Gruta da Igrejinha

Useful Information

Location:	Área de Proteção Ambiental Gruta dos Brejões/Vereda do Romão Gramacho. On the road between Irecê and Ourolândia. (-11.07417, -41.39935)
Open:	Only with a local guide. [2024]
Fee:	yes. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=474 m.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Gruta da Igrejinha, Tel: +55-74-3672-1800.
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

Description

Gruta da Igrejinha (Little Church Cave) is a true natural bridge, the short cave passage of the Rio Jacaré (Crocodile River) is actually crossed by a road. The Rio Jacaré forms a gorge, flows into a huge cave which is 300 m long and 45 m high, and on the other end continues to flow in a gorge. So this is a through-cave, a little too long to be called a natural bridge. And it is a river cave with a river sink on one end and a resurgence at the other. The cave is not developed at all, though there are some trails from former visitors. But due to the size and fact that it is horizontal it is quite easy to cross the cave if the water is low enough, just avoid times of flooding. The best way of visiting is by inflatable bout though.

The cave has only a single gallery, which is divided into "two orthogonal, rectilinear intervals". In other words, the passage has two straight sections and a single, almost rectangular turn. So the light from each entrance reaches to this turn. Before the water enters the cave, it forms several pools. The most impressive speleothem is what they call a "composite" stalactite, with a height of around 25 m and a diameter of almost 20 m. It is considered one of the most impressive in Brazil.

The name Gruta da Igrejinha (Little Church Cave) is not a really unique. Actually, there are numerous caves of this name worldwide, several in Brazil, others in Spain. All those caves are wild caves and only accessible to cavers. This one is also not a tourist cave and rarely visited, but it was published on tourist websites and is rather easy to visit, so we listed it as a semi-wild cave. The cave was named Gruta da Igrejinha due to the stalactites which resemble church chandeliers.

The cave is reached on a dirt road, which is nothing special as all the roads in the area, with few exceptions, are dirt roads. Right west of the cave is a crossing, and both the turnoff to the north and the turnoff to the south lead to a ford in the river. The hike from the road to the ford, along the river to the other ford and back to the road is about 4.5 km long. Good walking shoes, probably gum boot, sun protection, and a snack and some water are essential, While the official descriptions says that there is natural lighting, with some sections in semi-darkness, we would nevertheless strongly recommend to bring a good lamp. On the southern side is a small hamlet, and the locals are well aware of their cave. You should find a guide there. Actually, the cave is located on private property, and the presence of a local guide is required.