Brazil 2024 - Chapada Diamantina Trekking

Palmital Falls

Suggestions

Lençóis is easily accessible from Salvador by overnight bus, or you can fly into the town. Whether you're coming for a quick 3-day trek or planning to stay for over a week to explore the area, Lençóis offers plenty of hiking opportunities. While it's possible to hike by yourself using maps.me, keep in mind that the region is remote and not many hikers are around. That's why I chose to spend my time here with a guide, ensuring a safer and more informative experience.

You don't need to book anything well in advance. There are plenty of tour operators, and the number of tourists coming to hike has significantly decreased since COVID. This means you have numerous agencies that can organize a trip for you.

I prepaid for my hike, but when I needed to change my plans, I lost some of my money. Even though it wasn't the tourist season, Star Trekking wasn't flexible with changing the start date. So, make sure to check with the provider about the flexibility of the dates in case your plans change. Also, ask them about transportation to the trailhead.

The trails are not very well marked, and in some areas, overgrowth can make it easy to lose track of the path. Hike with poles; they'll help you on the steep, rocky climbs and protect your face and feet from the overgrowth. I met a French couple who were hiking alone and having difficulties navigating certain treks. You can hike independently using MAPS.ME guidance, but since I was traveling alone, I didn't want to take any chances and opted for a guided tour.

Don't forget to pack a swimsuit, as you'll come across numerous waterfalls and pools.

Lençóis is a charming colonial town where you can easily spend a day relaxing. The bus station is clean and pleasant.

Day 1 (Lencois -> subida da Serra do Bode -> Pocao)

 

Breakfast before the Hike

I arrived at the Lençóis bus station around 5:30 AM and met Fernando there. My first impression of the town was that it would be great to spend a day wandering around. Fernando runs his own company in a small place there. The company I booked with, Star Trekking, had outsourced the job to him. He kindly let me keep my things at his place and allowed me to use his home for my toilet needs.

Fernando mentioned that his girlfriend would be joining us on the hike. While I was enjoying the carnival scene in Salvador, she wanted to escape the carnival, so she had been visiting Chapada and staying there for the past 20 days.  

After I repacked my bag for the next three days of hiking, we went out for breakfast. I had egg sandwiches and coffee. We then returned to Fernando's home and started the hike. 

The initial part of the journey involved walking about 4 to 5 miles on a gravel road, which also serves as a local road connecting villages. It was a bit disheartening to see some hikers being dropped off by motorcycles at the trailhead while we continued walking alongside passing motorcycles and jeeps.

After walking about five kilometers, we reached the actual trail, which was steep and not well-maintained by U.S. standards. Hiking up the trail was exhausting under the hot sun, and we had to bushwhack through certain sections. The trail, originally built for diamond mining, didn't have any switchbacks, making the ascent even more challenging. Despite the tough conditions, the scenery was beautiful, and thankfully, the weather was cloudy but dry.
After about two hours from the real trailhead, we met the hikers who had been dropped off by motorcycle, taking a break near a small cave once used as a shelter by miners. Fernando showed us the water channels built for mining diamonds and explained that the rocky landscape was not natural but had been altered by slaves, primarily black slaves, who were chained and forced to mine for crystals and diamonds. The diamond mining in this area lasted for almost a hundred years, involving extensive digging and moving of rocks. Since the area was once underwater before the sea receded, it was rich in minerals, crystals, and diamonds.

We continued hiking up the muddy, rocky slopes, which weren't very steep but involved continuous climbing without switchbacks. We reached our campsite around 3 PM and relaxed while Fernando started cooking lunch. The campsite, near a stream that led to a beautiful waterfall, was picturesque. The water in the stream appeared brownish-black due to minerals but was perfectly safe to drink. While lunch was being prepared, I relaxed in the stream, daydreaming.

After lunch, we carefully walked down the stream, cautious of slipping but fortunately avoiding any mishaps. We then climbed down some rocks beside the falls to reach the bottom, where we spent about an hour chilling and swimming. The camping area was stunning and peaceful, with only one other group besides us.

