Serrinha do Paranoá: trails and waterfall near downtown city

by Sallya Pereira (Brazil)

I didn't expect to find Brazil

I was born and raised in Brasilia in a region close to the Lago Paranoá dam, an artificial lake of 48km2, today a postcard and main attraction of the city. This lake was finished during the period when Brazil was ruled by President Juscelino Kubitschek, along with the construction of the Federal District. Until the age of 33 I had never heard of Serrinha do Paranoá or Cachoeira do Urubu. In 2017 I went to participate in a raw food workshop in a region close to the dam. At the time, I was living in the Sudoeste, a downtown Brasilia's neighborhoods. I drove about 15 minutes from my house to Lago Norte and, following the GPS, I entered a road that looked more like a portal: from the city straight to the middle of the native cerrado. A dirt road surrounded by trees with twisted trunks and peculiar flowers of the most varied colors took me to a rustic house with organic garden and a river with a place for bathing. It felt like I had made a trip. The workshop was wonderful, but what impressed me most was the place. How could it exist so close to where I have always lived without I knowing it? Intrigued, I talked to the owner of the house, who proudly told me a little about the history and the name given by his friend Paulo Bertran, an illustrious local historian: Serrinha do Paranoá, a region mentioned in Brasilia’s Master Plan as a green belt and head of the waters from Brasilia. Very important for the city’s supply and for the preservation of Lake Paranoá. He also told me about the work of the local community, which was very well organized, engaged and concerned with the preservation of the region and developed several projects for recovery springs, reforestation, preservation of the streams, demarcation and signposting of trails. All of these projects aim to explore the local vocation for ecotourism as a way to preservation. The region is at risk of densification, suffering with the illegal occupation and illegal sale of land. This scenario represents a risk for water springs, streams, the cerrado as a whole with all its local biodiversity and, consequently, the supply of drinking water in Brasília. In a quick search on the Internet I discovered that the place, although not well known by the general public, was already quite developed as an ecotourism hub. Several local groups of trekking and mountain biking, such as Rebas do Cerrado, use the region for adventure encounters on weekends. The documentation about the trails is very complete with maps, tracklog and detailed information about attractions, alerts and recommended equipment. Among the attractions, several viewpoints where you can see the entire city from above; the Digital TV Tower, a recent and most popular tourist spot, and the Urubu Waterfall, the end point of almost all trails. One day, returning from work, I decided to explore the region. I went to the nearest point to Urubu Waterfall, easily accessible by car. I walked for about 7 minutes and was at the waterfall. It is not very high, but it is enough to impress by the proximity. Everything in the place makes it seem that we are a long way from the city: the surrounding forest; birds, monkeys and butterflies; the absence of people; the cool, humid climate and the silence, just the sound of the water falling. An invitation to an invigorating dip. You can sit on a rock and let the water make a massage on your back. After this sudden visit, I allowed myself to explore the region further. I walked the marked trails in the middle of the native cerrado, visited the viewpoints and, of course, ended my visits with a waterfall bath. In fact, several ones! One of these days I found myself going there for a lunch break from work. It has become a refuge from the everyday mess and a portal where I teleport into myself.