Guartela Canyon

The Iapo River has cut about thirty kilometres of canyon through Devonian sandstone here, with walls of up to four hundred and fifty metres, and Guartela is often listed among the longest canyons in the world - a ranking that depends entirely on how canyons are measured and defined, so it is worth treating as a local claim rather than a settled fact. What is not in doubt is the vegetation: this is campos gerais, a southern grassland with araucaria pockets and a set of plants restricted to these sandstone soils, much of it now converted to soy and pine elsewhere in the state. Rock shelters along the walls carry prehistoric paintings. Trails run to viewpoints and down to waterfalls at Ponte de Pedra, and the river is rafted through the canyon in the wetter months.

What you actually see

• A thirty-kilometre canyon - walls to 450 metres cut by the Iapo River.
• Campos gerais grassland - southern vegetation restricted to sandstone soils.
• Painted rock shelters - prehistoric panels along the canyon walls.
• Rafting through the gorge - run from Tibagi in the wetter months.

When to go

April to September for walking; the rafting season runs wetter. A day.

Honest expectations

Some trails require a guide and all are closed in heavy rain. Descents to the river are steep and long. Rafting depends on river levels and cancels often. The park has limited opening days - check before driving out from Ponta Grossa.

Nearby

Tibagi is the base town; Vila Velha is south near Ponta Grossa.