Ecotourism - Chapada Diamantina National Park : Amazing place close to Salvador

[hunab ku]

Hi everyone!

If you travel to Salvador de Bahia, you HAVE to know a place close by, the chapada diamantina national park. It's an amazing place of wild nature with prehistoric landscapes, canyons, mountains and many many waterfalls, big natural pool where you can enjoy a relaxing bath ... It's a paradise for trekkers !

To get there take a bus from the salvador central bus station ("Rodoviaria"). 2 buses a day:
SALVADOR > PALMEIRAS : departure 7 am and 11.30 pm
PALMEIRAS > SALVADOR : 12 am and 11.30 pm

From PALMEIRAS, there will be jeeps waiting for travellers to transfer them to the VALE DO CAPAO (Valley of Capao), a typical little town in the middle of an incredible valley.

If you want more information, contact me, I live there. I work in a beautiful hotel, with accomodations integrated to the nature where there is a 60m² suite-chalet on a tree, 9m above ground !!! and prices are very low!

Just contact me, I'll help you to organize your trip.

Ciao

Pierre
(French artist: I'm a musician (sax & flutes) and a painter)

[ismala]

hi pierre,

by chance i found your post! am going to brazil next month for a week. The reason i am writing you is that i may want to change life completely and go live in bresil next year. I look for a simple life. I wonder if you can tell me how you made it to live there..
Thanks for your reply and you can also write in French since i am French.
ismala mc

[ismala]

how can one contact you?

[hunab ku]

Bonjour Ismala !

Let me tell you more about the valley of Capao. It possess a diversified culture, with people of different parts of the world gathered around a lifestyle directed to human development and the respect of nature (1200 inhabitants with +/- half nativos and half foreigners). Once a gold and diamond mining region, the area is still sparsely populated and people are very hospitable. With its eight associations, the Valley congregates art, workmanship and sustainable activities, such as organic agriculture, medicinal herbs, phytotherapy and phytocosmetics, organic honey, theater, chorale, circus, dances, capoeira and tourism committed with the conservation of the natural and cultural patrimony.

As for the activities and services available in the Valley:

- Health & spiritual services: The valley is a great place for personnal development and relaxing : Ayurvedica massages, reiki, yoga, meditation, iridiologie, pilate, holisitic and corporal therapies...

- Art: Sacred dances, contact improvisation dance; many musicians live there, then there are world music concerts (generally happen in the circus)

- Capoeira: try capoeira away from the (sometimes...) aggressive style of Salvador dancers. 2 types of Capoeira > Angola and Regional

- Circus: There's a famous circus here. People from all over south america come here to learn new techniques. Cultural center where you'll meet plenty of travellers.

It's a great place to live a simplier life, closer to the nature, with no cell phone, no gas station, and great human qualities. If you decide you want to have an alternative lifestyle, you will definitly enjoy this place!

My personal email is doktorfonk@gmail.com

Peace

Pierre

[kellromen]

I am in Salvador. Tell me how long is the bus ride. Can this be done as a day trip or must we stay there? How long should we stay? How many hotels do they have? Is there just one town there? What can I expect to spend per day not counting the hotel? Do all hotels have resturants? I am older with a breathing problem, is this going to be a major problem? Do we need to make somekind of reservations or just jump on a bis and go? I only speak english, is this a problem? Thank Jim Kelley

[hunab ku]

Hi Jim

The bus ride SALVADOR > PALMEIRAS lasts 6 to 7 hours. If you do it by night, do not forget to wear warm clothes because of the A/C. Once you get to Palmeiras, jsut tell VALE DO CAPAO and the name of your hotel - it's a 20 minutes ride by jeep to the little colonial town.

It's good to stay 5 days here (at least 3 days). That way you'll have time to take your time to discover the chapada diamantina. There are a many sites of cultural and natural interest here. From the valley of Capao, you can make one day hikes to colonial towns of Mucugê, Lençois, Rio de Contas. There is a speleologic park in Iraquara (extensive cave system with stalagmites and stalactites). Other place of interest is the enchanted pool, where rays of light hit a natural pool revealing its incredible colors.

There are a couple of hotels with restaurant, better to book in advance (many hotels are simples, runned by nativos with no restaurant). I can help you with reservation. I would recommend the hotel POUSADA LENDAS DO CAPAO. Check out their accomodations here : www valedocapao.com.br - Prices start from 100 reals with great typical breakfast. They have a restaurant with wines (average dinner cost is 35 reals), and propose health services like sauna, sweat lodge, ayurvedic massages, reiki ... may be excellent alternative therapy to help with your breath pb.

If this one if full, you can go to "pousada do capao" or "lagoa das cores" (more expensive) ; another option is "Pé no Mato".

What will you spend per day without the hotel ? Hiking and trekking cost between 60 and 150 reals with guide depending on the site (more expensive if jeep needed for the hike - also cheaper for 2, 3, 4 person dividing the jeep cost between participants). For your breathing problem, there are sites accesible by jeep, almost no need to walk to see beautiful nature. Once you get to the valley, I will help you to figure out which hikes are the more appropriate for your health condition. I guide here, and I speak english (i'm French), you can meet me coming to the LENDAS DO CAPAO hotel and we'll organize your stay. If this hotel does not correspond to what you're looking for, I can recommend you other hotels.

Let me know when you get there. You can contact me by phone
(+55) 0 75 3344 1141 (@ work, morning) or 3344 1165 (@home, afternoon - evening).
Ask for Pierre

[schemingturkey]

hey everyone,

i just joined and wanted to say hi. :)

[hollywoodheidi]

Hi! I just found this forum and it looks really cool.

Now, I gotta run off and read some posts. :)

[Marcos Wolff]

Great post Pierre, PN da Chapada Diamantina will be in my itinerary on my trip to Brazil. I was told that the best town to use as a base to visit and start trekkings to the Park is Lencois... What would be the difference staying in Palmeiras? Take care, Marcos

[imuller]

Cher Pierre,

Mon ami et moi aimerions visiter Chapada Diamantina pendant quelques jours autour du 10-11-12-13 decembre prochain...
Nous voulions à l'origine faire un trek, mais comme je suis enceinte maintenant, je penche plutôt pour la jeep... est-ce que tu connais quelqu'un qui pourrait nous guider pendant 3 jours à travers le parc ? et étant donné que nous viendrions de Salvador et repartirions vers Itacarè, quelles villes d'arrivée et de départ est-ce que tu conseilles ?

Merci beaucoup pour ton aide,
Amicalement
iléna