This post is also on:
Português 
English
Canindé de São Francisco is located 198 kilometres from Aracaju, the town, which lies on the border between Sergipe, Alagoas and Bahia, is the main departure point for the tour boats that travel along the São Francisco canyon.
The viewpoint of the Xingó Hydroelectric Plant and the Archaeological Museum, which houses an important collection of prehistoric human skeletons, are also worth a visit.
Canindé de São Francisco is also home to the Grota do Angico, where the cangaceiro Lampião was killed.
The best way to get there is via Piranhas, on the other bank of the São Francisco river, but already in Alagoas.
Video – Canindé de São Francisco Tourist Attractions
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN CANINDÉ DE SÃO FRANCISCO
1. CANINDÉ DE SÃO FRANCISCO
The catamaran or schooner trips from Canindé de São Francisco through the canyon of the São Francisco river – a 65-million-year-old formation, considered the fifth largest in the world and the most navigable on the planet – represent Canindé’s greatest attraction.
The route, which can also be done by speedboat, takes around three hours.
At the end of the first hour, there is a 40-minute stop at Paraíso do Talhado, a section of the canyon that looks like a huge swimming pool and where you can dive or take a boat ride. During the journey, look out for the beautiful rocks of Gavião and Japones and the hill of Macacos.
When choosing the type of boat, bear in mind that on the schooner you can be sheltered from the relentless sun, while the catamaran has what is known locally as a “natural pool”, a kind of net that descends into the waters of the river, marking out a space for bathers during the journey.
2. XINGÓ HYDROELECTRIC
A guided tour of the facilities of the Xingó Hydroelectric Power Complex, 5 kilometres from Piranhas, Alagoas, is a very interesting programme.
The São Francisco Hydroelectric Company (Chesf) lookout point in Canindé do São Francisco offers an impressive view. It is well-structured and a mandatory stop even for those travelling between Paulo Afonso, in Bahia, and Piranhas.
The highlight of the reception centre is the wooden model that reproduces the hydroelectric plant. The centre has an auditorium and video room.
The well-kept gardens display sculptures made from blocks of rock from the region.
3. XINGÓ ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM
The Xingó Archaeology Museum has the largest concentration of skeletons of prehistoric men in Latin America – the oldest dates back to 7,000 B.C. There are 191 pieces found at the Justino and São José archaeological sites.
Arranged in six rooms, the collection includes tools, necklaces and household utensils, including some ceramics over 11,000 years old.
After the visit, tourists can watch a 15-minute video about the excavation and recovery work carried out there. Opened in 2000, the MAX is part of the Federal University of Sergipe and works in partnership with the São Francisco Hydroelectric Company.
With excellent infrastructure, it receives an average of 1,000 visitors a month. Canindé-Piranhas motorway, Xingó Hydroelectric Power Station interchange.
4. GROTA DO ANGICO
On 18 July 1938, Virgulino Ferreira da Silva, known as Lampião, his wife Maria Gomes de Oliveira, known as Maria Bonita, and nine other cangaceiros from their gang were ambushed and killed at the Angicos Farm. To reach this property, a motorboat or catamaran was taken from Piranhas.
The boat docks in front of the only restaurant in Angicos. From there to the scenery of the forest – a grotto, i.e. a cavity in a large rock – the path is travelled on foot.
Wear light clothes and shoes, sunglasses and a hat.
It is advisable to bring cold water and insect repellent. Along the way, the guide briefly retraces the events of that historic date and, not infrequently, tourists get emotional in front of the grotto and pray there.
In honour of the cangaceiros, the community erected two crosses in front of the site, with the names of all the dead. The tour lasts four hours. The guided tour requires a minimum of fifteen people and prior booking. Who takes you: Xingó Parque Hotel.
Tourism and Travel Guide to Canindé de São Francisco and Sergipe
