Chapada Diamantina

View from Moro do Pai Inácio, the last stop on the Grutas Tour.

Chapada Diamantina is a paradise for hikers and people who love caves, waterfalls and swimming in turquoise water.

Day Hike Aguas Claras: My favorite hike was to Aguas Claras, a small series of waterfalls in the middle of a wide valley (below).

Mini-Pantanal Tour: My favorite tour was to a wetlands where we canoed along waterways to a river of waterfalls over pink sandstone and which ended at a quilombo. A quilombo is a village that was a safe harbor for escaped slaves during colonial times. The waters are dark with tannins, leading locals to call it tea water.

Grutas Tour: If you love caves, this is the tour for you! The Grutas Tour will take you to caves full of stalagmites and stalagmites as well as caves where you can swim through crystal clear water. The day ends on top of Moro Pai Inácio where you can watch the sunset and take photos on the cliff edge overlooking the valleys below.

ZenTur travel agency in Lençois

I did all the above tours with ZenTur, a locally owned tour agency in Lençóis. The office staff was endlessly helpful and all spoke Portuguese and English. The three guides who took me on the tours were fabulous in every way! They were very knowledgable about the places we visited and all spoke great English.

Check out Zentur’s website and follow them on Instagram @ChapadaDiamantinaZen.