Chapada Diamantina 2

Today's walk is the Fumaça (Smoke) waterfall. Everybody who comes to Chapada Diamantina does the Fumaça. A stream is flowing along the top of one of the elevated plateaus so common in the park when it suddenly encounters the edge of the plateau. Result is water shoots out into the air hundreds of metres above ground and dissolves into a spray of mist, never reaching ground as a stream.

This walk was fairly strenuous, starting with a climb to the top of the plateau, then an equally long walk along the top of the plateau. The eldest of the sisters was not as agile and was often at the tail of the pack. She would call out ahead in jest Ja chegóu? (Have you arrived?). The other sisters and eventually I took this up as a standing joke, yelling out Ja chegóu? whenever we were a bit tired of walking.

 

To see the Fumaça, you have to lie pronate on a rock ledge and crawl slowly towards the sheer drop while someone holds onto your legs, just in case.

Some of the plants we saw on the way.

As always the swimming holes were welcome for cooling off.