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Diamantina Plateau:
The debut of the Land Rover Defender 110
The dream that became reality...
We've always dreamed. And our dream was to travel the world on a sailboat. One day, while talking about this dream, we had an insight. As true miners, we've never been familiar with the sea. We would need to have a sailboat, learn how to sail and know a lot more about the sea and navigation. So, we realized that our dream would be far from becoming a reality. On the other hand, the Land Rover Defender has always been a dream come true and Helinho has always enjoyed driving it.
The year was 1995. Brazil had legalized the import of cars. But where could we find one and how much would it cost? We lived in São Paulo and began our search. After some time, we saw an ad for a Defender. We went to see the car and decided, right away, to keep it. It had 5,000 kilometers on the clock. The owner of the car was getting married and his fiancée told him to choose between the car or her. We kept the car. And he kept her.
We took all our savings and invested in the purchase. It was the most expensive car we had ever bought. We tried to install an alarm, but no one knew how to do it. The answer was always the same: “Why? No one knows what car it is. No one is going to steal this car.” But, just in case, we had to protect it. It was our asset and our dream that was starting to come true. Finally, we managed to get a company to develop a lock for the car. We felt more at ease.
We needed to understand a little more about that car. And there were two people who knew its performance well. The first was an Englishman, Bob, who taught us everything about the car and its limits. The second was a mechanic, Domenico, our friend to this day, who had taken a trip to the Amazon to test a Defender from the English factory itself. And that was how our network of Land Rover contacts began. Over time, other people and other Defender owners joined us, including an Englishman who was traveling around the world in a Series 1 Defender.
From then on, our desire to travel the world by car began to come true. We didn't have the money to invest in the car, but we were very happy because it was the beginning of a dream come true.
The first Off Road expedition...
Only two years after buying the car, we were able to take our first trip, or was it our first expedition? Either way, it was an “off-road” trip to Chapada Diamantina. We surveyed the local roads. We wanted to discover new paths, go through places that are not well-trodden and use the paths that run through farms and nature.
We left São Paulo heading to São José do Rio Preto, Uberaba and Belo Horizonte. From Belo Horizonte we went to Montes Claros, Guanambi, in Bahia. We arrived in Brumado. We stayed at a small inn where we could see a beautiful stream from the balcony of our room. However, mosquitoes infested the room. It became impossible to open the door and the window.
Hungry and tired, we went looking for a restaurant nearby. Since we couldn't find anything, we went back to the inn and tried to eat something at the bar there. But it wasn't possible. There were so many mosquitoes that we left it there. Dinner was a packet of biscuits and a soda.
The next morning, we went to find out how to get to Andaraí. We learned that the city was inhabited by the Cariris Indians and that, later, the search for diamonds and gold made the place a favorite among prospectors. We also stopped in Capão da Volta and Rio de Contas.
Rio de Contas has many stories. It is located on a plateau, between chasms over a thousand meters high. It is said that this was the first planned city in Brazil (1745) during the golden age of gold. Its colonial architecture was preserved, the streets were wide and the squares were spacious. In addition to being a historic city, it had many outdoor activities – waterfalls, rivers, valleys, and rich and exuberant flora. The peaks of Almas, Barbado and Itobira were said to be the highest in the entire Northeast of the country.
Back then, we didn't have access to GPS, but we had good maps. Even so, we would get lost among so many trails and little roads. The only way was to hope to find someone in the middle of nowhere and ask. With luck, someone would point us in the right direction. Many of the landmarks were difficult for us. One example was when they told us to go straight ahead until we reached a bean plantation. The problem was that we didn't know the bean plantation.
Another time, we came across a gate that led to the entrance of a small house. We stood there, analyzing the situation. A person appeared and told us to go through. The path was right there. Sometimes, they showed us paths that they took on foot, but that it was impossible to get through by car. So, we got lost and found ourselves, along little roads that cut through sugarcane fields, rivers, and plantations until we reached Mucugê.
This city is known for its Byzantine cemetery, which began with a cholera epidemic in the region. Due to a decree in 1855 that the dead could no longer be buried in churches, as was common at the time, they chose a space and built the cemetery, which has become a local tourist attraction.
From Mucugê, we continued to Poço Encantado, a lake inside a cave where, depending on the sunlight, the water turns blue. This was a beautiful sight to see! But it was just one of the many attractions in Chapada Diamantina.
Refrigerator water and the Smoke Waterfall…
Finally, we arrived at Lençóis. The city was founded in 1845. It was the result of the mineral wealth in the region. Lençóis still preserved its colonial-style architectural features. The Senhora dos Passos Church, built in stone, with carved walls and portals, still preserved its baroque images. In addition, the small city had all kinds of accommodation, from five-star hotels to camping. Of course, the region, today, has much more infrastructure than it did back then.
We decided to go out and explore as much as possible, on our own. Pai Inácio Hill, Lapa Doce Cave, Pratinha Farm, Devil's Well, Mosquito Waterfall, Sossego Waterfall, Ribeirão do Meio, Muritiba Municipal Park, Fumaça Waterfall, Buracão Waterfall and much more.