This backcountry campsite offered beautiful views and was just a few hours from town, yet it wasn't crowded. Most people tend to go to the Patty Valley, which was also recommended to me, and the guide confirmed the crowds there. After dinner, I chatted with the other guide, Pedro, about India and my travels. Pedro was particularly interested in India because his ex-girlfriend had lived there for almost six months and, upon returning, had set up an Indian restaurant in town.

As it got dark, it started to rain, so we all retreated to our tents for the night.

DAY 2 (Capivari Falls -> Rio Capivara -> Palmital Falls)

We stayed in our tents in the morning until the rain slowed down and had breakfast around 9 AM. By the time we packed and left, the rain had stopped, but the trail was muddy and slippery. Today's hike was challenging due to the slippery slopes. We took a break to enjoy Capivari waterfall, leaving our backpacks and walking about a kilometer downhill. Fernando was daring and encouraging, but due to the slippery rocks, we couldn’t get too close to the waterfall. It was still a beautiful spot, and we chilled there for a while before getting back on the trail.

The hike was intense, with steep, muddy, and slippery trails. We traversed the mountain edges with deep drops on our left side, but the overgrowth and trees provided some safety. We descended into a narrow gorge where two rivers, Capivari River and the Capivrara River, meet, hopping on rocks to cross. Then we climbed up a muddy trail to reach our campsite, which was sheltered by a huge rock where we set up the kitchen and pitched the tents across the creek.

This campsite was even more beautiful than the previous one. It featured a wide stream with small waterfalls and stunning rock formations, surrounded by mountain walls on three sides and opening to a beautiful valley on the other. It felt like camping at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. After setting up the tents, we walked to the Palmital waterfall, swam in the pool, and enjoyed a head shower under the falls before returning for dinner.

While wandering around the campsite, a French couple suddenly appeared. They had camped here the previous night and tried hiking to a different area using Maps.me but had to return due to steep and slippery trails where they couldn’t locate the path.

After dinner, we took more pictures as it started to drizzle. We went back to the tent and slept. I wanted to wake up in the middle of the night to see the Milky Way, but it was raining, so I went back to sleep.

Day 3 (Toca Da Onca -> Toboga Ribeirao do Meio -> Lencois)

The morning was cloudy but rain-free. After breakfast, we began our hike towards Lençóis. Today's hike was tougher than the previous day due to numerous ups and downs and slippery rocks. The scenery and vegetation constantly changed, making the hike through different sections truly beautiful with the passing clouds.

From Jaguar Point, we could see the Capivari waterfalls where we had taken a break on the second day. Although the town appeared much closer from this vantage point, there was no easy shortcut, so we had to hike around the mountain to reach Lençóis. This point seemed popular, marked with red paint to indicate the trail.

Descending the slippery rocks, we saw Ribeirão do Meio, where many people were having fun. To reach the river, we had to hop across rocks. Fernando did this with ease, but I fell and scratched my knee, regretting my decision to jump from rock to rock, though I knew I'd likely do it again.

After lunch and a swim at Ribeirão do Meio, we started walking towards town. Since it was close to Lençóis, many people were there to swim or relax. Halfway to town, it began to rain heavily, so we took shelter in a shop, enjoying a beer and browsing crystals found in the park. I wished I spoke Portuguese to converse with the friendly locals.

We reached Fernando's home around 5 PM. After leaving my stuff and taking a shower, I went out to explore Lençóis. I visited the Indian restaurant run by Pedro's ex-girlfriend but she wasn't there, so I wandered around and found a place to have acarajé, meeting a few other travelers.

That was all the time I had for Lençóis as I planned to take the night bus back to Salvador to explore the beaches in Bahia.

Brazil 2024 - Festive Fun - Carnival with Comrades

Suggestions

• Go with friends for the maximum fun.
• Stay closer to the parade route. It will be harder to get in and out of the camarote if you need to. Also, at the end of the night, you don't want to get lost after all the drinks.
• If you want to walk or dance with the crowd, be careful of your valuables. Also, leave or make way for the cops to walk else you will be rough handled.
• Please plan to go to Pelourinho, the historic district of Salvador for at least half a day. It is filled with music and dance.
• Investing in a camarote ticket is undoubtedly worthwhile, as navigating through the bustling crowd can be quite dreadful. While it may seem enjoyable at first, enduring the jostling and pushing for an extended period isn't something I can envision myself doing.

