Chapada dos Veadeiros 9 - Abyss and Window waterfalls

Chapada dos Veadeiros 9

 Abyss Waterfall and the window stone

(Cachoeiras do Abismo e da Janela)

This is the harder track of all I´ve done in the Chapada dos Veadeiros. It starts in a vistapoint over a hill, about 2 km away from the village of São Jorge. Atop this hill people leave their cars to start the trail, and it is common to see people camping there. 

This track demands really good physicall preparation. First, trackers must get down this hill towards an environmentally protected area, though private. There´s a guy charging a small fee for entering the area. The track goes by dense jungle and also cerrado fields, taking about half an hour to arrive atop the Abyss Cascade (Cachoeira do Abismo). 

The name is exactly what it means: an abyss among the rocks, from where trackers must get down to a valley, to later climb up again another mountain. The abyss cascade only exists during the rainy season, as it is part of an intermittent river. 

But stoping there to take a bath and grab some water is precious, specially when you come almost dead in the back journey. Many tourists don´t go on, and stay at the Abyss Cascade waiting their most courageous friends who decided do to go on. Enjoying this view isn´t bad:

The view from the Cachoeira do Abismo - Abyss Waterfall in Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park

If you are among the courageous, know that you didn´t reach half way. Getting down to the valley is easy, though one must be cautions, since the mountain is very sharp. At some places there are stairs and wooden handrail to help. 

Once in the valley, a short walk leads to the rocks and stairs leading atop the next mountain, and this is very hard climb, because this mountain is also very sharp. 

Once atop, the view is superb. It seems all the Chapada is under your feet, and you can see the huge Jump Waterfall quite small many meters under you.

But if you have a good guide, he can take you to the window stone, to see the Salto do Rio Preto Waterfall, which is nothing more, nothing less than the very "Jump of Rio Preto river" Waterfall inside the National Park. 

Enjoy this incredible view while you take a breath to do all the way back!