Poço Encantado

Enchanted Well

Useful Information

Location:	(-12.944722, -41.105)
Open:	All year daily. Best time for sunbeam: 01-APR to 10-SEP 10-13:30. [2020]
Fee:	Adults BRL 30. [2020]
Classification:	Karst Spring
Dimension:	Well: L=98 m, W=49 m, D=60 m.
Photography:	Allowed
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Poço Encantado
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1990s

swimming in Poço Encantado forbidden.

Description

Poço Encantado (Enchanted Well) is a cave resurgence. The cave entrance is filled with water and the sunlight which shines through the cave portal illuminates the water in an eerie blue glow, hence the name. As a result the spring ist best visited when the sun shines on the water which is from February to October daily between 11 and 15. The rest of the year the sun enters the cave but does not hit the water. But the time of sunshine is longer, from 10 to 16, and while the sun illuminates the cavern it does not hit the water directly, so there are no reflections. As a result the visibility in the water is even higher. Bad days for a visit are only rainy days, and the well is pretty dull. Fortunately it is located in a rather dry region, where rain is rare.

It is possible to enter the entrance and see the blue lake of the well, but it is not allowed to bath in the water. If you want to do this you have to visit nearby Poço Azul (Blue Well). The water of the lake is not flowing, and the official explanation why bathing is not allowed is that the water would get dirty and would not be replaced. We guess this explanation is true, but not the full story: with standing water bathing would be a hygiene problem too.