  

  Chillout place 

• Ensure the safety of your valuables at all times. I've heard stories from fellow travelers who lost their cell phones even though they kept them in zippered pockets inside their jackets.
• Consider bringing along a bunch of bead chains. It's a tradition that if you offer the chain to someone and they accept it, they're expected to give you a kiss.

Getting There

After catching the bus from Barra Bonita to Sao Paulo and then the metro from the bus station to meet my friends from Seattle, Prasad and Kichan, at the Sao Paulo airport, we relaxed in the lounge, moving between lounges to sample different foods. Since there wasn't much vegetarian fare available, and it wasn't the right time for drinking, we mostly sat, charged our phones, took naps, until we arrived at the Salvador airport. We didn't sense much of a festive atmosphere at the airport, and collecting the tickets for the camarote was a straightforward process.

Once we secured the tickets, we reached out to Claudia, our Airbnb host, who kindly offered to pick us up from the airport for the same price as Airbnb. She was incredibly nice and promptly arrived to transport us to the apartment. Situated in a prime location, just a short two-minute walk to the beach, the apartment was ideal. It was conveniently close to the end of the carnival parade route.

Walking around

Acaraje

After settling in for a bit, we embarked on a leisurely stroll around 4:30 p.m. towards the carnival area, without a set destination in mind. We found ourselves wandering along the beachfront enjoying the sunset until we stumbled upon the carnival area. There, we indulged in some yakisoba, sharing a portion among the three of us. As the clock approached 6 p.m., the crowd began to swell, and we witnessed the arrival of the floats amidst the pulsating music.

Where is my Dinner

People danced joyously in the streets, and while the increasing throngs made the experience a bit cramped, the presence of numerous police officers helped maintain order. We spent some time soaking in the atmosphere before eventually growing weary and craving a meal. Around 8 p.m., we exited the parade area and ventured to the central mall area in search of a restaurant, but to no avail.

Unable to find any vegetarian options, we settled for purchasing noodles, onions, and tomatoes from a grocery store with the intention of preparing a meal at home. Although securing an Uber took some time, we eventually opted for a taxi, which transported us back to our accommodations. The taxi was driving the taxi as if he's James Bond and we thought that we would never make it to our place. It was quite an adventurous ride. It was quite an eventful first day, immersing ourselves in the carnival ambiance, relishing the music and risky taxi ride.

Exploring Pelourinho and Navigating the Crowds

The next day, we arranged to meet Aila around noon at the apartment, but she got stuck in the traffic from the airport and no sign of her 'til 1pm. With Aila still absent, we opted to entrust the apartment key to the security personnel and set off for Pelourinho, the historic district of Salvador. The area was alive with a throng of people, pulsating music, and spirited dancing. After meandering through the streets and enjoying lunch, we hailed an Uber in an attempt to reach the carnival area. However, due to the congested streets, we had to disembark nearly a mile from our intended camarote location. Undeterred, we proceeded on foot, encountering yet another lively scene characterized by energetic music, bustling crowds, and vigilant law enforcement officers managing the crowd.

Enjoying @ camarote

Inside Camarote

Finally reaching camarote and meeting with Aila, we opted for the all-inclusive package on our first day, indulging in drinks and savoring the festive atmosphere until the early hours of the morning. The following day, we returned to experience another camaraderie, this time opting for a drinks-only package. The venue was bustling with activity, offering various amenities such as free makeup and entertainment.

View of the Street

While the music and vibes were undeniably enjoyable, I couldn't help but feel that the carnival experience, while memorable, might not be something I'd repeat due to the immense crowds and logistical challenges. Nonetheless, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I'm grateful to have had. Upon reflecting on the differences between the carnivals in Salvador and Rio, I realized that each offers a unique perspective, with Salvador focusing more on music and dancing, while Rio boasts grand parades and elaborate costumes.

