DAY 9 (1 OF 2) – TRAIL OF WATERFALLS, CHAPADA DOS GUIMARAES, BRAZIL

Before our 4-day tour to Pantanal, we had a day to visit the Chapada dos G National Park. Located an hour drive north of Cuiaba, the bus ride took us about an hour to the town centre of Chapada. We met our guide Cecilia at the office of Eco Turismo Cultural, the local travel agency that we booked our tour. We entered the park after a short drive on her 4×4. We started the day with the Trail of Waterfalls, a 4-hour loop passing 7 falls and a natural cave. As we hiked, Cecilia picked up some fossils of small seashells on the path and explained to us that Chapada dos Guimaraes was once an inland ocean isolated from both the Atlantic and Pacific. The cliffs and valley that we could see now was covered by shallow water. She also told us that Chapada is located at the geographic centre of South America. It’s about the same distance here to both the Atlantic and Pacific. Rivers north of Chapada flow north and enter the Amazon; and the ones south of Chapada go south towards the Iguazu River. The hike was pleasant at times, but we were both overwhelmed by the heat as we hiked up and down the trail to the various waterfalls. We took off our hiking boots and rested our feet in the water at one of the falls. The water was cool and clear. Near the end of the hike, we chilled out at Casa de Petra (House of Stone), a natural grotto carved out by a river. Casa de Petra has been a rest stop for travelers since ancient times.

Casa de Petra