Salto de Itiquira

The Itiquira River comes off the edge of a plateau near Formosa and drops in a single free fall of about a hundred and sixty-eight metres into a pool, without touching rock on the way - the name comes from a Tupi phrase meaning water that pours out. It is among the taller free-falling waterfalls in Brazil and the closest of that scale to Brasilia, which is why it fills with weekend traffic from the capital. The site is run as a private park with a set of smaller falls and pools upstream that can be swum in, walkways down to viewpoints and picnic areas. Swimming directly under the main drop is not permitted; the volume and the spray make the pool at its base dangerous, and the accessible bathing is at the smaller cascades.

What you actually see

• A 168-metre free fall - water dropping clear without touching rock.
• Smaller pools upstream - the cascades where swimming is allowed.
• Viewpoint walkways - platforms down the side of the drop.
• A private park setting - fixed hours, gates and picnic areas.

When to go

April to September; flow is best early in the dry season. A day.

Honest expectations

Weekends bring heavy crowds from Brasilia. The main fall cannot be swum under. Flow drops noticeably by the end of the dry season and the fall can look thin. The walk down to the viewpoints is steep, and the climb back is the hard part.

Nearby

Formosa is the nearest town; Brasilia is south-west.