Chapada Diamantina, Luxury Tailor-made Holidays in Brazil

Take a landscape of mesas, weird and wacky rock formations above ground, a system of quartzite caves with crystal clear lakes and underground rivers and you have the setting for some of the wildest eco-adventures in Brazil. Add in an historical diamond boom, prospectors, natural monuments and you have the 152,000 hectare Chapada Diamantina national park in the northeast state of Bahia.

Contact our Brazil experts now: email or 020 7622 1116

At the beginning of the 19th century, two German prospectors discovered a huge vein of diamonds in a region of unusual rock formations, tablelands, subterranean rivers, waterfalls, valleys and mountains called morros. When word got out, the ensuing diamond rush brought a rush of prospectors, called ‘garimpeiros’ who formed the town of Lençóis as a base for explorations into what is now known as the Chapada Diamantina.

In Lencois there are cobble-stoned streets, pastel coloured colonial buildings and little churches - a reminder of its past as a colonial mining village. As the gateway to the Chapada Diamantina National Park, it has a good selection of places to stay and plentiful restaurants and cantinas where you can sip Brazilian beer and swap stories with the locals and learn about the best climbing spots, swimming holes and cave diving.

Hotel Canto das Aguas is an attractive colonial hotel in the centre of Lencois near to cafes, bars etc and also right next to the Lencois river and a fairly dramatic waterfall. There are king-sized beds in all rooms, a delicious breakfast served every morning, a beautiful swimming pool. There are 44 rooms in total. More…

The climate of the Chapada Diamantina makes it an all-season destination, but evening storms provide the almost seven feet of rainfall a year.

The Chapada Diamantina National Park is best explored by bike, off-road, canoe and by foot, as well as by mule and horses. Combine these activities with a swim in a cool waterhole, and you can experience the park in many forms. More…

Contact us by email or contact us by telephone on 0207 622 1116 and ask to speak to a consultant about Chapada Diamantina.