 Nature's jewel
Versão em Português The Report
Chapada Diamantina, in the interior of the state of Bahia. A place of fantastic landscapes and many trails for all tastes. Surrounded by the dryness of the backcountry, this portion of the Sincorá range offers a lot to those with the disposition to hike to its canyons, caves, rivers and waterfalls.Day 1 - "It was an easy landing, considering that 20min before the pilot was not sure it would be possible to land." I went to São Paulo, the departure place of Pantanal Airline's flight to Caravelas and Lençóis. There was nobody from the travel agency Venturas at the check-in and I did not know who else would be in the tour. At the waiting room we were informed that maybe it would not be possible to land in Lençóis due to the bad weather - it had been raining nonstop for days. The flight to Caravelas was tranquil and we had a glimpse of the Abrolhos reefs before landing. Until we approached Lençóis, the pilot did not know if it would be possible to land, as it was very overcast and windy. Gladly it was, because otherwise we would have to go to Salvador and from there it would take us over 5h by car. Terra, Venturas' representative, was waiting for us, together with Carlos, a southerner rooted in Chapada, who would be our guide. "Us" means I and three ladies from São Paulo: Ana, who I had met in the plane, Darcy and Teresa. We proceeded by jeep to Igatú, with a stop at Andaraí. On the way, we crossed Paraguaçú river, which was very full. Carlos told us that in the previous week rain had disturbed the tours.
We had a delicious home cooking dinner at the inn and in the end we still had guava and banana sweets. After dinner we walked and saw the preparations for the annual music festival, which would take place in the following weekend. It is a big event and people come from other cities to watch. The we went back to the inn, hoping that the weather would get better. Day 2 - "To swim in those clear waters, what a show!" We had breakfast at eight. Everything was delicious and the variety was good, including regional dishes like beijú and tapioca cakes (both made of manioc). The morning began clouded, but it got better along the day. We left at about nine to Poço Encantado (Enchanted Pool), one of the most visited places in Chapada. (Note: Poço is the Portuguese word for natural pools found in rivers) Miguel, who is in charge of the place, protected by the government, guided us into the cave. It isn't a very easy descent, a bit steep and sliding, but we had Miguel's support and also the posts and ropes he installed.
Next we went to Poço Azul (Blue Pool), nicknamed Poço Encantado's "little brother". It isn't far, we had to drive through some farms and cross the river on a ferry. It was very sunny by then. We arrived at about one o'clock and would have lunch there, but the lady that takes care of the place (I am not sure she is the owner) did not know we would be arriving and had not prepared anything, nor showed any intention to do so. It was good in the end, as we saved some time and were still full with breakfast, going then straight to the pool, merely down a small trail.
Mucugê was another city that sprang up during the diamond era. I found the city very pretty, with its antique houses partially preserved and a flowered square.
Back to Igatú, we went to Lindaura's home, where we had her delicious bolinhos de chuva (a kind of scone). Alzira, Lindaura's deceased mother, was a notorious prospestor and even at an advanced age she still prospected. Many photographers that visited Chapada took pictures of her. Lindaura has a true museum in her house, with objects used in prospection, including a delicate scale, and also many old pictures. Lindaura sews patchwork towels and her children make seed chains and stone houses for the tourists. Dinner at the inn was nice, but I could not eat much after so many bolinhos de chuva... Day 3 - "It is impossible to describe the feeling of seeing the waterfall from above." I woke up very early to go to the ruins before breakfast, to take advantage of the sun. We left at around seven, already missing the sympathy of Rita, which takes care of the inn. We drove to the west of Chapada Diamantina National Park, passing outside Mucugê and later through Guiné. The landscape changes in this region, with an arid and sandy soil and the caatinga, typical vegetation of the dry areas of northeastern Brazil. Carlos thought it was convenient that we went to Cachoeira da Fumaça (Smoke Falls) that day, as it would have a lot of water for this time of the year, after so much rain. We drove then to Vale do Capão (Capão Valley), where the trail begins. We met Terra with a Swiss group and they went before us in an speedy rythm.
We had our lunch there, with the things Carlos bought before we started the trail and some leftovers from Terra's group. We saw a mocó, a local rodent. There were some shrubs with thick small leaves and everlastings in more abridged places.
