Chapada Diamantina on foot

Lençóis, the gateway

I reached Lençóis after a six-hour bus ride from Salvador. The town looks like a nativity scene of colourful mansions from the diamond-rush days, with the Lençóis River running over reddish rocks right through the historic centre.

On the first evening I climbed Morro do Pai Inácio. From the top, the cliffs of the Chapada fade into the horizon and the sunset paints everything orange. That's when I understood why so many people keep coming back.

Crossing the Pati Valley

The high point — literally — was a three-day trek through the Pati Valley with a local guide. We slept at Mr. Wilson's house, where he serves black-eyed peas, pumpkin from the backyard and freshly brewed coffee. No phone signal, no hurry, just the sound of the river.

Water that looks like tea

The water in the Chapada is the colour of guaraná soda because of the tannins from the plants. At Poço Azul, on the other hand, the water is so clear that divers seem to float in mid-air — at 1 p.m. a beam of sunlight slips through a crack in the cave and lights everything up in blue.

I finished the trip at Fumaça Falls, where the water drops 340 metres and the wind blows it back up before it reaches the ground. Lying on my stomach at the edge of the cliff, heart in my mouth, I promised I would come back.