Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil
Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil
July 29, 2012
In the vast kaleidoscope of attractions guarded in Chapada Diamantina, Pratinha is one of the most appealing to cavers - veterans or rookies - and just about anyone seeking a taste of ecotourism and adventure in this part of Bahia. Pratinha is part of the Marimbus/Iraquara Environmental Protection Area.
Privately owned Pratinha Farm (Fazenda Pratinha), a park located in Iraquara in northwestern Chapada, is home to the Pratinha Cave, where you can go for some easygoing snorkeling in the limpid waters of the Pratinha River; the Blue Cave (Gruta Azul), open to awed contemplation only; and the lake outside the Pratinha Cave, great for swimming and zip lining.
Visitors can also go hiking on easy trails or schedule other activities, such as horseback rides or a kayak trip down the Pratinha River to Lapa do Caboclo, an archaeological site with rock art. Another interesting spot that can be reached on foot or on horseback is the meeting of the Pratinha and the Santo Antônio Rivers, with clear blue and dark waters respectively, which flow side by side in a phenomenon similar to that of the meeting of the Solimões and Negro Rivers in the Amazon.
Activities can only be pursued with Fazenda Pratinha guides, who are all experienced and trained locals. The basic farm/park infrastructure includes a restaurant, restrooms, and gear such as snorkeling masks, fins, life vests and underwater flashlights.
Iraquara, an 18th-century town with about 22,000 inhabitants and a total area of about 397 square miles, has the greatest concentration of caves in Brazil. At least 100 caves have been registered in the area, and there are more still to be mapped.
However, only a few are open to tourism; Pratinha, Lapa Doce, Torrinha, and Fumaça are among the most famous natural attractions in Chapada Diamantina.
These caves, part of a karst system, are made of sedimentary rock over 1 billion years old. Megafauna fossils - saber-tooth tiger and Scelidodon cuvieri, a type of giang sloth, have been found in the region's caves.
Pratinha Cave gets its name from the silver (prata) hue given off by the bottom of the Pratinha River, lined with tiny shells and rich in limestone and magnesium.
The snorkeling is good for beginners: after putting on the gear (the guides patiently help first-timers) and getting your waterproof flashlight, sit down on the rocks and slowly ease your way into the water, being extra careful not to disturb the bottom of the cave with the fins.
Then, gently float after the guide's rubber boat towards the back of the cave and get ready for some great underwater views.
From the wide and towering cave opening, which allows for plentiful incidence of natural light on the water, you gradually float towards an area about 165 feet from the entrance where the roof lowers and natural light can't reach.
It's about 660 feet from the entrance to the point where the guide and the group turn around. The guide will point out the place where there's a 1,083-foot-long underwater passage betweeen Pratinha and the Blue Cave. There is a project for cave diving at Pratinha, but currently it's only done by specialists.
As you float back to the entrance of the cave, look towards the left and enjoy a beautiful view far into the bluish water, as well as the fish around you - among the species living in these waters are carimata, wolf fish and lambari.
The park is the only spot where the 93-kilometer-long Pratinha River, which rises in the the São Francisco River region and is one of the longest underground water courses in Brazil, reaches the surface, and it's also where it ends as it flows into the Santo Antônio River creating the meeting of waters.
There's an ideal time to visit the Blue Cave at the Pratinha Farm, usually in the early afternoon, when solar refraction throws a shaft of light into the clear waters. At its deepest, the lake inside the cave is 70 meters, or nearly 230 feet deep.
The entrance to the cave is at the bottom of a sinkhole and of stairs carved into the ground.
The best time to visit the cave varies slightly depending on the season, so check the current best with local guides before you go.
The pond formed by the Pratinha River outside the cave has a 230-foot long zipline, all with imported materials, which drops into the water from a height of 40 feet.
For a more sedate time, just ease yourself into the clear waters of the pond, surrounded by vegetation. There are also pedal boats.
Best Time to Visit Pratinha - Between April and September, the incidence of light in the Blue Cave is best.
Also, after the rainy season at the end of the summer, the water in the pond and the cave could be muddy and the park, temporarily closed for that reason. Avoid extended holidays, when there are likely to be lines.
How to Get There - You can fly from Salvador to Lençóis with Trip. Lençóis-based tour operators such as Volta ao Parque or Zentur include Pratinha in their tours. Iraquara is 76 kilometers (about 47 miles) from Lençóis and Pratinha is about 9 kilometers from central Iraquara.
Pratinha by Car - Independent travelers used to driving in Brazil would drive north from Lençóis to BR-242, drive west on BR-242 to the BR-122 exit and follow the signs to Pratinha (about 4 miles on a dirt road).
Visitor Limits and Prices - There are daily limits for the number of visitors allowed into Pratinha (90 total a day, 12 people at a time for the floating etc). Prices per person: Admission R$15, floating R$20/person, zip line R$10 (prices subject to change).
