Canela

Canela sits a few kilometres from Gramado and is the plainer of the two, which is the argument for staying here and visiting the other. Its landmark is the Catedral de Pedra, a neo-gothic church in basalt block finished over decades from 1953, with a spire of sixty-five metres over the main square. The Caracol state park holds the Cascata do Caracol, a fall of about a hundred and thirty metres dropping off a basalt step into a forested canyon, seen from a platform opposite and from an observation tower with a panoramic lift; a long stair descends toward the base. Around it are the Ferradura canyon viewpoint, adventure operators running abseiling and rafting, and araucaria forest.

What you actually see

• The Catedral de Pedra - a basalt neo-gothic church with a 65-metre spire.
• Cascata do Caracol - a 130-metre fall into a forested canyon.
• A panoramic lift and tower - the viewing structures facing the fall.
• The Ferradura canyon - the horseshoe bend viewpoint nearby.

When to go

April to June for autumn colour. Two days.

Honest expectations

The waterfall park charges entry and the tower and lift charge again on top. During Gramado's Christmas season Canela fills too and prices rise. The stair toward the base of the fall is long and steep. Winter is cold and wet.

Nearby

Gramado is adjacent; Nova Petropolis is south down the Serra road.