Lessons from the Road

Chapada Diamantina Sempre Viva (always alive)

Claudine Blanco, Director of the agencies Viajar com Crianças and Viajar com Adolescentes, talks to us about new beginnings and new cycles

By Claudine Blanco

Twelve years ago, I visited Chapada Diamantina for the first time with my young children. It was there that Viajar com Crianças (Traveling with Children) was born, and since then, many other dreams have come true for me.

Every January, I take our family groups there, and this time, I also brought my adult daughter so that after finishing my work, we could have some time to enjoy together there.

In Chapada, there are fields cultivating a little flower that I love: the Sempre Vivas (Always Alive)! Legend has it that it symbolizes eternal love… I like that!

Each group trip is very different from the others. Families who don’t know each other yet begin a friendship process that sometimes crosses states, only to reunite later. To carry out the outings, we deal with the adversities of weather and travel long distances to reach incredible landscapes that make the sacrifice worthwhile. Yes, we do get tired, but there are so many cool things there that we strive not to leave anything behind.

We learn about the local culture, their way of life, and their values, especially when we meet people who dedicate their lives to transforming the lives of others in the social project we visited. This capoeira project has a master who teaches respect, authority with love, and gives meaning to the lives of many children who started attending school just to learn the art with him. These small gestures encourage and transform people’s lives.

The events of millions of years ago, recorded on the walls of the cliffs where the waters passed or in the rock paintings we saw, remind us that there is a history, a past that has brought us to this point.

We explored caves, swam in natural pools, and various types of waterfalls, turning them into a great amusement park for children, teenagers, and adults.

By the way, fun is abundant on this trip! The little ones sing and engage more easily in the stories with the educator and the games with the guides. The initially more resistant teenagers gradually surrender to the cellphone detox process and before we know it, they are running, jumping, sliding down natural waterfalls, hunting for diamonds, and even flying kites!

The parents… rediscover that presence and simplicity are fundamental elements to revive love and return home renewed with the joy that the trip brought to the whole family.

We’re talking about special encounters, exercising patience, flexibility, kindness, empathy, challenging fear, having courage, and reliving stories that shaped each of these families and brought them to this place.

Just like the Everlastings, sometimes we feel a bit wilted and tired but, with a lot of love and perseverance, we transform ourselves to keep living the beauties of this life… who knows, maybe even forever!

It’s also with the water of this paradise of waterfalls that we will start the year renewed, full of hope and energy to keep walking.

Gratitude is what I feel for being able to present this destination that I love so much to all families. And who knows, just like me, they may come back here one day, already with their adult children, and reminisce about a time and a memory so beautiful and good that it will be cherished forever in their hearts!

With much love, a big kiss Claudine

Our columnist Claudine Blanco is the founder of the travel agencies “Viajar com Crianças” (Traveling with Children) and “Viajar com Adolescentes” (Traveling with Teenagers), founder of Family Trip Magazine, and mother of Pedro and Marina. She writes the travel expert column for the platform and shares her expertise, passions, and purposes about family travel.

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Read here Claudine’s account when she traveled to Chapada Diamantina with her young children.

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Travel agencies Viajar com Crianças or Viajar com Adolescentes specialize in family-oriented trips, offering programs tailored to different age groups and destinations beyond the ordinary.