Tour with Agência Chapada Backpackers
The main hikes that we organize:
Vale do Pati – Most beautiful valley in the National Park – 3 days/2 nights, accommodation at the Native peoples’ house, level of difficulty : average - 1000R$ all included (transports, guides, alimentation and accommodation at the natives homes for 2 nights)
Cachoeira (waterfall) da Fumaça from below – Second highest waterfall in Brasil – 3 days/2 nights sleeping in rock shelters, level : hard - 1000R$ all included (transports, guides, alimentation and material for the nights)
Cachoeira do Mixila - 2 days/1 night in rock shelter, level: average - 750R$ all included (transports, guides, alimentation and material for the night)
Our single-day tours by car:
Caves tour
Rio Mucugêzinho, Poço do Diabo (devil’s pond), Fumaçinha cave, Blue Cave, Pratinha Cave and Morro do Pai Inácio mountain – 350R$
Fumaça from the top
Fumaça waterfall and Riachinho waterfall, Capão valley - 270R$
Mosquito and Blue pond tour
Mosquito waterfall and Poço Azul – 300R$
Ponds tour
Poço Azul and Poço Encantado – 330R$
Complete Ponds tour
Poço Azul, Olho d’Agua and Mosquito waterfall OR Poço Encantado – 360R$
Marimbus with Roncador Waterfall tour
Paddle boat tour on the Marimbus (Mini Pantanal) and Rio Roncador natural pools - 270R$
Buracão tour
Orquídeas Waterfall, Recanto Verde Waterfall and Buracão Waterfall - 450R$
1 day hikes around Lençois:
Sossego Waterfall - 150 R$
Ribeirão do Meio and Muritiba park - 170 R$
Lapão cave and Mandassaia waterfall – 180 R$
The packages include: entrance fees, guide and transportation. Lunch can be included for an extra 25R$ (picnic) to 35R$ (restaurant). These fares are valid for 1 person and for groups above 3 persons. A 10% tax will be applied for every transaction by card.
All the tours can be personalized (itinerary, length : Pati 4 days = 1300R$ / 5 days = 1600R$...) for groups from 4 persons up, upon demand. You can program everything in advance through contacting us.
Description of the Day tours
Caves tour:
The most complete tour by car, it’s also the most touristic. Easy level, you will discover 4 different spots. Total walk during the day: 2h30. Total by car: 3h.
After 20min by car and 30 min walk, you will reach a very nice waterfall, the Poço Do Diabo, with a big natural pool. Jumping, swimming half an hour.
The second stop, after 30min by car, is an interesting cave, the Fumaça Cave, where you will walk 30min inside with a local guide.
The third spot is the Pratinha blue pool and the blue cave (different than Poço Azul). Relaxing close to the cristallin natural pool, make your own lunch or eat in a “per kilo restaurant”, enjoy the sunny afternoon. 30 min walk.
After that, to finish the day with the most famous sunset in Chapada Diamantina, you will climb during 20 min the large stair of the Morro Do Pai Inácio mountain and appreciate a 360 degree overview of the huge valley around you!
Cost: 350 reais per person with the entrance fees included, the transport and the guide.
Not including the lunch and extra activities at the Pratinha pool (snorkeling is optional as the zipline). Optional restaurants are available on the main spots.
Fumaça Waterfall tour:
Discover the highest waterfall in Chapada Diamantina, the Fumaça Waterfall. You leave Lençóis at 8 o’clock, spend 1:45 min by car to reach the Vale Do Capão where starts the path to Fumaça waterfall. After 1 hour going up the hill, you will walk 1:30 more to discover the amazing viewpoint of the Fumaça Waterfall. Unbelievable view, it’s always better when the waterfall is running! You cannot miss it after rains!
Total 5 hours walk to go and come back. On the way back to Lençóis, we always have a second stop to the Riachinho waterfall to swim in a fresh pool for the sunset.
Cost: 270 reais per person with entrance fee included, the transport and the guide.
Not including the lunch. No restaurant there! Only before or after the 5h hike. The best is to bring a picnic and fruits.
Blue Pounds tour:
Between January and September, it’s the best time to appreciate the two blue lagoons. Poço Azul and Poço Encantado. A long day into a car. This tour is not to feel the wild Nature but more to see this two exceptional spots. Less than 30 min walk in total for 5 hours into a car, you will have 30 min to swim in the Poço Azul and 40 min to visit the Poço Encantado. Only in the Poço Azul it’s possible to swim. Poço Encantado is to appreciate the visual effects of the sun with the blue water.
Cost: 330 reais per person with entrance fees included, transport and guide.
Not including the lunch, you have good restaurants options on the spots.
Poço Azul and Cachoeira do Mosquito tour:
Starting with the Mosquito Waterfall, you will enter in the forest to find a beautiful waterfall where you can refresh after 30 min walk.
The second spot is the Poço Azul, where you can swim 30 min inside. 4 hours by car in total, and 1 hour walk. This tour is a good option when Fumaça Waterfall is dry!
