Salto Encantado

Salto Encantado is the centrepiece of a provincial park in the hills of central Misiones, where the Cuñá Pirú stream reaches the edge of a basalt shelf and falls in a single ribbon of around sixty metres into a green amphitheatre of Atlantic forest. A viewpoint on the rim looks straight across at the fall, with mist rising from the pool below and vultures and swifts circling in the gap. Trails descend into the valley to the base and along the stream past smaller cascades and pools, through forest thick with lianas, tree ferns and epiphytes, and the area is part of the wider Cuñá Pirú valley, home to Mbyá Guaraní communities and a rich fauna including toucans and capuchin monkeys.

What you actually see

• The main fall - a single sixty-metre ribbon into a forest amphitheatre.
• The rim viewpoint - the platform looking directly across at the drop.
• The valley trails - descents to the base and along the stream.
• The Atlantic forest - lianas, tree ferns and abundant birdlife.

When to go

April to October for cooler walking and fewer insects; the fall is fullest after rain, which is most frequent in summer. Trails become slippery and can close after storms. Mornings are best for light in the canyon.

Honest expectations

The descent to the base is steep and slippery, and the climb back is hard work in humidity. Facilities are basic. In dry spells the fall thins considerably, and mosquitoes are persistent near the water.

Nearby

Aristóbulo del Valle is the gateway town; the Cuñá Pirú valley extends beyond the park.