After the lunch and a rest, we went down to the brook and got close to the point where the falls start. Even there we saw rainbows. Some people go to the edge, but I don't think it's a wise idea, as the rocks are very slippery. The water is dark, due to organic acids. Slightly after 2pm we started our way back. One and a half hour later we were back to the trailhead, although I am slow in descents, afraid of slipping. What a pleasure to be able to use a toilet and drink a flask of cold water! Back to the shaking jeep, we passed by Palmeiras, seat of the National Park's administration. Smoke Falls was the only attraction inside the park in our programme, but there are no fences or marked trails. Carlos told us that the park, although created in 1985, has only three guards. The landscape along BR-242 road, along the northern border of the park, is excellent, with some of the most famous views of Chapada. It should have some pull-out areas with informative boards, in the style of parks abroad. We arrived at Lençóis about 5pm and drove around the town before checking-in at Pousada Canto das Águas. We were a bit deceptive because it wasn't very cozy, it was more a hotel than an inn. After a good shower, we met for dinner at the inn, included in our package. Too much food. We took a walk downtown before going to sleep, but it was very quiet as it was in the middle of the week.
Versão em Português
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Xique-xique de Igatú, or simply Igatú, is a village of circa 400 inhabitants, but in the peak of the diamond era by the end of last century it had over 9000. The phone company post had the only telephone in the village. After we settled at our inn, Pousada Pedras do Igatú, we visited the ruins of the old rock houses, some of which were still in use some decades ago. Nowadays adobe or wattle and daub houses prevail.
We got entranced with the pool of crystal clear blue waters, formed on limestone. The pool is around 100m long and 50m wide, and with a maximum depth of 61m. A white stain on the surface moved slowly - it is limestone dust. There was a striking resemblance with 
It is really much smaller and has a wooden platform for an easy access to the pool. Unlike Poço Encantado, swimming is allowed. I am not sure this won't cause damage to the formations in the long term, due to the sweat or to the lotions and repellents people may be using. But it was an unique experience. Water was rather cold, but it was worth it. With the sunrays entering the grotto and illuminating the bottom of that transparent lake, the sensation was of being suspended on the air. It was fantastic. Views changed with the movement of the sun. Cool.
On our way back, we saw many trees that remained from the forests that were nearly destroyed to give way to pastures, like the ipê and the jacarandá. As it was early, around 3:30, we decided to go to Mucugê, which we were supposed to visit in the following day, according to our programme. We would then make the best of the rest of the day and also gain time the next day.
The trip to Mucugê, at circa 900m of altitude, is very beautiful, going up the mountain and with vistas of the plateau. Our first stop was at the exotic Bizantine Cemetery, a bit out of town, with its many graves with ornaments inspired in those seen by a pretigious resident in a trip to Turkey. The cemetery was built partially on the rocks, with an access that I consider very difficult for a burial.
We visited the Public Archives, with a museum dedicated to the history of the city. There were objects related not only with the prospection of diamonds, but also with daily objects from that time, like corsets and pressing irons.
The trail is not difficult, only tiring. First we go up for about an hour, generally on steps on the rocks. It was very sunny. The we go one more hour basically on flat surface, through a low vegetation typical of altitude fields.
Carlos showed us the candombá, an endemic plant of the velloziaceae family. It contains a resin that is highly inflammable even if wet, which helps fire to propagate very easily. Fires are a big problem in the region, due to the low rainfall and to the lack of knowledge if the people, plus a lack of training and equipment of the park staff. 
We got to some rocks from where we had a frontal view of the waterfall. It was already a big show: a 340m drop - the second highest in Brazil. The wind spreads the water and even carries it upwards, forming a curtain of droplets - thus the name "smoke". We rested a while, admiring the view. We saw Terra's group already above the falls, where moved to next, crossing the brook that forms the waterfall. 
We approach the edge of the rocks by crawling or creeping to it. It's more a prevention, as it is not as scary as people say, but it is in fact a place where losing the balance may be fatal - it's a huge abyss. There are even people who do not manage to get near th edge - just imagine hiking all the way and then miss the most impressive part! 
Comments? Suggestions?