Country: Brazil
Region: Bahia
Outdoor activities: hiking and swimming
Sustainable tourism rating: 
As you must have read in our article Trekking into the Pati Valley , the Chapada Diamantina is one of the most beautiful parks in the country. If you need information about how to reach the park you can find it in the previous post.
Many visitors only stay for three to four days in the park and don’t have the time to discover all this giant playground for the Sportrotters.
We recommend to stay a little longer to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the charming village of Lençois and perhaps to visit other parts of the park.
Hikes without a guide from Lençois
Riberao Meio
If you are looking for a short easy hike Riberao Meio is a perfect bet!
Refresh in the natural pool and enjoy the beauty of the place while having fun on a natural waterslide at only 45 minutes walk from Lançois.
Cachoeira Primavera
Do not miss Primavera waterfall at 4 km from the Lençois ( 1 h 30 min one way.
It is a nice hike with many natural pools and granite cathedrals left by the miners during the diamond rush.
Sossego Cachoeira
If you feel in great shape the Sossego Waterfall is worth the visit (allow 6 hours round trip) but pay attention to the river if it’s raining go back as the path can become dangerous.
This hike can be done without a guide if you are an experienced hiker and you go with a group of 2 or 3 people otherwise it is better to contact a guide.
Pai Iniacio
Around Lençois you also have one of our favourite places, Pai Iniacio. You will need a car or an organized tour but is one of the best views of the park.
We choose to go with Terra Chapada and we had a great afternoon.
The guide made us taste the local fruit from the trees, gave us explanations about medicinal plants and a lot of very useful explanations. We even got to see carnivorous plants!!!
And we learned to do the Superman! 😉
On the way back, just 5 minutes from the road, be sure to stop at the Poço del Diablo Falls. This beautiful waterfall has a sad story because it was here that the slaves were thrown by settlers to kill them.
Today this peaceful place is disturbed only by the river that suddenly can triple the size during the rainy season and destroy all on its way.
Hikes and guided tours
The park has many other attractions that we did not test, including two photogenic caves: Poço Encantado and Poço Azul. Unfortunately these places are victims of their success and to preserve them the visit lasts only to 20 minutes for each, so the visit wasn’t interesting as we needed to drive for 4-5 hours on a bumpy road. Especially since it is advisable to visit on a sunny day to have the beautiful colours and we had a lot of rain during our stay.
Another popular attraction of the park is the Fumaca Waterfall, one of the highest in the world. It is reached from the village of Vale do Capao without a guide or from Lençois with a tour operator. Expect a big day excursion from Lençois or go by bus to Vale do Capao town and organize your visits there. For French tourists we recommend the agency Tatu na trilha.
Finally, another attraction: Buracão canyon on the south tip of the park. This waterfall is located in a beautiful canyon but is accessible only with a guide. Allow 2 days trip from Lençois because of its remoteness (4 hours drive). The other option is to settle in the village of Ibicoara and go from there.
Different tour operators will offer all the hikes you wish for and we recommend Terra Chapada for their knowledge of the park. Terra, the owner is a very friendly guy and a little eccentric. It is one of the pioneers who started to make the park accessible for tourists. He knows it by heart!
The pros :
You can’t get bored in this park there are lots of things to see and do
The cons:
Most of the treks require a hiking guide as trails are not well marked and during the wet season it can be dangerous to adventure alone.
Most of the treks are quite expensive
The roads to get from one place to another are in very poor condition