Chapada Diamantina National Park
Country: Brazil

The Chapada Diamantina (Diamond Plateau) National Park is one of the most fascinating natural parks of Brazil. The park, established in 1985, contains an extraordinary variety of ecosystems, like Cerrado, Atlantic Rainforest and Caatinga, and is the home of many species of plants and animals.

What is now a jewel of the ecotourism, was once a refugee of precious stones hunters. The cities that border the National Park are filled with colonial buildings representing the architecture of this time, a vivid memory of the richness of the diamonds.

The trails opened by the garimpeiros (searchers of precious minerals) today works for the enjoyment of hikers and trekkers from around the world.

Everything in the Chapada is wonderful, but the waterfalls deserve special attention. The most famous is the Cachoeira da Fumaça, the highest fall in the country, where the water does not have sufficient volume to overcome the drop of 380 meters and the force of the wind cooperates in transforming the water into vapour - a real spectacle.

And the Chapada offers much more… The caverns of Lapa Doce and Pratinha, the amazing hills of the Capão Valley and the incredible blue waters of the Poço Encantado complete this wonderful scenario.

All these make Chapada Diamantina the perfect place in terms of adventure and integration with nature!!!

Climate

In general, temperatures are warm in the 80s during the day and the 60s at night. June through September are the coolest months in Chapada Diamantina, with fall-like temperatures in the 50s at night and the 70s during the day.

From December to March, the rainy period, the greater flow of water makes more enjoyable the baths on the waterfalls as well as the appreciation of the flora and the healthier vegetation.

People

Before the discovery of precious minerals in Chapada Diamantina, the region was almost unexplored. It was dominated by the Maracás Indians that used to react aggressively to the arrival of foreigners.

In 1844, seekers discovered diamonds next to the Mucugê River. That made the garimpeiros the main figure on the colonization of the region.
Most of the people lives from agricultural activities or tourism on the region, which has increased a lot in the past 10 years. But, working in any kind of activity, what you’ll find for sure is the friendliness and happiness of the local “baianos” (born in the State of Bahia).

Transportation.

There are 3 ways to get to Lençois, the gateway of Chapada Diamantina National Park:

• by car: 6-7 hours driving from Salvador, through the savannas of Bahia state. Most of the time, the roads are in bad conditions and there are no good infrastructure for emergencies. We do not recommend foreign travelers to make a self driving on this rout.
• By bus:  leaving from Salvador, the trip lasts about 12 hours. There are just 1 daily bus leaving at evening.
• By plane: 1 daily flight, by Ocean Air, leaving in the afternoon. Delays are very frequent, hence avoid making tied connections.

For more information on Chapada Diamantina click here. We thank Cassiano Ciampone from Biosfera Brasil Eco-Social Tours for the content of this webpage.