Chapada Diamantina-Trip to 'Pantanal' of Bahia

At 8:10 a.m., we were picked up by our guide Gustavo in front of the hotel. We immediately liked him. He said we had to pick up two other girls and then the tour could start. Two nice English girls joined us.

We continued off-road with an off-road vehicle shortly after our town. Oh boy, that was a bumpy affair :-)! At the beginning, we could already observe monkeys and another animal (the guide couldn't remember the name in English). The region is known for its howler monkeys in particular. We didn't see any, but we could hear them very well. We went by car to a very small village. Our guide was waiting for us there, and he was supposed to take us on a canoe trip along the river.

The canoe ride was fantastic. The sounds coming from the shore were amazing. We could see different birds again and again. But the water lilies and papyrus grass also looked super nice. We went about 1 hour by canoe on the river. Then there was a passage where the water was too low and the canoe couldn't go any further. So we had to WALK. 'HOW - THROUGH THE RIVER'? We were told something about 2 meter anacondas and caimans beforehand! Hmmmm, okay, if it has to be and nobody carries us, we have to walk through this river passage. It felt muddy under our feet, then sometimes a bit sandy. Now I have to laugh, because our guide walked ahead at a brisk pace and we four girls walked so slowly because the sharp little stones under our feet hurt a lot. He grinned and said we should come to the bank and walk through the sand there, but there were also these little stones and we squealed. He said, put on your shoes and let's continue. But only a short distance, because Gustavo came towards us and said, take off your shoes, we have to go to the other side of the river. So we walked across the river again and almost got wet up to our hips. Luckily, despite the clouds, it was nice and warm, so our pants dried quickly.

Now we took a short walk through the jungle to a farm. It is operated by locals and they produce cachaça. They also cooked our lunch. It was crazy how the food was cooked there with simple means. Everyone liked it a lot and we got full. With full bellies, we continued to a waterfall with different 'jacuzzis'. When we arrived there, it was unimaginable that something like this is in or behind the jungle. You just don't expect it. It looked absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, I banned myself from swimming (cold), but Daniela went swimming with the rest of the group. They had a great time. During that time, I took dozens of photos and at least let my feet dangle in the water.

Then we headed back. The description mentioned a walk through the forest. I didn't know that the forest meant the jungle. I was wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and sneaker socks. I didn't feel comfortable in the jungle with that outfit. Especially since I had asked Gustavo before if there would be tarantulas there. He enthusiastically confirmed my question and said that if you see something big and black, it could be a tarantula. Uhhh, okay- my thought was 'Anke, pull yourself together and get through there'! Daniela walked behind me and I heard her laughing again and again. She said to me, Anke, do you want to jump on the guide's back? Yes, that's what I would have liked, I felt extremely safe behind him. Ewww, even the grasses and underbrush on my bare legs made me flinch from time to time. Then Gustavo stopped and said oh look, a tarantula. I walked 2 meters away and he poked at it with a stick and said, oh she's dead, then he said, oh no, it's just a piece of coconut. Then we continued and everyone thought, oh what a cute bird flying in front of us. It was a huge grasshopper. I had never seen one so big, and it was really fat. However, we reached the car without any other incidents. I was so happy when I spotted it.

As we slowly drove along the jungle trail with the car, a tarantula ran in front of the car. I'm grateful that we were in the car. Sorry, but I can't stand these creatures, disgussssting!!!!!!!!!

On the way back to the hotel, we asked Gustavo how safe our village was. He said it was so safe that you could carry your phone, camera, etc. with you. Everyone would look out for each other. We didn't have to be afraid, it's not Salvador.

Daniela and I were just walking around the village and what can I say. It was simply indescribably beautiful. The people are extremely friendly and we had fantastic food here. In general, there are very delicious and unusual dishes here in Brazil.

We had a super nice day in Chapada Diamantina. Tomorrow will be the 2nd tour. Unfortunately, the sun will come out tomorrow. That means it will easily get over 30 degrees here. Ugh, I actually like the cotton candy clouds in the sky ;-)

Best regards