Change of Plan to Beaches from Mountains

After immersing ourselves in the vibrant Carnival atmosphere, I bid farewell to Prasad and Kichan as they departed for Seattle on an early morning flight. Aila, however, had a convincing argument to postpone my planned hike and join her on a trip to Boipeba. Though initially hesitant due to the logistical challenges, Aila's assurance of guiding me through the process, from ferry rides to bus transfers and taxi journeys, swayed my decision. Besides, the prospect of experiencing local life with Aila added to the allure. After a final toast with champagne at 3:30 a.m., we retreated to our accommodations, preparing to rest before our upcoming adventure to Boipeba.

Brazil 2024 - Kickstarting Carnival: Family Adventures and Festivities

Getting to Barra Bonita

https://youtu.be/YYOSb8Hhppg

My journey took me to Barra Bonita, where my friend, Aila's family resides. The bus journey took about 4 hours and it was very comfortable. Arriving at the small town, Barra Bonita, got picked up Aila and treated like royalty was very nice. That day evening we had a family party where they introduced me to Brazilian delights like Caipirinha and Brazilian barbecue. Aila's mom taught me how to make

Caipirinha and I thought that she is making the drink for the whole gang by looking at the amount of sugar she was adding to the drink, but realized that it was just for me. I got the realization that with Caipirinha if the alcohol doesn’t kill you, the sugar will surely kill you. So whenever I ordered Caipirinha, I asked the bartender to add just one spoon of sugar.

The following day, we set out to explore local waterfalls and wander through the town. Brazilians have a deep appreciation for both music and nature, readily immersing themselves in the refreshing waters of the river or swaying to the tunes echoing in the park without hesitation. I managed to procure garbanzo beans from the local market to prepare channa masala for the family. With great care, I ensured minimal spice usage while cooking both the egg curry and channa masala. However, to my surprise, Aila's parents found even the slightest hint of spice overwhelming, resulting in tears as they savored the Indian cuisine.

Indian visiting Indian Stone

The following day, I had the pleasure of meeting Aila's grandmother, aunts, and the rest of her extended family. Their tight-knit bond reminded me of the close family structures often seen in Eastern cultures. After spending quality time with them, we embarked on a journey to the Pedra do Indio nature preserve, a scenic two-hour drive away. Along the way, we passed by picturesque soy farms, lush coffee estates, and farms housing genetically modified bulls without horns. Following a couple of brief hikes and relishing the scenic vista of the Indian Stone from the observation deck, we proceeded to a nearby coffee farm to indulge in some freshly brewed coffee with beautiful view of the surrounding mountains.

Party Time

Once we returned home, I had my hair done by Aila's aunt and headed out to the park. As the carnival season kicked off, we opted to immerse ourselves in the festivities. It resembled a Brazilian version of Oktoberfest, where families and friends gathered to enjoy drinks, food, and thrilling rides. Many brought along chairs and coolers filled with beverages, creating a vibrant atmosphere filled with music from various bands. We met a number of Aila's friends and family in the carnival area and had one too many drinks.

Despite the option of using Uber, Aila and her aunt insisted on driving me to the bus station in a nearby town, ensuring my safe departure to Sao Paulo, even in the wee hours of the morning.

Norway the Natural Beauty Queen

 

Suggestions

• Have a US quarter, one Euro or 50 UK P. to get the luggage carts.  You put the money in the slot to release the cart and will get the money back when you park it back.
  
• Get a window seat to get the peak at the hundreds of small islands/island community just before landing at Bergen
• Car rental is pretty easy and if you could book in advance (with pre-paid), it is less expensive if you feel comfortable driving and you have a group of more than 2 people.  With the extensive driving that I did for six days, the tolls came at about $90.
• If you are planning to take the ferry from Gudvangen to Flam and also to take the Flam Train, look at the schedules because it involves return trip in a bus
  
  and the bus service stops at certain time in the evening.  Look at the ferry schedules to get the maximum out of your trip.  For example, we spent a lot of time before going to Gudvangen in the Tvindefossen waterfalls and when we reached there we found out that there is no return ferry/bus available to get back to the car.  So we decided to drive to Flam instead of taking the ferry.
• If you have a car and have a couple of hours in Flam, drive up to Stegastein platform.  It is a very narrow road but the views are pretty awesome.  In summer months, you could drive past that platform and heard that it is very scenic.  We were
  
