Chapada Diamantina - rent a bike

You are "not in a tour mood"? So you get to the park with these bikes (supposing you don't get carjacked on the way or become another casualty of Brazilian roads), and how do you intend to find your way around? Please don't say you are expecting marked trails or a map, because, if so, you may want to reconsider more of your preconceived ideas of Brazil. Are you also expecting some park rangers in a heli to go looking for you should something happen?
Yes, there are places to rent bikes and sign up for a guided trip into the park.

Hmm why so serious? I have driven a car in Java and Bali, Indonesia and it was okay, I suppose Javanese roads are worse... also I have explored the island of Sumba on a motorbike. The island is populated only by tribal people not speaking any English at all. :) I used the map on Kindle and Google maps with GPS (local SIM) for reference, so I didn't get lost. Also I have been riding downhill / enduro MTB so I think I won't get hurt on the bike in the park...

Given this background, is it possible just to rent the bikes and go, without the tour group?

Or get bikes and guide, but not being part of the larger group. How expensive could that be?

Serious? =At a life stage responsible for the lives of others, and indulging in recklessness an unaffordable luxury.

I don't know Java or Bali yet, but I've driven in Brazil and a lot of other undeveloped places. Do they play chicken in Java?: On a narrow, twisty one-lane-each-way-no-shoulder road, do five cars going 110+km/hr stack up coming toward you in your lane, trying to pass one car in theirs? Are there armed carjacks? Do you risk anything left in sight in a locked, parked car being stolen? And I always wonder who comes for those families I've seen standing in the extreme heat next to their wreck in the middle of nowhere?
Expect an economy car to be about R$55/day, a compact about R$100, and a mini-van to run R$170/day, without insurance ($25-70/day, depending on coverage) with one of the national chains. Hard/expensive to find other than a stick shift. Read the contract in Portuguese thoroughly; coverage can vary, and they may keep your signed card imprint to charge against at their choice of repair shops/rates.

Chapada Diamantina is a 1500+Sq km park. The guides know the trails and the current conditions. Small groups are most common there. And you're going in off season, so I'd be surprised if it was packed.

Note: The "crowds" stories about most anyplace in Brazil come from folks who visited at Carnaval or peak season.

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