Introduction to Lençóis & Chapada Diamantina

If the interior of Brazil’s northeast is dry and dusty, the Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina sparkles in that dust like the diamonds that have been pried from the earth, and have given the area its name. Chapada is the name given to the flat-topped mountains in this area of the state of Bahia. The chapadas and the valleys in between are covered in lush green forests, with waterfalls dropping from the top and rivers of the coldest, purest water rushing their way to the bottom of the valleys. Brazil’s highest waterfall is here. It is so high, at 1,312 ft (400m), that the water doesn’t reach the ground! It turns into a spray of mist before, hence the name Cachoeira de Fumaça or Waterfall of Smoke. There is also Marimbus, a swamp area rich in wildlife, earning it the nickname ‘Mini-Pantanal’.

Nature doesn’t get much better than Chapada da Diamantina, and you may even get some beautiful hidden sights to yourself. It still isn’t flooded with tourists like the area was flooded with diamond prospectors in the 19th Century, so the only distractions from the mountain scenery are natural: orchids and bromeliads; butterflies the size of your hand; monkeys; alligators; deer; and possibly even jaguars can be seen amongst the trees.

If you stay in the quaint old mining town of Lençóis, you have all this on your doorstep and, who knows, you may be able to dig up a diamond there too!