Chapada dos Veadeiros - Almécegas and Vale da Lua

See how to get to Fazenda São Bento, enjoy the Almécegas waterfalls, where to have lunch and even visit Vale da Lua on the same day!

If the first day at Chapada dos Veadeiros was busy, the second has everything to be much more relaxed. After all, you don't have to make long trips, you don't have a long trail to get to any of the waterfalls and the ride is very pleasant.

For your second day at Chapada dos Veadeiros I strongly recommend that you visit the Almécegas 1 and Almécegas 2 waterfalls, the São Bento waterfall and the Vale da Lua. it's just for those who like to wake up early to enjoy and get to know as many places as possible. To start, get your car and go to Fazenda São Bento.

How to get to Fazenda São Bento

Leaving your inn, hotel or rented house (in Alto Paraíso de Goiás), just take the road to São Jorge (GO 239) for 8 km and you will see the entrance to Fazenda and Pousada São Bento on your left. If you're in São Jorge, it's about 28 km there.

Entering Fazenda São Bento, you have a few options. If you want, the São Bento waterfall is just 300m away, or you can continue driving for about 3 km until you reach Almécegas. I recommend that you do this

Almécegas Waterfalls 1 and 2

First stop: Almécegas Waterfall 2

I recommend coming first on this one, because walking is easier and faster. Then you can go to Almécegas 1 and stay as long as you want. The waterfall goes down and if you want you need to go through the middle of the waterfall to go to the natural pool below. Nothing too worrying or difficult.

The cool thing about Almécegas 2 is to take advantage of the depth of the natural pool and practice “diving”. Jokes aside, for those who like to play from high places, here you should have 3 or 4 points of different heights to choose from.

Second stop: Almécegas Waterfall 1

After enjoying as much as you want in Almécegas 2, you can take your car again and leave for Almécegas 1 waterfall. Here the trail you will take is a little bigger, but nothing big. It is worth taking some pictures before arriving at the waterfall. There is a point that almost everyone stops and I think you will feel like it too.

If you have a waterfall that has a super positive energy, this is it. Hot to stay and good to enjoy the shower of the natural fall of the water (which must be about 50 meters high in total).

São Bento Waterfall

To close your tour at Fazenda São Bento, you can go to the waterfall with the same name. This is the least impressive of the 3, but it still has a beautiful natural pool and good spaces to relax.

Lunch Stop

After walking for a while and going through the 3 waterfalls it is very likely that you were hungry. At this time, you may be tempted to go to the restaurant at Fazenda São Bento. It turns out that his price is quite steep. To give you an idea, just for the food you will die at R $ 50 per person.

In my opinion it's not worth it at all. So I will suggest 2 options:

1 - Rancho do Waldomiro - where you can enjoy the typical Cerrado dish, matula, which is a type of feijoada made with white or mulatto beans, sun-dried meat, pork and cassava kids. As I have never eaten, I cannot say whether it is good or bad, I have heard opinions saying good and bad. When in doubt, it is worth visiting. It is at km 19 of the Road to São Jorge

2 - If you are not good at trying different foods, you can do the simple thing, go to São Jorge and have lunch at some restaurant there. As the village is very close to Valley of the Moon, it ends up being a bit of a way.

Valley of the Moon

In either option you will be close enough to our next waterfall. Now that you have eaten and are ready to continue our second day, you can go to Vale da Lua, a place known for different rock formations.

If you haven't eaten, at the entrance to the farm you have a snack bar with some delicious pastries.

Rock Formations

There is not much to talk about Vale da Lua, except that if you have traveled during the rainy season, the water will probably be a little more turbid and there is a risk of water bumps. If you go during the dry season, you will probably be able to enjoy a little more of the natural pools (when I went 3 of the 4 pools were closed for bathing).

Depending on the time you leave here, it will be getting dark and it is time to go back to your accommodation to take a shower and rest for the third day of travel.

Rafa's tricks

If you are one of mine, enjoy visiting as many places as you can. In this case, that second day has room for another very early waterfall. The one you don't need to stay long, but stop by to see and see if you really like it or not.

Here it is important to have a waterfall close to where you are and accessible. That is why I recommend Loquinhas, which fulfills all these requirements. It is very close to Alto Paraíso de Goiás, access is extremely easy and it is very pleasant. I could say that it is that dive to wake up and go energized to the other waterfalls of the day.

Two other things to remember:

• Don't have lunch at Fazenda São Bento restaurant
• Primeiro Almécegas e depois Valley of the Moon

Frequently Asked Questions

What unique geological features can visitors expect at Almécegas and Vale da Lua, and what level of physical activity is involved in exploring these areas?

Visitors to Almécegas and Vale da Lua can expect unique geological formations, such as natural pools and rock formations resembling the lunar surface. Exploring these areas involves moderate physical activity, including hiking and potentially swimming in natural pools.