Xingo Canyon

The canyon the boats run through is partly natural and partly recent: the Sao Francisco had cut a gorge here through the caatinga rock, and when the Xingo dam closed in 1994 the reservoir filled it, raising the water level by some tens of metres and drowning the lower walls. What remains above the surface is sixty to eighty metres of sandstone in ochre and red, reflected in water that reads deep green because the reservoir traps sediment upstream. Catamarans and small boats run a circuit of a couple of hours, stopping in side channels where people swim off the boat and where the walls close in tightly enough to feel enclosed. The surrounding country is caatinga and the contrast between dry scrub above and green water below is the point.

What you actually see

• Sheer ochre walls - sixty to eighty metres of sandstone above the waterline.
• Green reservoir water - clear because the dam traps sediment upstream.
• A canyon filled in 1994 - the lower gorge drowned when Xingo closed.
• Swim stops in side channels - narrow arms where boats pull in.

When to go

May to November. A day. Morning trips are calmer and less hot.

Honest expectations

Water level depends on reservoir management and drops in drought years, which changes how the walls look. Boats can be crowded and the circuit is fixed. There is no shade on deck. The town of Canindé has limited accommodation.

Nearby

Foz do Sao Francisco is downriver at the coast; Aracaju is south-east.