Continuing my journey in the Caparaó National Park, today I bring you the second part. If you haven't read the previous post with the first part, I recommend that you do this.
After visiting Vale Verde, we headed to the park's next attraction and one of the most talked about: Vale Encantado. This is a complex with several waterfalls, which is on the side of the park that belongs to the state of Espírito Santo. The river is right on top of one of the mountains and you could say that it is at cloud level. That's because the waterfall is at an altitude of 1,970 meters.
On the way there, which can be done by car up to a certain point, we came across a vertiginous viewpoint and had to stop to take photos.
Perhaps the photos don't do justice to the sensation of vertigo, but I swear it was very strong when you looked down directly from the viewpoint.
After a few pics, it was time to drive to the Tronqueira campsite. There, as well as a place for camping and toilets and a certain structure for campers, it is possible to leave the cars to continue walking to the next (and highest) attractions in the park.
There are two trails from Tronqueira: one takes visitors to Pico da Bandeira, the third highest peak in Brazil. I wasn't able to do this hike, as it requires a certain amount of preparation. As well as many hours of walking, you also have to sleep in one of the campsites up the mountain so that you can see the sun rise the next morning. Hopefully I'll be able to go back and do it one day.
Vale Encantado
The other trail takes travelers to the Vale Encantado, which is one of the park's main postcards. The photos of the crystal-clear water pools were what caught my attention at this destination and made me want to visit the park. However, I wasn't so lucky with the weather, because up there, due to the altitude and humidity typical of summer, it's common for the weather to be quite cloudy. And that's what happened.
Even so, the view is extremely impressive, as the trail goes around the river in such a way that you can see the amazing scenery from above. After spending some time there, the sun was generous with me and showed itself for a few minutes. Just long enough for me to get up the courage to dive into the icy waters, which also took on a beautiful color in the sunlight.
This was certainly a place I will never forget and I hope I can return.
See ya in part 3!
🌳