Today we have an all day trip to several springs – water holes that have very strange natural phenomena.

Poço do Fervedouro has an underground river emptying into a hole on the bottom. The effect is like reverse quicksand. It is impossible to swim down more than a meter. Legs disappear into the white quicksand, which is also being forced up.

We then visit Cachoeira da Formiga. The river is known to have diamonds in it – recently a stone of more than 8 carats was found.

ArcticTropic Director

On the way back we stopped for cold beer in the frontier town of Mateiros.

The town has a population of 1800, with a school, 7 Evangelist churches, one Catholic church and 3 bars, all of which do a great business