July 29, 2012
In the vast kaleidoscope of attractions guarded in Chapada Diamantina, Pratinha is one of the most appealing to cavers - veterans or rookies - and just about anyone seeking a taste of ecotourism and adventure in this part of Bahia. Pratinha is part of the Marimbus/Iraquara Environmental Protection Area.
Privately owned Pratinha Farm (Fazenda Pratinha), a park located in Iraquara in northwestern Chapada, is home to the Pratinha Cave, where you can go for some easygoing snorkeling in the limpid waters of the Pratinha River; the Blue Cave (Gruta Azul), open to awed contemplation only; and the lake outside the Pratinha Cave, great for swimming and zip lining.
Visitors can also go hiking on easy trails or schedule other activities, such as horseback rides or a kayak trip down the Pratinha River to Lapa do Caboclo, an archaeological site with rock art. Another interesting spot that can be reached on foot or on horseback is the meeting of the Pratinha and the Santo Antônio Rivers, with clear blue and dark waters respectively, which flow side by side in a phenomenon similar to that of the meeting of the Solimões and Negro Rivers in the Amazon.
Activities can only be pursued with Fazenda Pratinha guides, who are all experienced and trained locals. The basic farm/park infrastructure includes a restaurant, restrooms, and gear such as snorkeling masks, fins, life vests and underwater flashlights.
Iraquara Caves:
Iraquara, an 18th-century town with about 22,000 inhabitants and a total area of about 397 square miles, has the greatest concentration of caves in Brazil. At least 100 caves have been registered in the area, and there are more still to be mapped.
However, only a few are open to tourism; Pratinha, Lapa Doce, Torrinha, and Fumaça are among the most famous natural attractions in Chapada Diamantina.
These caves, part of a karst system, are made of sedimentary rock over 1 billion years old. Megafauna fossils - saber-tooth tiger and Scelidodon cuvieri, a type of giang sloth, have been found in the region's caves.
Pratinha Cave gets its name from the silver (prata) hue given off by the bottom of the Pratinha River, lined with tiny shells and rich in limestone and magnesium.
The snorkeling is good for beginners: after putting on the gear (the guides patiently help first-timers) and getting your waterproof flashlight, sit down on the rocks and slowly ease your way into the water, being extra careful not to disturb the bottom of the cave with the fins.
Then, gently float after the guide's rubber boat towards the back of the cave and get ready for some great underwater views.
From the wide and towering cave opening, which allows for plentiful incidence of natural light on the water, you gradually float towards an area about 165 feet from the entrance where the roof lowers and natural light can't reach.
It's about 660 feet from the entrance to the point where the guide and the group turn around. The guide will point out the place where there's a 1,083-foot-long underwater passage betweeen Pratinha and the Blue Cave. There is a project for cave diving at Pratinha, but currently it's only done by specialists.
As you float back to the entrance of the cave, look towards the left and enjoy a beautiful view far into the bluish water, as well as the fish around you - among the species living in these waters are carimata, wolf fish and lambari.
The park is the only spot where the 93-kilometer-long Pratinha River, which rises in the the São Francisco River region and is one of the longest underground water courses in Brazil, reaches the surface, and it's also where it ends as it flows into the Santo Antônio River creating the meeting of waters.
Blue Cave (Gruta Azul):
There's an ideal time to visit the Blue Cave at the Pratinha Farm, usually in the early afternoon, when solar refraction throws a shaft of light into the clear waters. At its deepest, the lake inside the cave is 70 meters, or nearly 230 feet deep.
The entrance to the cave is at the bottom of a sinkhole and of stairs carved into the ground.
The best time to visit the cave varies slightly depending on the season, so check the current best with local guides before you go.
The pond formed by the Pratinha River outside the cave has a 230-foot long zipline, all with imported materials, which drops into the water from a height of 40 feet.
For a more sedate time, just ease yourself into the clear waters of the pond, surrounded by vegetation. There are also pedal boats.
Tips for Visitors:
Best Time to Visit Pratinha - Between April and September, the incidence of light in the Blue Cave is best.
Also, after the rainy season at the end of the summer, the water in the pond and the cave could be muddy and the park, temporarily closed for that reason. Avoid extended holidays, when there are likely to be lines.
How to Get There - You can fly from Salvador to Lençóis with Trip. Lençóis-based tour operators such as Volta ao Parque or Zentur include Pratinha in their tours. Iraquara is 76 kilometers (about 47 miles) from Lençóis and Pratinha is about 9 kilometers from central Iraquara.
Pratinha by Car - Independent travelers used to driving in Brazil would drive north from Lençóis to BR-242, drive west on BR-242 to the BR-122 exit and follow the signs to Pratinha (about 4 miles on a dirt road).
Visitor Limits and Prices - There are daily limits for the number of visitors allowed into Pratinha (90 total a day, 12 people at a time for the floating etc). Prices per person: Admission R$15, floating R$20/person, zip line R$10 (prices subject to change).
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