most people use as the base for exploring the park. However my plan was different due to a recommendation from an Internet article. My destination was Palmeiras, an hour further down the federal highway. From there, it's an hour's trip on a bumpy dirt track to Vale do Capão, which is a valley in the middle of the park though not part of the park. From here, hikes (trilhas) would be easier.

The Pousada Pe No Mato (Foot in the Undergrowth) is a confortable place, almost as good as Xama. Sylvia, the owner, is an entrepreneurial lady but also straight up. All hikes in the park have to be accompanied by a guide. By enrolling in a group I can save considerable money not having a guide all to myself, and Pe No Mato as an agency would also make money. As it turns out, this is a very good arrangement. I am added to a group of four middle-aged sisters (from a family of seven sisters and one brother, you can see where Brazil's population came from) from São Paulo, with occasional other members. Two of the sisters are professionals and they often gave translations of what the guide said. Brazilians are chatty and they conversed amongst themselves throughout the hikes. I think a snake would hear Brazilians coming a long way away and never bite them. It certainly was a better outcome than uncomfortable silence between me and the guide while I try to remember my Portuguese irregular verb conjugations.

The first day's hike is fairly simple, up and down valleys with stops for waterfalls and for swimming holes which are very welcome after a hot walk. Geo forces have tilted the strata and created the features of the park. There are many interesting plant species thriving in the protected environment. My Brazilian companions see that I'm a keen photographer and call out whenever they see a beautiful plant.