Jalapão Adventure!

Hanging on to the pick up

I have wanted to visit Jalapão since I first heard of it in 2006, and I finally had the opportunity recently. Jalapão is a remote but beautiful part of the state of Tocantins, accessible only by 4WD. It is also expensive to get there as part of a tour or hiring a 4WD. We managed to grab a lift with friends who had space in their 4WD.

I had seen many photos and heard much about the region, so had a rough idea of what to expect. But to experience it myself was amazing.

Entrance to the Cachoeira do Formiga waterfall

Cachoeira do Formiga

The journey is part of that experience. We left early on the first morning in a troupe of three 4WDs, packed full of camping gear and food. We soon hit the dirt track that covers most of the road to Jalapão. The road was ours, a real pleasure after the daily trauma and stress of driving in Palmas. The views were stunning, through savannah and forest, through the “serra” (the high plateau that characterises the area). We spotted deer, owls, and a variety of colourful bird species and butterflies.

After driving all day, we arrived after sundown in Mumbuca, a small community well located in the region for access to the main attractions, and the base for our visit.

By 8.30am the next morning we were swimming in the striking Cachoeira do Formiga, a beautiful waterall with crystal clear water, a perfect place to spend the morning swimming in its various swimming holes.

Fervedouro - where man is unsinkable

Following a barbeque lunch at the waterfall we moved on to a Fervedoro. One of several natural swimming holes in the area, in which it is impossible to go underwater. A freaky experience, one moment there is the sensation of sinking in quicksand, the next you’re sprung back up to the surface. Any part of your body more than half a metre under the water seems to be submerged in sand.

Perhaps equally as enchanting as the Fervedor and the Cachoeira do Formiga was the cool weather. Being out of Palmas, spending the day in cool waters, and the occasional shower resulted in splendidly pleasant temperatures.

The famous sand dunes of Jalapão

On our last day we packed up and headed home, stopping off at some small communities and visiting some friends of our friends in their simple adobe huts with traditional wood-burning stoves. The highlight of the day was the dunes – in striking contrast to the lush green savannah around, seemingly out of nowhere, appears a vast sand dune. The cool temperatures from the previous day had disappeared, and we climbed the dune in the afternoon heat. The top afforded spectacular views of the area, the rich greens plateau and the arid sandy hills. At the bottom of the main dune was a steadily flowing river – I lay on my side and rolled all the way down until falling into the river to cool down.

All that was left was a long and bumpy journey home, arriving in Palmas at night. We were exhausted but thoroughly enthralled by the adventure.