Searching for diamonds 💎

Next stop after Salvador was Lençóis which is the the gateway to Chapada Diamentina the beautiful national park in Bahia. The town of Lençóis was founded in the nineteenth century by diamond prospectors who came to the region in the search of a better life. This is also the reason this valley is called Chapada Diamentina. The name "Lençóis", which can be roughly translated as "bed sheet“ supposedly derived from the way the water falls down from the waterfalls and foam appears. Little did I know what this place would do to me. In both good and bad ways! But this trip for sure was packed with breathtaking views, gorgeous waterfalls and stunning landscapes and also the kindest people! After I arrived there I met two very sweet girls from Sao Paulo in my hostel which took me out to have a beer. They were very helpful and I was even able to book my first tour that night. Soo lucky I met them because I had the most wonderful and intimate group and we had so much fun! I even booked the next days with them as well because I liked it so much!
The first day I had a typical breakfast from Bahia and then headed through the colorful streets of Lençóis to our first destination which was Salão de areias coloridas. My highlight were definitely the stories our guide told us about his family, about the mining and how life has been in Lençóis. After a great lunch including cactus salat we then headed to Ribeirão do Meio which has a big rock waterslide (video). Of course I had to slide down! Here we were even able to find or better see some real diamonds found in the park!!
The next day i did not feel very well after dinner last night (my stomach was not happy at all…) we started our trip early to head to the valley of the three brothers and Morro Do Pai Inacio which is a must see on a trip to Chapada Diamentina. Definitely interesting but too long to tell was the story behind this place! After this hike we were able to discover the second largest cave in Brazil called Gruta da Lapa Doce. We could go inside the cave and witnessed so many stalactites and stalagmites. For sure the biggest cave I have visited so far. After this we had a very relaxed last stop at Praia where we then decided to snorkel in a cave. Even though sometimes scary I was able to see many fish and turtles in the cave! Loved this experience! On the way home we stopped at a lovely family run candy shop where I just couldn’t resist and had to try the delicious sweets! This definitely put the smile back on my face after feeling sick most of the day.
The last day however was probably my favorite! We went to Cachoeira dos Mosquitos (Mosquito waterfalls) and wow that shower was amazing! I never stood under a waterfall like this and it was simply beautiful! Our last and final stop was the archeological complex of Serra das Paridas which contains thousands of well preserved rock paintings! Very interesting to see and even ET was painted!
Chapada Diamentina was truely an amazing place and if you ever want to go to Bahia a place which you must visit.! Thank you so much to Carolina and Juliana for hooking me up to this simply incredible tour and thank you to Rodrigo (the perfect tour guide), loris (my wonderful translator) and Kaique (who always put a smile on my face). Loved spending the last three days with you! 🥰Lue lisää