Chapada Diamantina National Park hosts race on 17 October
Published on 10/18/2026 at 05:41 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Chapada Diamantina National Park (Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina) provides the setting for the Bahia Trail and Mountain Running Championship in Vale do Capão near Lençóis, Brazil, on 17 and 18 October 2026. The event forms part of the Trail Racing Series Chapada Diamantina and uses the Fumaça Trail towards Cachoeira da Fumaça.
The competition brings a fixed sports programme to the park's Palmeiras access area during October 2026. Saturday's races cover 8 km, 14 km and 21 km, while Sunday's programme adds a vertical race on the route to the waterfall.
Trail championship runs at Chapada Diamantina on 17 and 18 October
The event is a single-stage Bahia championship supported by the Government of Bahia through the Superintendence of Sports of the State of Bahia. The programme is organised with the involvement of the Brazilian Athletics Confederation and the Brazilian Trail Running Association.
According to the Bahia government announcement, the venue is Caeté-Açu, the district also known as Vale do Capão, in the municipality of Palmeiras. The published event programme sets the dates as 17 and 18 October 2026.
Fumaça Trail connects the race with the national park
The new vertical race is scheduled for 18 October on the Fumaça Trail, with a 2.5 km course and 324 metres of elevation gain. The other races on 17 October are the 8 km, 14 km and 21 km courses.
The connection to the protected landscape is practical rather than merely thematic. The park authority identifies the trail to Cachoeira da Fumaça as beginning in the Campos settlement in Vale do Capão and continuing towards the Fumaça River. The waterfall is one of the park's named attractions.
The protected area covers 152,000 hectares and includes parts of the Serra do Sincorá. The park authority records nearly 300 km of trails, 33 waterfalls and access through six municipalities, including Palmeiras. These features explain why the October programme uses a route that starts beyond the district and reaches the park's mountain landscape.
Visiting Chapada Diamantina National Park: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The championship takes place on 17 and 18 October 2026 in Caeté-Açu, also known as Vale do Capão, in Palmeiras.
- The event uses the Fumaça Trail towards Cachoeira da Fumaça; the 18 October vertical race follows a 2.5 km route with 324 metres of ascent.
- The park's Palmeiras access area is reached from the BR-242 and state roads. From Palmeiras, vans serve the Capão district, while Lençóis has an airport and regular bus connections.
- The Fumaça Trail is about 5 km and includes a steep uphill section. The park authority warns that trails are rustic, lack mobile-phone coverage and may have poorly marked sections.
- Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, and the national currency is the Brazilian real.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Chapada Diamantina National Park
When does the Bahia Trail and Mountain Running Championship take place?
The championship takes place on 17 and 18 October 2026 in Vale do Capão, Palmeiras.
Where is Chapada Diamantina National Park and how do you get there?
The park lies in Bahia and is accessible through Palmeiras, Lençóis and other municipalities. The northern area is reached by the BR-242 and state roads.
What is Chapada Diamantina National Park?
It is a 152,000-hectare protected area in the Serra do Sincorá, with nearly 300 km of trails and 33 waterfalls.