Cost: 300 reais per person with entrance fees included, transport and guide.
Not including the lunch, you have good restaurants options on the spots.
Cachoeira do Sossego tour:
This one day hike to go to the Sossego Waterfall is starting walking from Lençóis. Between 5 and 6 hours walk in total, for 14km on a beautiful scenery, you will reach an amazing waterfall following a huge canyon crossing the river many times. A lot of fun during the day with many different pools, the Sossego Waterfall is the most beautiful waterfall you can discover close to Lençóis. It’s located into the National Park and that means it’s only walking! It’s a medium level hike. For some people, walking into the big stones many hours can be an exhausting day.
With a guide, you will learn about the diamant history and about the Nature. Really good experience in Nature. Not touristic and more authenticity, I truly recommend you to do this tour.
Cost: 150 reais per person. Minimum 2 person to confirm.
3-Excursion to the Vale Do Pati
3 days trekking - 42km – Level: Average
Opened for any kind of reservation (single person, couple, family, group...)
Description of the journey
➔ 1st day
We get out of the Hostel Albergue de Lençóis Backpackers, at 7am and go by car to the overlook of Guinê, where our adventure starts (approximately 2 hours drive). We take a little break in the town of Palmeiras (50 min from Lençois) where you can have breakfast, whilst the guide buys the food for the trek.
At around 9am, we reach at the parking lot and start walking quietly (15 min), before going up a stiff slope (45 min), then we cross a plateau (1h30) to reach the Pati overlook, where we have a picnic, admiring the delightful view on the valley from the top of the cliff.
In the afternoon, we go down in the valley following the Funis river, and contemplate a few waterfalls. We bathe in the biggest one, the Funis waterfall (Approx. 20m high), that has a deep bond beneath.
Then we arrive just before night at the native’s homes where we will spend the night, and enjoy a delicious and abundant diner!
➔ 2nd day
We will leave most of our gear at a native house, so we’ll be hiking lighter that the first day. Early in the day, we will start going up the Castle mountain (1h30) until getting to a wonderful overlook, and then enter a big cave going across the mountain, till we get out on the other side in the wide & wild Calixto valley. We’ll have lunch on a very impressive rock overlooking this valley, and after a bit of chilling and contemplation, go back down for a swim in the river and another huge dinner.
➔ 3rd day
We’ll go up the “Prefecture Slit” (1 hour) and then walk through a rocky and dry landscape full of orchids (2 hours) until getting to the Cachoeirão, basically the highest waterfall of the Chapada Diamantina, and the second biggest single drop waterfall in Brazil, with a height of 380m. After taking some time for pictures and contemplation, we’ll head up to the creek (5 min) that feeds the waterfall, bathe in a wonderful pond surrounded by native vegetation (unfortunately this pool can be dry because of dry season), and have lunch (picnic). After a time bathing and chilling enough to recharge energy, we’ll start walking back to the car park of the first day. We usually go down the last slope whilst the sun sets, and conclude this wonderful journey celebrating all together around delicious homemade pizzas in Guiné (it’s optional)!
We usually get back at the Hostel at around 9.30 or 10 pm.
Services provided
• Food – What am I gonna eat?
➔ 1st day
- Complete lunch (Picnic including : salad with various veggies, dressing, bread, salami or tuna, cheese, salted and sweet crackers, fruits)
- Abundant diner (roasted vegetables and roots, pasta or rice, beans and meat)
➔ 2nd day
- Typical « Nordestino » breakfast (cake, eggs, bread, fruits, corn-couscous, tapioca, coffee and infusion of native plants)
- Complete lunch (Picnic)
- Abundant diner
➔ 3rd day
- Typical « Nordestino » breakfast
- Complete lunch (Picnic)
¤ The last diner at the Pizzeria in Guinê is at your own expense ¤
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DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY!
We can adapt to specific diets (vegetarian, vegan, gluten and lactose-free)
Please inform the crew beforehand !
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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
• Accommodation – Where will I sleep?
The guest houses where you will sleep in the Pati Valley are part of the immersion experience. You will be sleeping in the house of the native people, some of the few families that were allowed to stay in the National Park when it was created, and must comply with its rules. It is a great opportunity to discover their customs and way of life. The accommodation includes clean sheets, blanket, pillow and towel. The water they use is pure spring water from the mountains around, so the shower is cold.
• Guides – Who am I trekking with?
We work only with well-experienced and well-trained official guides recognized by the state, most of them Natives of the region. They will pass on to you a lot of knowledge about the culture, history, geology and biodiversity of the region. Don’t hesitate to ask any question, they are really passionate about their job and their region, so they will do their best to increase your knowledge of their land.
Please let us know in advance if you have specific linguistic needs, we will do our best to find a guide that speaks your language, or an assistant-translator.
• Material (suggested equipment) – What shall I bring with me?
