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The National Anthem of Brazil says: “gigante pela própria Natureza” (giant by nature itself). We feel it that way, every time we walk through the Chapada Diamantina Natural Park, a space where energy flows, like its waterfalls.
The Chapada Diamantina comprises an area of 152,000 hectares managed by the Chico Mendes Institute for the Conservation of Biodiversity (ICMBio), which ensures the maintenance of this natural environment and the species that inhabit it. In this paradise, you can feel in true contact with Mother Earth when you have the opportunity to walk it, to swim in its rivers and pools, to admire its waterfalls. We tell you some curiosities so you can get an idea of its beauty.
300 kilometers of trails
Respect for nature is an essential maxim in every trip. We always recommend not to leave the bounded areas for walkers for safety reasons, but also not to alter the ecosystems or their life cycles. If you share this idea with us, you will be glad to know that there are almost 300 kilometers of authorized trails for walkers that cross fields and forests of spectacular landscapes. Amazing!
The highest waterfall is almost 400 meters
Of the total of the 33 waterfalls that make up the Park, the highest one is Cachoeira da Fumaça, about 390 meters high according to the ICMBio, calculated from the point of water spillage. Even in some areas of the well the distance between the jump and the bottom is 420 meters.
To visit it, you have to walk about 6 kilometers of beautiful trails. It is one of the most famous attractions of the Chapada Diamantina.
33 waterfalls
But Cachoeira da Fumaça is not the only impressive waterfall we will find in this paradise. The Natural Park has up to 33 waterfalls, and in some of them we can even bathe or practice adventure sports.
A waterfall that can be reached by swimming
Among those 33 waterfalls we mention here the Cachoeira do Buracão, which provides us with one of the funniest adventures in the Chapada Diamantina. We have to walk about two hours and then, we will have to dive into the water to reach this waterfall of 80 meters of jump… Swimming! Feeling a waterfall ‘from the inside’ it is a wonderful experience, sure! Do not worry about swimming in this river, lifejackets must be used and we will have to swim just for 10 minutes, depending on the current.
A 1,120 meter high abyss
The Morro do Pai Inácio is one of the best known places in the Chapada Diamantina Park. From this 1,120-meter high mountain, we will peek into an spectacular abyss. According to legend, in that place there were a slave that was in love with the daughter of a rich landowner, who jumped with an open umbrella and disappeared forever. From here we can admire the landscape that makes up the hill of Camelo, the Capão Valley and the Morrão, with a sunset that you can never forget.
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