  there in the shoulder season and the road was closed.
• Renting a car and driving around is really fun, there are number of speed traps and the speeding fines are pretty high.  Read about the camera speeding tickets before going.  You will notice them all over the place.
• If you are traveling alone, it may be more expensive driving
  
  around.  But gives you a lot of flexibility.
• Pack a good winter jacket(s) and good hiking boots if you enjoy outdoors. 
• Bergen is very beautiful and everything is in a walk-able distance.  We stayed in the hostels in Norway most of the time and the overall experience was good.
• If you happen to go during the shoulder season to hike up Trolltunga, don’t pay for the guided hike ’till you find out
  
  how the trail is.  Or keep checking the TA forum to see the trail conditions.  We went to the trailhead and a lot of people were hiking by themselves, so we decided to do the same.  As long as the trail is well walked and you can follow the path, there is no need for the guide (as long as the weather is good and you have hiked before with some serious hikes).  The problem is when the hiking trail is not clear because of the heavy snowfall in the previous days, in that case you should go with the guide &
  
  don’t want to get lost.  You will see the mile markers all the way and see a lot of people hiking.
• In my opinion, it is better to go to Norway for hiking during the shoulder season to avoid the crowds.  Especially in Trolltunga, less than 20 people were there when we reached but it took a while to take our pictures there.  There are a bunch of guys taking nude pictures there.  You need good waterproof hiking boots,
  
  jackets, sunscreen and sunglasses to have a safe hike. 
• Take an extra pair of socks when you go to the Trolltunga hike and on the way you’d surely get your feet wet and it’s not fun hiking with wet socks.
• The ferry system and the
  
  road system are all well connected and you have to drive to experience and enjoy how organized Norwegians are.
• Being a vegetarian will be difficult in small towns, so pack something that you could eat to survive if there is no vegetarian food.  In big towns, you can always find, Italian or Chinese food.
• It is cheaper to book the breakfast with your hostel stay instead of paying for it on the day.

My Journey

Renting the car and driving off to Gudvangen is easy and we stopped on the way to have lunch but couldn’t find anyone selling vegetarian food and we finally found a pizza place that was run by

a Sri Lankan family where we could have some food.  Our plan is to take the ferry from Gudvangen and take the train from Flam before heading out to somewhere to stay that night.  We didn’t make any reservations.  The drive from the airport to Gudvangen was so scenic, we stopped in a number of places including Tvindefossen waterfalls before reaching Gudvangen for our ferry.  Because of the ferry and connecting (returning) bus timings, we couldn’t take the ferry, so we decided to have the experience of driving through the world’s longest road tunnel (Aurland tunnel) and staying in Balestrand to visit the St

Olavs Church, and make the return back to Gudvangen via the town Vik.  Before headed out to Aurland tunnel, we drove to Stegastein platform and the views are spectacular.  The length of the tunnel (25km) prompted engineers to include various features like different color lights in the tunnel, areas where you can pull over the car to take a break, etc., to alleviate claustrophobia and tiredness.  We drove through a number of small towns and had to take ferries twice before reaching Balestrand.  There’re beautiful roadside falls so good worth stopping for.

When we reached Balestrand, it was getting dark, so we just walked around the town before going to sleep.  The scenery is very

really breathtaking around the town.  Stayed at the Sjøtun Camping, and it is pretty decent.  You can read the blog https://www.scandinaviaonly.co.uk/blog/balestrand-norway and it talks a lot about Balestrand.  The next morning we drove around the town and having our breakfast in the harbor enjoying the view.  The St. Olaf’s church is really worth the visit if you are in that area.  After spending a few hours in the town, we left to

come back to Gudvangen, and it involves road trip to Dragsvik, ferry to Vangsnes and road trip Gudvangen and driving through a high mountainpass, all of them with amazing views. 

The road from Vangsnes to Gudvangen is one of the scenic roads and we stopped at the Hopperstad Stave church.  This church

was built sometime around year 1130 and the surrounding scenery is also really amazing.  This is a good stop to enjoy the church as well as the scenery in the small town.