➔ Light and comfortable clothes
➔ Walking shoes or running shoes (better if the sole has a good grip)
➔ A small backpack is enough (30 to 40L maximum)
➔ Rain jacket / Rain poncho
➔ 1 comfortable trousers (for night time, nights are fresh there)
➔ 1 spare short
➔ 2 spare T-shirts (long sleeves better)
➔ 2 spare pairs of socks
➔ 1 hat or boné
➔ Sunglasses
➔ Torch or Headlight
Personal pharmacy (it’s good when you can share with other people in the group not to carry more than necessary)
➔ Sunscreen
➔ Insect repellent
➔ Toilet kit
➔ Personal medication (There is no pharmacy in the Pati valley)
• What will I see?
Main Pati Valley’s wonders you will see on the hike:
- Pati valley overlook
- Cachoeira dos Funis (Funis waterfall)
- Morro do Castelo (Castle mountain)
- The Castelo cave
- “prefecture slit”
- Cachoeirão (Second highest waterfall in Brazil)
- Guinê overlook
What I must know?
General useful information
• On the first day, the walking distance is 15km, with a cumulated difference in height of 400m.
• On the second day, the distance is much shorter, 9km, with an hour hike up of 300m in the morning, that we descend back at the end of the day.
• On the third day, the last day, the walking distance is 16km. It’s the most difficult day. But also the best!
The walking times are estimated, depending on various factors, mainly the physical conditions of the group and the weather. Although the Pati valley hike requires an intense effort over 3 days, it doesn’t require any specific training. Our experience tends to demonstrate that it is necessary having a strong will to do it, a sufficient physical condition, and be comfortable enough to walk in Nature.
Being different from more conventional approaches of tourism, this hike doesn’t offer the same comfort, it is rather natural and rustical, but this immersion aims at disconnecting you from the modern world in order to immerse deeper into the natural wonders and the lifestyle of the native population.
The majority of our clients cultivate a young spirit and love to contemplate the wilderness in silence.
The experience requires respecting Nature and the other hikers, whether you are a beginner or an expert.
Excessive overweight and long-term sedentarism might make it kind of difficult to enjoy the walk fully, as it may put the focus on the physical difficulty, rather than on contemplating the surrounding landscapes, plants and animals.
➔ When and how shall I pay?
The payment should be realized in cash, before departure, at the Hostel Albergue de Lençóis Backpackers. If for any reason you only have a debit card, there will be a last opportunity to withdraw cash at the 24h ATM of Bradesco bank in the city of Palmeiras before starting the trek, then you will pay directly to the guide.
➔ Where can I get accommodation in Lençois?
We can book a room or beds in a dorm for you in our Hostel Albergue de Lençóis Backpackers. On WhatsApp or by email it’s still better, when you can!
➔ If I travel the whole night on the bus to Lençois. Where can I get breakfast and a shower?
• A complete breakfast is served at our Hostel every morning for R$ 15, or eat at the break in Palmeiras before starting the trek.
• You can take a shower at the Hostel in the morning before leaving for R$5 (10 with a towel)
➔ At what time do we come back on the third day?
Most of the time, we arrive between 9.30 and 10.30 pm. But it could also be earlier, depending on the groups. You can take an overnight bus from Lençóis to Salvador or Itacaré, or Boipeba...
We finish walking at around 6.30 pm. In Guiné we stop on the way back at a pizzeria in Guinê, for the whole group sharing the last moments together around a delicious homemade pizza and drinks. We suggest you to eat in Guinê, before the 2 hours drive back to Lençois. It is also possible to have diner in Lençois, it all depends on you !
➔ What if I have my bus back to Salvador at 11.30 pm?
We usually arrive between 9h30 and 10.30 pm in Lençois. So, you will have time enough to take a shower and walk to the bus station.
➔ Where can I leave my luggage whilst I’m in the Pati valley?
Our hostel offers this service for free.
➔ Can I take a shower when I come back from the Pati valley trek?
Yes, you can. You will just need to pay a R$5 contribution for the water if you don’t sleep at the hostel.
➔ How are the groups formed?
The groups form by themselves, depending on the people that book in advance and others that may arrive randomly, single persons, couples, groups, or even families. The number of people in the group may vary from 3 to 10 persons. We usually create specific groups for families with kids.
➔ From 0 to 99 years old …???
This experience is suggested for people ranging from 10 to 65 years old. It can be achieved by people over 65, but only with a good physical condition.
We inform you that in case of kids behavioral problems, the parents or legal tutors of the kids will be warned as many times as necessary to be responsible of their children.
➔ Shall I bring water on the trek?
Along the trail, we will pass across various rivers and springs. The guide will indicate you where you can take drinkable water. Still we strongly advise you to bring a water bottle of 1,5L to start the trek, that you will refill every now and then, at the natives’ houses, or directly from the springs and rivers.
➔ Are there hot showers on the trek?
No, the native peoples’ houses only provide pure spring water, but it’s cold.
➔ Can I recharge my phone or camera during the trek?
Yes, every native house where we stop at night time has solar electricity.
➔ Will I be able to make it???
If you like to get over challenges, OF COURSE, YOU WILL ! ;-)
