Aparados da Serra Canyons

Itaimbezinho Canyon In Aparados Da Serra National Park (1959) And Fortaleza Canyon In Serra Geral National Park, On The Rio Grande Do Sul Santa Catarina Border · Cambará do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul

The canyons of Aparados da Serra are sheer basalt gorges cut into the edge of the southern Brazilian plateau, where the highlands of Rio Grande do Sul end in cliffs falling some 700 metres towards the coastal plain of Santa Catarina. The two famous ones are Itaimbezinho, in Aparados da Serra National Park, created in 1959, and Fortaleza, in the neighbouring Serra Geral National Park, both reached from the small town of Cambará do Sul. From the rim, easy trails run along the edge to views straight down the canyon walls, with waterfalls like the Véu de Noiva dropping off the plateau into space. The Rio do Boi trail goes the other way, up the canyon floor from the Santa Catarina side, wading the river between the walls, and must be done with a guide. The weather decides everything: fog, called viração, rises from the coast and can fill the canyons within minutes, leaving visitors staring into white. Winter brings frost and some of the coldest weather in Brazil.

Parque Nacional de Aparados da Serra, Cambará do Sul, RS, Cambará do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Both parks open daily in daylight hours, with a last entry in the early afternoon so that visitors are off the trails before dark; the exact times and fees are set by the private concessions that now run the visitor areas, and they have changed, so confirm before driving out. Itaimbezinho and Fortaleza have separate entrances and separate tickets, and are a slow drive apart. The Rio do Boi trail starts on the Santa Catarina side near Praia Grande, requires a registered guide, and is closed after heavy rain because the river rises dangerously; closures are decided on the day. Fog can hide the canyons completely at any hour and there are no refunds for weather. Roads to both parks are partly unpaved and slow after rain.

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