Chapada Diamantina & Lençois Maranhenses

Pick up at the airport and transfer to hotel.

Night at the pousada Estrela do Mar (breakfast included).
Included : transfer arrival, reception with english-speaking guide, room & breakfast

Leave from the hotel at 06:00am for the transfer to the bus terminal (rodoviaria).

Bus departure at 07:00am, 6 to 7-hour travel to Palmeiras.

At the arrival, private transfer to the Caete Açu village in the Capao valley where your local driver will welcome you.

Free time in the afternoon with opportunities for walks around the pousada and in the valley, or get prepared for the following day's effort by relaxing.

Night in a pousada.

Included : private transport, bus ticket, room & breakfast

12 km – 4 to 5-hour of actual walking – 250 meters of elevation gain – moderate.

As soon as you will leave the village, you will face the steep slopes of the valley’s hillsides. Once on the plateau and the hardest part behind you, you will walk on flat ground until arriving at the edge of the precipice of Fumaça, one of the highest falls in Brazil with its 366 meters. The water drops from the plateau into an enormous canyon covered with tropical vegetation. Return to Caete Açu by the same way.

Night in a pousada.
Included : room & breakfast, lunch (no drinks), private transport, guide (hiking)

18 km – 7 to 9-hour of actual walking – 250 meters of elevation gain – difficult.

You will leave the pousada in a 4WD and head to the end of the valley (9 km). Start the trek with a one-hour climb leading you to the Gerais do Vieira, a long plateau covered by high grass or by tropical groves. At its extremity, you will turn right. The track heads up the mountain by following the quebra bunda, a steep climb of 150 meters to reach the plateau of Rio Preto. The ground is either sandy and dusty, and the vegetation very low. You will walk easily on the edge of the plateau, and enjoy a great viewpoint over the valley and the two enormous morros guarding it. Later in the day, you will walk down via a spectacular and steep corridor in the Pati Valley which you were watching from above until then. A few more efforts before arriving to a small house hidden in the valley, where you will stop for the night.

Accommodation with local host (basic comfort).
Included : room & breakfast, lunch (no drinks), dinner (no drinks), guide (hiking)

4 to 5 hours walk/ 450 m positive elevation / moderate.

Breakfast at your guesthouse's terrace where the view on the valley is outstanding. Then start the crossing of the Serra de l'Esbarrancdo above the West side of the national park.

You will stop for a swim in the Rio Preto ( the black river). Pass the Béco saddle with a scenic view on the Barbado cordillera before walking down to the small Guiné village.

Transfer by private 4WD to Lençois. Stop in Mont de Pai Inacio for an unforgettable sunset above the Chapada.

Arrive in Lençois late in the afternoon.

Night at the pousada Alto do Cajueiro (breakfast included).
Included : lunch (no drinks), private transport, guide (hiking), room & breakfast

Transfer to the bus terminal (rodoviaria) at midday where you take the return bus to Salvador de Bahia at 13:15pm (7 to 8 hours drive).

Pick up at your arrival and transfer to the hotel.

Meet at the hotel at 14:00pm with your English-speaking guide for a visit of the upper city, over of the Pelourinho historical area. His prestigious architectural renovated in its original bright colors, includes beautiful colonial houses and many baroque churches.

The visit (by foot) will start at the Capoiera fort where you will enjoy a wonderful scenic view all over the bay.

You will then walk up the rua do carmo and stop by Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos pretos, built by the slaves in the 18th century. Despite its roccoco front and it portuguese azulejos, this church is one of the only site where the candomblé is still practiced, the religion of African origin being established on the Bahianese roots. The program also includes the visit of the convento do carmo (a convent transformed in luxury hotel), the house / museum Jorge Amado and the shiny church of São Francisco with it amazing azulejos fresco.

You will take the elevador Lacerda. End the day with a bit of shopping at the Mercado Modelo.

Return to the hotel late in the afternoon.

Night at the pousada Estrela do Mar (breakfast included).
Included : bus ticket, private transport, english speaking guide, entrance fees, room & breakfast

Transfer to the airport 3 hours prior to departure. Flight from Salvador (flight time and number to be confirmed).

Pick up at the airport and transfer to the hotel.

Night at the pousada Portas da Amazônia (breakfast included).
Included : transfer departure, transfer arrival, room & breakfast

Departure by regular minibus (option private transport) at 05:15am. It will be a 4 ½-hour trip to Barreirinhas, a quiet town washed by the waters of Rio Preguiças.

