Vale do Capão

Vale do Capão

Vale do Capão is a valley and a village in the Chapada Diamantina National Park, in the inland region in the state of Bahia in Brazil. It is very easy to start excursions in the park from this point, with or without a guide.

There is no ATM in Vale do Capão. You can arrange with the markets to withdraw money with them but they charge a lot. Best solution is going to Palmeiras.

Get in

The easiest way to get in (and out of) Vale do Capão is from Palmeiras. There are 4x4s and vans (R$15, Feb 2021) leaving from the rodoviaria at least three times a day (synchronized with the arrival of the bus from Salvador). If you come from Salvador, go with Real Expresso till Palmeiras and then take the 4x4 or van waiting next to the bus.

If the departure times from Salvador or the arrival times in Palmeiras do not fit for you, you can take a bus to Seabra and change the bus there to Palmeiras.

From Brasilia there are buses, too. You can depart in the afternoon and arrive in the late morning in Seabra. It costs around R$170 (Feb 2021). There you may have to walk six minutes to another intercity bus station. Just ask where you arrive. The bus to Palmeiras is R$7 (Feb 2021). The app from Buscaonibus shows all operating bus companies on this route with their departure times. In the app you can also find the arrival time in Palmeiras for the bus coming from Salvador

See

• The Chapada Diamantina National Park is all around. There are a lot of excursions to do. A guide will get you there more easily and you will be able to see more places but some excursions are very easy and can be done walking or hitchhiking (pegar carona).
• Vale do Pati. It is a 25 km hike from the village of Capão which can be shortened by 5 km when taking a Mototaxi till Bomba. The hike to the entrance of the Vale do Pati takes about 6 hours and is possible without a local guide. If you buy one of the Maps of the Parque Nacional you will be able to find the trails going to the Vale do Pati. (updated Feb 2024)
• 1 Cachoeira da Fumaça (From the village of Capao you take the road in direction to Palmeiras and turn right after the Public Bathrooms.). This is an impressive Waterfall of 380 meters. Even without water in the dry season it is worth the 2,5 hours climb.  
• 2 Cachoeira da Purificação (From Bomba, at the end of the road it is a 40 min hike to the waterfall. The Poço Angelica is on the way to the Waterfall and worth a dive.). 2-3 hours walking from the village, best in the morning when the sun gets in. (updated Feb 2024)
• 3 Riachinho (20 minutes from the village hitchhicking towards Palmeiras). 
• 4 Poço Rio Preto (1 hour walking from the village, opposite direction to Palmeiras). 

Do

On apps like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz there are attractions and trails of the area shown.

It is easy to find a guide asking people in the street. You can also go to the Tatu Feliz in the main street, which has a great variety of treckings.

At Wikiloc you will find GPS traces of several trails around the area.

Buy

There are several supermarkets, even along the street going south from the center of the village. At the checkout they don't scan the items. They use a pocket calculator. So in question of the final price let it be calculated slowly for you again. Also let you give a receipt of the contactless payment.

Eat

Budget

• 1 Matagal - Restaurante e Hospedagem, R. Do Juca, 811. Vegetarian (updated Aug 2022)
• 2 Restaurante Comida Caseira Dona Idalice, Praça São Sebastião. (updated Aug 2022)
• 3 Comida Caseira Dona Belli, R. do Folga. (updated Aug 2022)

Mid-range

• 4 Natural Bistrô, R. da Harmonia, 8. (updated Aug 2022)
• 5 Clube Das Artes Restaurante, R. da Vila, 139 - Caeté-Açu. Vegan (updated Aug 2022)
• 6 Pizzaria Capão Grande, Praça São Sebastião. (updated Aug 2022)
• 7 Love Italia Ristorante, R. da Vila, 6. (updated Aug 2022)

Drink

A lot of (natural) fruit juices in the main street.

Try the PML (Pinga Mel Limão), the local cachaça based drink. There are bars selling it in the center place. You can also buy the ingredients separately (buy the cachaça in a bar) and make it at home.

Sleep

The village is full of dormitories, pousadas, camping sites, bungalows.

For dormitories just look on booking.com and sort by price. Some places with a campground may have beds on the same booking.com listing.

• Camping do Seu Dai. The cheapest place to camp in Capão at R$8 per person. Also has rooms. Has a Kiosk selling cheap food. 
• Sempre Viva. campground. At R$10 per personit's a bit more expensive than Seu Dai, but much more organized and clean. Common kitchen for guest use. Dorm for R$50 (March 2021)
• Sitio Grupiara (When coming from Palmeiras, turn left before the market, it is the house with the diamonds seeker at the entrance.), ☏ +55 75 3344-1113, vilmanaraujo@yahoo.com.br. nice and quiet pousada R$20-25 (depending on how long you stay). 
• Tatu Feliz (in the main street). 

Connect

Your cell phone will probably not work there.

There are at least two internet cafes (that have also wifi).

Stay safe

It seems a very quiet place.

Go next

• Lençóis
• Salvador. The van from the Vale do Capao to Palmeiras departs for example at 11am to get the intercity bus to Salavador at 13:40 (March 2021). Ask the place where you stay for current departure times.
• Brasilia with an overnight bus from Seabra, which can be reached by bus from Palmeiras.