When I received the invitation from Secretary of Tourism of Aracaju to get to know the city and I saw that the Xingó Canyon was on the script, I could only be VERY happy for the opportunity to get to know the Old Chico and the 5th largest navigable canyon in the world!!
Before Rede Globo's soap opera, Velho Chico, went on the air, I confess that I knew little about the São Francisco River, only that it is one of the most important waterways in Brazil and South America, passes through 5 states and makes the border between Sergipe and Alagoas. Oh and it is precisely on the Sergipe side that you can take the tour to the Xingó Canyon!!
Xingó Canyon: Surprise yourself beyond the soap opera Velho Chico
The Xingó Canyon, despite having the intervention of man, is an incredible and beautiful tour, the scenery we saw today was due to the flooding of the region for the construction of the Xingó Hydroelectric Power Plant which supplies energy to more than 25% of the population of the northeast and since then has transformed the scenario that was previously completely arid and dry into a green area with agricultural production in the middle of the hinterland!
As we were staying in Aracaju, we did a day trip to the municipality of Canindé de São Francisco, which is where the tours depart from, and is 200 km from Aracaju. The journey took around 3 hours. We left the hotel very early, around 6 am, with the company TOP TUR who made our transfer and I highly recommend, because the vans they are great and comfortable.
For those who have more time to enjoy these tours, I recommend staying in the region and, in addition to the Xingó Canyon, also take the cangaço route, meet the hydroelectric plant it's the Xingó Archeology Museum?? One of the hotels I met (I didn't stay) and I found a very interesting option is the Xingó Parque Hotel which is in the city of Canindé and very close to tourist attractions.
As our time was more rushed, we ended up doing only the Xingó Canyon and stopped at the Hydroelectric Power Plant to take pictures.
As soon as we arrived we were greeted by the staff. MF-Tur, company responsible for the catamaran tour and also for the luxury tours (boat, yacht and helicopter) I'll tell you in a next one post. We started the tour on the catamaran, which supports up to 250 people and has a great infrastructure with bathrooms, shower and bar. The Catamaran leaves every day at 10:30 am and 11:30 am and costs R$90 reais per person. In case you also need a transfer from Aracaju, to TOP TUR takes you by R$ 170 reais (transport + catamaran).
The tour takes 3 hours and passes through the São Francisco River, through the canyons and to 1 hour for diving in Brogodó which is a deck exclusive floating for MF-Tur catamarans that support up to 700 people at a time and has a structure with two swimming pools and a tour to the Talhado Cave that takes you in a rowing boat very close to the canyons so you can see the richness of details of the stones (costs R$ 10.00).
During the tour many explanations about Velho Chico, the Canyons and lively music between one explanation and another.
Xingó Canyon : TIPS:
- Make your catamaran tour reservations in advance, especially if it is a vacation or public holiday, through the website of MF-Tur or if you need transfer from Aracaju through the website of TOP TUR.
- Arrive half an hour before departure
- Bring sunscreen and repellent
- If you want to stay in Canindé do São Francisco or around the region, these are some of the hotels available
- Don't forget to take the tour of the Gruta do Talhado, it costs R$ 10 reais for a 10-minute walk but it's worth it
- Don't worry about food and drinks because it's sold on the catamaran, but if you want to save money, there's no problem boarding with food.
On the way back from the tour, the catamaran stops in front of the Restaurant Karrancas (which is where they come from too) and because it is right at lunchtime, we arrive with that smell of homemade food that has just been ready, impossible to resist… karrancas it was one of the best restaurants we visited during our stay in Aracaju!! Do you know homemade food prepared by grandma?? So, their seasoning is delicious and it's a good thing the buffet it's free because it surprised me and I took the opportunity to repeat it several times hahahaha !!! The restaurant is style buffet and it has a good variety of dishes, the grilled chicken and beans are delicious!! O buffet costs R$ 38.00 per person, children up to 9 years old pay R$19.00 and children up to 4 years old do not pay.
O Xingó Canyon can not be missing in your itinerary when you are in Sergipe (or Alagoas) it is really impressive the beauty and peace that this place conveys to us.