Lençóis, an Amazing Place

An Amazing place called Lençóis.

In spite of wanting to demystify Brazil as the stereotype of a country with only natural richness (because we have several places and cities that testify our economical evolution and the typical occidental way of life that we have), I decided to talk about a natural place, one that Brazilians have tried to keep untouched like a paradise.

In the heart Diamantina’s National Park plateau, the city of Lençóis is one of the ten most appreciated places to visit in Brazil (mentioned by the people there, at least). But, certainly, Lençóis and the other areas around the park represent one of Brazil’s pure nature beauties.

Set in the interior of the state of Bahia, known by the kindness of its people, Lençóis isn’t different; its people are nice and receptive. It is possible to get there by car or by plane (from Salvador, the capital of the state ofBahia, airport to Lençóis airport). The entrance is done through a narrow twelve kilometers road surrounded by local vegetation that in some parts creates a green wall in both sides. After that, the road reaches a sinuous downhill surrounded by rock walls in way that you aren’t able to see the point you will get to in the end, bringing somewhat of mystery to this part of the road. Finally, the road passes by the bridge over one of the rivers of Lençóis and ends in the city.

Born with the diamond economic cycle in Brazil, Lençóis boast predominant colonial architecture and other eighteenth century buildings. The diamonds made Lençóis the first city in the world to explore them in a commercial scale.Its name came from the camping white tents of the people who traveled there to become rich through the diamond exploration process. People said that the great quantity of tents provided the vision of several textile sheets. The word “sheet”, in this context, translated to Portuguese leads to the word “Lençóis”. The city history filled with glory and conquest in the diamond era and the subsequent decades constitute an extra attraction.

Nowadays, the atmosphere of the place leads us to a time travel of two hundred years ago. Perhaps for this reason that the city and the surrounding region have remained without great economical evolution since the end of diamond exploration.

The nature seemed to have given a gift to that people who leave in that portion of Brazil with the beauties emerging from the earth or sometimes ripping it; forming the rivers and waterfalls.The main points of this pure nature to visit are not in the city, but in the places near the town. There are mountains, hills, waterfalls, caves, wells and so on.

There is a place called Blue Well set in the interior of one cave where its beauty makes some of the people to get in trance when visiting it; especially in April when the sunlight gets into it creating a visual effect that is not possible to describe in words.

There is another place called Smoke Falls that is the second fall in the world in height with its three hundred and eighty meters. Its name comes from that in a certain period of the year the water volume decreases making the column of water not to touch the floor, instead, due to its height, it becomes a water steam like if it was a column of smoke.

There are also local legends like one that takes place in the “Father Inacio” hill in which Inacio, a local slave leader, disappeared after jumping the hill using only an umbrella to slow down the fall when he was being chased by his opponents.There is another hill called Camel Hill because its design remembers a camel. It is like if it is the guardian of all that place.

Because Lençóis is eight hundred meters above the sea level the weather there is nice and chilly. There are several types of plants, some of them just found there. The water of its rivers with high concentration of muck acid (resulted by decomposition of organic material) gives to it a dark red (almost brown) color. In spite of that, the water is drinkable and constitute another point of the uniqueness of that place.

The charm of this place made the rock star Jimmy Page, one of Led Zeppelin’s band members, set his home there.

With impressive natural beauties, Lençóis is also known for the practicing of extreme sports, like trekking; climbing; cannyoning; cave exploration , among others. There are specialized tourism agencies that guide tours to the places where this kind of sports can be done. For example, there is a six day trekking from Lençóis to the Smoke Fall. At night, the tourists sleep in tents.

The food there goes from traditional (with meat like roast beef) to vegetarian. It’s also possible to find pizza baked on the stone and ,of course, regional food like “Chicken in Cabidela’s Sauce” and goats prepared in several ways.

People at Lençóis have survived from the tourism, which made them offer professional touristic services there.

I hope that if you decide to visit it, you have the same pleasure that I had. Have a good time there.