Nature & Adventure in Chapada Diamantina

From Salvador it takes 6 hours by bus to the interior of Bahia. Our destination is the Chapada Diamantina National Park. When we arrive in the small town of Lençois, it's over 30 degrees Celsius and we immediately head to the natural pools slightly above the village. Since it's Sunday, there are quite a few locals here cooling off in the pools. We choose one of the pools and enjoy the refreshing water. In the evening, tables with tea lights are set up in the narrow streets, live music is playing here and there, and there is all sorts of delicious food. Unfortunately, we realize that all the main attractions of the park can only be reached with a quite expensive tour. Therefore, we decide to go on a small hike on our own the next day. About 3km away from Lençois, there is a natural waterslide. On Tripadvisor, the path is mostly described as easy. But right from the start, we don't find it so easy. We simply choose the path that seems most correct to us. Fortunately, we meet a friendly local who assures us that it's the right way. We are glad that the path leads through a small forest, as the sun is shining and it's over 30 degrees Celsius again! We wonder why some people on TripAdvisor recommended a guide until we suddenly don't know how to proceed ourselves. The path is no longer a path, but we are walking on a stone slab. We are starting to doubt that it's the right way. Since Google Maps also says that we are going in the wrong direction, we turn around and decide to take a slightly inconspicuous turn. According to Google, this is now the right direction, but the path is not much better. The internet describes the path as easy and flat, but the current one goes up and down quite a bit. Since the destination should still be 2.7km (as the crow flies) away - according to Google - we decide not to continue on this path. We don't have a real plan, we don't have much water either, and it's scorching hot (the current path is no longer in the shade). A bit further down, we hear the sound of the river and decide to simply walk downhill across the countryside in the hope of finding some water pools to cool off. When we arrive, we have indeed reached the waterslide. The only problem is that we are above it and we can't simply slide into the pool with our bag. So we have to climb over the slippery rocks in the hope of not slipping. But then we can finally get into the water. The waterslide is really fun (Patrick didn't try it though!) We stay until the sun sets behind the mountain and then head back on the RIGHT path. The funniest part is that we realize that we were almost there on the first try. It would have been just another 5 minutes on a rather inconspicuous path - thanks to Google Maps! Well, we had another adventure. Luckily, a tour is booked for tomorrow after all. Originally, we wanted to go to a dark blue pool where you can swim. But we don't see the point of paying 75€ to drive 150km (one way), only to bathe for 20 minutes and possibly have less than perfect lighting conditions. Instead, we opt for a different tour. Although it's still quite expensive at almost 60€, it offers much more to see. We start at Poço do Diabo. Here, there is a beautiful waterfall where you can swim. Then we drive to Gruta da Lapa Doce. The dripstone cave is 27km long, but only one part is accessible to visitors. The cave is incredibly large, with impressive stalactites or stalagmites everywhere resembling a pizza, a lion, or breasts. In between, we all turn off the lights and since no one else is in the cave except our group, it gets completely quiet. The third stop was supposed to be the highlight for us. Here, there is also crystal clear water, not as beautifully dark blue, but still great. First, we go to Gruta Azul. However, swimming is not allowed here. Then we go to Gruta da Pratinha. And we are disappointed. The cave can only be visited with a guided snorkeling tour for which we have to pay an additional 12€. Since our guide does not recommend it, we simply stay in the front area where we are allowed to go without a guide. However, we still find it a bit sad. Finally, we go to Morro do Pai Inacio. There is a canyon here and we want to watch the sunset from there. The views are truly incredible and it soothes our frustration from earlier.