The ferry ride is really scenic and well worth the time.  There were a lot of Chinese tourists in the boat and almost all of them were more interested in feeding the seagulls, having pictures taken with them than enjoying the scenery

around them.  There are a lot of nice little towns on the mountains as well as beautiful waterfalls.  Once we reached Flam, we walked around and had lunch there before returning by bus.  Since we took the ferry and driving by ourselves, we decided not to spend time or money on the Flam train because we talked to someone who was driving and also went on the train mentioned that the scenery is almost the same.  Please check where to board the bus to return to Gudvangen, we didn’t do it and were looking for the bust at the minute and we almost missed it.

We wanted to hike Trolltunga, so decided to drive to Odda for the overnight stay so that we could start our hike early in the morning the next day.  It is hard to describe the beauty that you will witness

in Norway and you have to experience it.  We stopped in a number of places on the way and went though a number of tunnels that are more than a couple of miles long.  I booked a room in the Trolltunga Hotel with a shared bathroom.  Since it was a shoulder season, there’re not many people either in the town or in the hotel, and it worked out pretty good for us.  The breakfast at the hotel was good.

Getting to the trailhead was pretty easy and got some guidance from the hotel, and the drive took about 30 minutes.  There were few people parked their cars and started the hike around 8am and, right at the trail parking place there was shop from where the guided tours start.  The guy at the shop was recommending guide but we saw a bunch of people going for the hike and upon checking, the guy at the store indicated that if we are experienced hikers, we should be able to do it by ourselves.  So we started our hike around 8am.   For the first one mile, it was uphill in a tree cover and after that we had to cross a bunch of streams that were pretty shallow.  After 3km, we ended up hiking on the snow all the

way for the next 8km.  Since a lot of people hiked on the trail, there was a clear path and in every mile there’s a signpost to indicate how far we had come, which is nice.  Once it got sunny, walking in the snow was tiring but the scenery was amazing.  We had our lunch at the 7km point and took some rest before continuing the hike.  When we reached the Trolltunga, there were about 15 people and a couple of them were taking naked pictured on the rock.  We waited for about 20 minutes before taking

pictures there and stayed there for more an hour enjoying the views.  Hike back was hard and the streams that were shallow when we crossed in the morning had a lot of water going and we had to find spots to cross without getting our shoes wet, but there’re few streams we had to cross walking on the water.  We got back around 9pm tired and hungry, a Chinese restaurant appeared to be a god sent gift at that time :-)

Initial plan was to drive to Pulpit rock before heading to Bergen but looking at the distance and time to drive, we decided to skip the

Pulpit for this time and decide to head to Bergen stopping on the way in Utne which is a nice small town.  The drive to Bergen is so scenic all the way with so many waterfalls and beautiful scenery.  I thought that driving in Bergen would be a nightmare because I was driving in an European city for the second time after the nightmarish experience in Spain, and it was smooth sailing.  I booked the Youth Hostel right close to the

Fish Market and found a parking lot little further.  So we parked the car in the parking lot and took the bus to get to the hostel, which is pretty easy and simple.  After putting our stuff in the hostel, we ventured out and walked around the fish market and the city.  The city is very walker friendly and there are very nice neighborhoods we walked around.  The fish market area is very lively and good to hang around in the late evenings. 

We took the walking tour of Bergen, went around different areas of

the city.  We didn’t visit any museums or didn’t take any tours but simply enjoy watching the life that passed by.  Bergen is a beautiful city with very colorful buildings and nice cafes.  Everything is almost walk able distance and we didn’t take any transit other than to get to the car parking lot.

Summary

If you enjoy outdoors, the one country that you must visit is Norway.  The natural beauty of this place is mesmerizing and you may ask whether I had been to Switzerland, yes we were there two years back.  But I really enjoy the beauty of Norway and hiking/driving in Norway.  We spent 2 days and one night in Bergen, I think that that should be enough time to spend here..and you should get out of the city to enjoy the nature if you are in Norway.  We’ll surely comeback to explore more.