Lencois The “natural waterslide” – better Chapada Diamantina
tour operator Intrepid Travel has created Northern Brazil as its newest itinerary, marrying soft adventure, city sightseeing and some of the country’s best – but most remote – beaches. It’s a good alternative for
travellers inspired by the Olympics but less keen to crowd onto Copacabana or join the hordes trooping up to Iguaçu Falls, so I tested out the new route to see what they have in store.
l WALK ON THE WILD SIDE Chapada Diamantina is a region in Bahia state, 250 miles inland from Salvador, and takes its name from the black diamonds discovered here in 1844. Within a year, this area became a mining hub, with small towns like Lencois – now a
gateway for hikers to access the national park – springing up in a fever of new-found prosperity, as emeralds, quartz and iron were discovered in the surrounding hills. Today, Lencois is a likeable town,
full of cobbled streets, colourful weather-beaten buildings, and a square that always seems to be teeming with people having a beer at its outdoor bars or watching impromptu displays of capoeira, the uniquely Brazilian pursuit that is half-dance and half-martial art. But the real reason people come
is trekking: within half-an-hour’s walk of the town, hikers find themselves ensconced in an other- worldly landscape of waterfalls and pools coloured a curious shade of red from the iron oxide and tannins in the groundwater.
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known as Ribeirao do Meio – is an easy hour-long hike out of town along level ground, with a handily-placed coconut stall en route. Even if you’re not thirsty, it’s worth stopping just to see the dreadlocked barman slash the top off the coconut with a machete then stick a straw in to capture that sweet coconut water. But for more of a challenge, Serrano Municipal Park (part of the Chapada Diamantina region, but just outside the bounds of the national park) offers tougher uphill hikes which require a local guide. That extra effort is well-
rewarded with stops to swim in its deep red pools or for a spot of natural hydrotherapy under the forceful jets of Primavera Waterfall – I defy anyone to stay under its powerful stream for long – before finishing at its highest point for tranquil 360-degree views.
l FEEL THE RUSH One of this area’s greatest assets is its stillness – hike to its lofty lookout points or float weightlessly in its natural pools and the sense of tranquillity is evident – but that doesn’t mean they don’t know how to have fun (and I’m not just talking about the work-hard, play- hard vibe of late-night Lencois). That becomes abundantly clear
as I line up to take the plunge at Gruta Pratinha, where a zipline stretches down into the clear waters of the lagoon below. I take it at a run, soaring through the air and landing with a splash – only to have my inner child scream ‘again, again’ – though at just over £3 a go, thrill-seekers can line up for as many turns as they like. Yet this is nothing to the excitement of the extraordinary natural
phenomena clustered around this area, just north of the national park. First there are the
waters in Gruta Azul, which glow bright turquoise when the sun hits them at just the right angle in the early afternoon. Scientifically speaking, it’s down to high levels of magnesium and calcium carbonates in the 17m-deep water, but that doesn’t make it any less mystical. That’s as true at Lapa Doce, a
cave so huge our torchlight barely makes a dent. It feels more like a set from Indiana Jones or Jurassic Park than something that could occur in nature – I half-expect to stumble over dinosaur bones or a forgotten treasure trove – with stalactites and stalagmites forming gargoyle-like shapes and gradually edging towards each other like God reaching out to Adam in the Sistine Chapel.
TOP TIP Try local
speciality carne do
sol – sun-dried meat – with rice and beans for a taste of Bahia’s hearty, traditional cuisine
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