In fact, we started at Morro do Pai Inácio. We heard a legend that says that during the mining era, the slave Pai Inácio was seduced by the wife of one of the colonels of the mining area. He had an affair with the beautiful Portuguese woman. The colonel found out about the affair and, accompanied by his henchmen, set out in search of revenge. Pai Inácio fled and hid on top of a large plateau, a hill that was difficult to access. He remained hidden for over a month, until he was discovered by the colonel and his fierce guard dogs. Frightened, Pai Inácio jumped off the hill with an umbrella in his hands, a memento of his beloved. Many say that he died. Others say that the slave hid in a small cave. After learning about the legend, the visit to Morro do Pai Inácio became even more interesting.
We also went to see Cachoeira da Fumaça. When we started climbing to the waterfall, we saw a boy of about twelve years old in a little house right on the road. He asked if we were going to the waterfall. We said yes and if he wanted to go with us. He spoke to his father and called his cousin of the same age, who had never been there. Very talkative, the boy explained every detail of the trail to us. He said that at the end of the climb, we would drink “refrigerator water”. We could already imagine vendors with coolers full of ice, selling mineral water at exorbitant prices. But at the end of the climb there was a crevice in a large rock. The boy went down a few meters and got water from a spring. The water was really cold. We quenched our thirst and continued on.
The first part of the trail was quite steep, but the panoramic view of the place gradually made up for the tiredness. After an hour of climbing, we reached the plains, flat fields that are home to a rich flora of bromeliads, orchids and cacti. From there, the trail became flat and there were some flooded areas. The region was rich in carnivorous plants and riparian forests. We didn't see any, but they say they are full of seriemas, partridges, hawks and even jaguars.
Finally, we arrive at Cachoeira da Fumaça. With a 380-meter free fall, it is a spectacle. During the dry season, from May to September, the waterfall has little water and the wind carries the droplets back, forming the famous "smoke". The canyon, where the river flows, is surrounded by dense Atlantic forest. After a large curve, it descends from the top of the mountain to the São José and Paraguaçu rivers. It is said that the droplets of water from Cachoeira da Fumaça will end their journey in Bahia de Todos os Santos.
Walking back, the boy explained to his cousin the importance of not leaving trash on the trails. As he spoke, he picked up all the trash he found along the way – plastic bottles, bottle caps and tiny pieces of paper. We were surprised by the boy’s awareness. He said that at his school they taught the importance of environmental preservation and how to recycle trash. And the most important thing was to see that all that learning was being passed on. We hope that the school has encouraged other children, especially with the uncontrolled increase in tourism in the region.
Finally, after a few days exploring the region, we continued our journey. During this stage, we found wooden bridges that had been knocked down by the force of the rivers, which forced us to risk crossing the rivers. When this was not possible, we looked for a detour. We had to use four-wheel drive, low-range, a winch, shovels... The car was tested and approved... Satisfied, we left the backlands and went to enjoy some time at the beach.
Let's go to La Playa...
From Chapada Diamantina we went to Maceió, still looking for alternative routes. The potholes and dust punished the car.
Once in Maceió, we met a group of people from the city's "Jeep Club". We joined them to go to the mouth of the river along the beach. Suddenly, the tide began to rise rapidly. We found ourselves on soft sand and the car got stuck badly. The concern was the water that was coming very close. It took us more than an hour to get the car out of the sand. Even a large coconut tree was uprooted: Luckily, on a small path that went up a cliff and crossed a farm, we were able to save the car. We reached a road.
The problem was that, in addition to the soft sand on the beach, the tires were not suitable for that situation. And the weight of the car made it very difficult to get it out of there. Unlike the Jeeps, which were much lighter and had tires suitable for that type of terrain. Because of that, we became the laughing stock of the “jeep drivers”.
After all that trouble, we all went to a waterfall. Before we got there, there was a very steep climb with lots of loose rocks. One of the jeep drivers advised us to take another route. But, this was “our terrain”. The car showed all its strength and elegance. Meanwhile, the “jeep drivers” who dared to climb were throwing rocks everywhere... And we even had to tow them. We left there with a clean soul!
After the ordeal of almost losing the car on the beach, we continued our journey through Praia do Francês, Barra de São Miguel, Ponta Verde and many other beaches... We crossed the São Francisco River, on the border between Sergipe and Bahia, and followed the Rodovia do Sol.
At Costa Azul beach, we headed towards Mangue Seco. It was almost 80 km, on a beach, this time, of hard sand. We enjoyed the tranquility of the place and then went to Praia do Forte, Subaíma, Itacimirim.
We also continued on to Itacaré and Ilhéus. The road was under construction and very muddy. It took us a long time on this journey, not because of our car, but because we rescued and towed several cars that were stuck.
Finally, our last stops were Porto Seguro and Caraíva, on very poor roads. Caraíva was not yet famous and a newly built inn before crossing the river caught our attention. It was so cool and new that we decided to stay there. Since there was nothing on this side of the river, we decided to cross it to have dinner. There was no ferry to cross yet, but there was Antônio's canoe. We asked to cross and he said that to return we would just have to shout his name and he would come and get us. We were calm. We had dinner, walked around and when it was time to go back we almost lost our voices from shouting at Antônio so much. We didn't know what to do anymore. That's when we saw some movement, a rush and we approached. A boy had been burned and a canoe was going to take him across to the hospital for help. That's when we got a ride back. When we got to the other side of the river we saw Antônio gored. He was passed out drunk inside the canoe.
It was time to go home. It was exactly how we wanted it. And with the dust from the road still on our car and bodies, we were already missing it. We had gained some experience. So, it was time to prepare for the next expedition.
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