In the morning, board a private motorboat to follow the Río Preguiças until you reach the Atlantic Coast. The river shores appear in their full splendor: mangrove, igarapés (waterways), buritis, açaizeiros (a native palm tree in the rainforests of northern Brazil), coconut trees, tucunzeiros and the never very far colorful fauna: herons, kingfishers and if you are lucky, guarás (a striking red ibis typical of this area).

As you will approach the coastline, the dunes will start to appear. At the Rio’s mouth, you will have a break in the minuscule and picturesque village of Caburé. The river flows along one side of the village while, on the other side of the dune, the ocean spreads over miles of deserted beaches.
Then, continue to Atins, on the other side of the river (30 min).

Transport Atins - Canto do Atins (30 min)

Night at the pousada do Seu Pedro Bruno (breakfast included).
Included : bus ticket, english speaking guide, private transport, dinner, room & breakfast

Trek - 24 kilometers - 7 to 8 hours walking - strenuous.

Start walking around 05:00am when the temperature are still fresh and the lights are the most beautiful. The dunes will appear gradually with the sun rising behind you, like carrying you towards the desert.

The trek will start with a 2 to 3 hours walk on the shores, between the dunes and the ocean. Then you will head to the West to go further in the desert. You will there understand the name of "Lençois Maranhenses" (literally the " Maranhao sheets") given to the natural park: facing the sea, this endless chain of dunes feels like a immense wrinkled fabric.

The first lagoons will appear. blue, green, of all shape and size (some up to 1 kilometer long and 2 meters deep), and you will have many opportunities for refreshing and joyful stops.

After 4 hours and a few stops you will arrive to Baixa Grande, an oasis in the middle of the dunes. You will be welcomes by Dona Dete and Sr Moici who will open the doors of the humble home.

Free time for the rest of the day, to discover the oasis and rest.

Night in a hammock at your host´s (basic comfort).
Private guide.
Included : room & breakfast, lunch (no drinks), dinner (no drinks), guide (hiking), english speaking guide

Trek - 8 kilometers - 3 hours walking time - moderate.

Start in the morning for a short trekking section.

Cross the Baixa Granda village- On the Rio Negro's bankings you will pass along an authentic wild orchard: Cajú tree, mirim, murici...
When out of the oasis you will find again the saharian atmosphere of the Lençois. With an intense sun you will walk in a either hard or loose sand, climbing low elevation dunes.

Everywhere the lagoons appear between the dunes. Each time you will discover these natural pools with surprise deep in the desert, and will be amazed by their clear colors as well as delighted to swim and to refresh in them.

Continue to Queimadas dos Britos, the other oasis in the park, bigger and greener than the one you would have left that morning.
Dona Joana and Sr Raimundo will welcome you with a "cafezinho".

Night in a hammock at your host (basic comfort).
Private guide.
Included : room & breakfast, lunch (no drinks), dinner (no drinks), guide (hiking), english speaking guide

Trek - 15 kilometers - 6 hours walking time - moderate.

Leave the community early in the morning (around 5:00am) to fully enjoy the morning freshness. A few locals still travels in the desert by foot. Twice a month they go to the sea and work for a few days there before returning to the village with the fishing products.

With a bit of luck you will even meet one of their caravan on their journey or near the village.

For approximately 6 hours you will slalom between the dunes and the lagoons, through the highest dunes and the largest lagoons : a cabra, a sonda and a gaivota (about 6-7 hours walk to the Gaivota lagoon). Swimming and contemplation. Then you reach Santo Amaro in a 4WD.

Transfer by a collective Toyota up to sangue Village where you'll embark in a minibus at 17h00 to reach São Luis at 21h00.

Private transport Lagoa da Gaivota - Santo Amaro (30 min)


Night at hotel Ciamat Camp ** (breaksfast included).
Included : room & breakfast, lunch (no drinks), guide (hiking), private transport

At 03:00pm, take the road to São Luis in a regular minibus (6-hour trip).
Private guide.

Night at the pousada Portas da Amazônia (breakfast included).
Included : bus ticket, english speaking guide, room & breakfast

Transfer to the airport 2 hours prior to departure. Flight from São Luís (flight time and number to be confirmed).
Included : transfer departure