Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina’s plateaus above Lencois
Published on 09/19/2026 at 13:13 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina in the state of Bahia in northeastern Brazil is a protected mountain landscape where broad sandstone plateaus give way to deep valleys and caves around the old diamond town of Lencois. Created as a national park in 1985, it safeguards a distinctive stretch of the Serra do Sincora and its mosaics of forest, shrubland and rocky highlands.
Sandstone plateaus and the Serra do Sincora
The core of Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina is a series of flat-topped sandstone plateaus that form part of the Serra do Sincora in central Bahia. The park extends across municipalities including Lençóis, Mucugê, Ibicoara, Andaraí and Palmeiras, with Lencois as one of the closest towns to the protected area.Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina The national park covers a little over 1,520 km² (about 587 sq mi), giving it room for extensive highland plateaus, escarpments and valleys shaped in sandstone layers.covers around 152,142 ha
The plateaus rise above surrounding valleys at elevations that range from several hundred metres to high points approaching 1,700 m (5,577 ft).elevations between 400 and 1,695 m From these heights, the plateau edges drop in cliffs and steep slopes into long valleys carved along the sandstone. The wider Chapada Diamantina region is described as a branching ‘Y’-shaped collection of mountain massifs, and the park occupies a central share of this, connecting the northern part of the Espinhaço range with Bahia’s interior.
A conservation unit created in 1985
Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina was created on 17 September 1985 by the federal decree 91.655 as a national park dedicated to protecting representative ecosystems of the Serra do Sincora.Decree 91.655 of 17 September 1985 As a conservation unit of integral protection, it allows only indirect use of its natural resources, with emphasis on nature preservation alongside opportunities for controlled public access, education and scientific research.integral protection conservation unit
The park forms part of Brazil’s system of federal protected areas and is administered by the Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, usually abbreviated as ICMBio.ICMBio federal administration Its territory lies in central Bahia, within a broader identity territory known as Chapada Diamantina, and includes zoning that separates core conservation areas from buffer zones extending across several thousand additional square kilometres.buffer zones and municipalities
Waterfalls, caves and mixed biomes
Within its area, Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina contains a mix of Brazilian biomes, bringing together Atlantic Forest, cerrado shrublands and caatinga drylands in a single protected mountain region.three Brazilian biomes Streams rise on the plateaus and cut into the valleys in waterfalls and cascades, including high falls such as Cachoeira da Fumaça, and sink at points into caves where underground lakes lie below the sandstone.
The mixture of biomes, altitude and rock types supports a variety of vegetation, from forest patches along watercourses to rocky campos rupestres vegetation on the plateaus. Caves and sinkholes in the sandstone host clear pools, while some valleys carry trails connecting settlements with high viewpoints and waterfall areas. The contrast between bright plateau surfaces, darker valleys and blue pools is one of the park’s most striking visual characteristics.
Visiting Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina lies in central Bahia in northeastern Brazil, with Lencois, Andarai, Ibicoara, Mucuge, Palmeiras and Itaete among the towns that give road access to the protected area.
- The terrain includes high plateaus, steep valley slopes and rocky trails, and approaches to viewpoints and waterfalls often involve walking on uneven ground and sections of ascent or descent.
- Road access to the wider park region includes the BR-242 federal highway along with state roads that connect the interior plateau of Bahia with towns such as Lencois and Palmeiras.
- The official language is Portuguese and the currency is the Brazilian real.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina
Where is Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina located?
Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina is in central Bahia in northeastern Brazil, spreading across municipalities such as Lencois, Mucuge, Ibicoara, Andarai, Itaete and Palmeiras.
What can visitors expect on a visit to the park?
Visitors encounter broad sandstone plateaus, deep valleys, waterfalls and caves, with trails that cross rocky highland terrain and descend towards streams and pools.
What makes Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina distinctive among Brazilian national parks?
The park combines plateaus of the Serra do Sincora with three major Brazilian biomes and a concentration of waterfalls, caves and highland valleys around historic towns such as Lencois.
