Continuing my adventure through Serra da Canastra, this is the second chapter of this trip, and I am now departing from the top of the mountain, inside the Serra da Canastra National Park, where it is possible to visit the source of the São Francisco River, one of the most important rivers in Brazil, which originates here in the Serra, in Minas Gerais, and flows through several states in the Northeast. This river is extremely wide and voluminous, and it can even be seen from an aircraft, for example.
The signs have some information written in Portuguese, stating that the rocks surrounding the source are rocky ridges, and the river is popularly known as Velho Chico. Its more than 2,800 km course spans around 500 municipalities across five Brazilian states, namely Minas Gerais, Bahia, Pernambuco, and it marks the border between Sergipe and Alagoas, where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. This river is so special to Brazil that it was truly amazing and incredible to see where its first waters emerge.
Leaving this place, we continued along the road and kept seeing stunning landscapes, very characteristic of Canastra, until we reached one of the most incredible tourist attractions in the park, the Casca D’anta Waterfall, more precisely its upper part, where it begins to descend the mountains. There are only a few areas suitable for swimming because the pools are very deep, but it is an unmissable experience, and the view is surreal.
It is also possible to access the lower part of the waterfall, but unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time for that trip since it was quite far from where I was, and there wasn’t enough time to go.
At the waterfall, you can climb a small hill over the rocks and reach a viewpoint overlooking a breathtaking valley, absolutely stunning, as the photos below can show.We started the day early, and this time we decided to explore the Rolador Waterfall, which was a little past the park's entrance gate. The place was nearly empty, with no other people around, so we got to spend several hours there enjoying the space all to ourselves, like a private waterfall. It is a completely different setting from Casca D’anta, a more intimate waterfall, so to speak, with fewer cascades but a beautiful, transparent, and very cold pool.
After spending a few hours at the viewpoint and the waterfall, it was time to head back, not home, but to our trailer, cook, and rest because the next day we had even more adventure ahead.
We started the day early, and this time we decided to explore the Rolador Waterfall, which was a little past the park's entrance gate. The place was nearly empty, with no other people around, so we got to spend several hours there enjoying the space all to ourselves, like a private waterfall. It is a completely different setting from Casca D’anta, a more intimate waterfall, so to speak, with fewer cascades but a beautiful, transparent, and very cold pool.
I think this post has already gotten too long, so I’ll split it into a third part. See you in the third and final chapter of this trip.
See ya!
[//]:# ([//]:# (!worldmappin -20.21558 lat -46.41464 long d3scr))