Prudentopolis

The escarpment north of Prudentopolis drops sharply, and the rivers coming off it produce something over a hundred waterfalls, several of them very tall - Salto Sao Francisco at about a hundred and ninety-six metres is the highest in southern Brazil, and Salto Barao do Rio Branco and Salto Sao Joao are close behind. Most sit on private land, reached down rough tracks, and are visited with local operators rather than independently. The town itself is the other half of the visit: Prudentopolis was settled by Ukrainian immigrants from the 1890s, a majority of the population claims that descent, the language is still taught and heard, and the Byzantine-rite churches are painted inside with iconography that is genuinely unexpected in the Parana interior.

What you actually see

• Salto Sao Francisco - about 196 metres, the tallest fall in southern Brazil.
• Over a hundred waterfalls - rivers dropping off the escarpment around the town.
• Painted Byzantine-rite churches - Ukrainian iconography in the interior.
• A Ukrainian-speaking town - settlement dating from the 1890s.

When to go

April to September; falls are fullest a day or two after rain. Two days.

Honest expectations

Falls are on private land with individual fees and rough access tracks - 4x4 and a local guide are effectively required. Viewpoints involve steep descents. Flow drops considerably in dry spells. The town has limited accommodation.

Nearby

Guarapuava is west; Curitiba is east on the BR-373.