Ibicoara is a small town at the southern end of the Chapada Diamantina, in the highlands of Bahia, far from the more touristy centre around Lençóis. The town sits at a cool altitude, which makes it good for growing coffee, and the hillsides around are covered with plantations, as well as potatoes and other vegetables. It is known for its waterfalls, in particular the Cachoeira do Buracão, an eighty-five-metre cascade that drops into a great rock amphitheatre, reached by a walk and a swim across a pool, and often described as one of the most beautiful in the region.
The surrounding landscape is the old sandstone plateau, cut by rivers and falling away in cliffs, with a mixture of dry scrub, rocky grassland and patches of forest. Much of it lies within the Chapada Diamantina National Park, which protects a large area of mountains, caves and waterfalls. The air is clean and cool in the mornings, and at night the stars are brilliant. Birdlife is rich, and the call of the toucan can be heard in the trees.
The ride to Ibicoara from the north takes you across a high plain where the road runs straight and the landscape rolls away to far horizons. Surfaces are variable: some stretches are well paved and others have potholes, and the last part to the falls may be on unpaved tracks that are slippery when wet. Check conditions locally before setting off. Traffic is light, but trucks and animals on the road, particularly at dusk, are a hazard, and wide gravel verges can be loose.
Barra da Estiva is the nearest larger town, twenty-four kilometres away, with fuel stations, shops and restaurants, so fill up there. Ibicoara itself has small hotels, family-run restaurants and a few shops. The local food is simple and good: rice and beans with grilled meat and farofa, fresh coffee and cake in the afternoon. The region was important in the diamond rush of the nineteenth century, and the old trails of the garimpeiros, the prospectors, can still be walked. The best season for waterfalls is just after the rains, in the early months of the year, but the dry months from May to September are easier for riding.