Rock steps
A stepped fall.
Rosino — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Adelano Lázaro — Public domain · Tiego 1 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alessandrocbs — CC BY-SA 3.0
Cachoeira do Sossego, «Waterfall of Calm», lies in Chapada Diamantina National Park near Lençóis, on the Ribeirão riverbed about five kilometres above Ribeirão do Meio. The water falls 15 to 20 metres down successive steps of sandstone and conglomerate into a dark pool the colour of cola. Reaching it is a full day out: about 12 to 14 km there and back from Lençóis, some two and a half hours each way, on old miners' trails and then boulder-hopping along the riverbed, with swimming stops, so it needs good fitness. The trail is free and a guide is not compulsory but strongly advised, as markings are scarce. Go only when the river is low and no rain is forecast, and save it for the last days of a stay in Lençóis, once you are used to the walking.
A stepped fall.
Cola-coloured water.
Boulder-hopping.
Chapada Diamantina National Park, above Ribeirão do Meio, Lençóis, Bahia
Not compulsory but strongly advised as markings are scarce; it is a full day from Lençóis, only when the river is low.