On a sunny day in October, we decided to visit the Caracol Park in Canela, a famous tourist destination in the city and a classic vacation spot from my childhood. I went there many times with my family.
Another reason was the 50% discount on the ticket for Rio Grande do Sul residents that they were offering, and also because at the end of October they will be closing the park for 5 months for renovations, only reopening in March 2025 – and I imagine that probably after that the admission fee, which is currently 75 reais (plus parking and other attractions also paid separately), will increase in price considerably.
This is a State Park, in an area of 25 hectares of Permanent Preservation Area (APP), but the administration was granted to the Novo Caracol consortium in 2022, for a period of 30 years.
It is about 8.5 km from the center and has a lot of infrastructure such as picnic areas, hammocks, playgrounds with a wide variety of toys and attractions, soccer and volleyball courts, barbecue areas, viewpoints, trails (not very long and most of them already paved), not to mention restaurants and shops with local products. There is also the Panoramic Observatory, which has a separate entrance fee (we didn’t go), and a ride on the “Estação Sonho Vivo” train, which also has an additional fee.
Although I went there many times as a child, it was about 25 years ago and I didn’t remember much about it except the impressive Caracol Waterfall. In my memory, the cable car ride, which gives a beautiful view of the waterfall, was also part of Caracol Park, but I discovered that it is actually in the Canela Bondinhos Park, about 1 km away – from several viewpoints you can even see the cable car station in the middle of the forest.
We did all the trails, several of which intersect and it is necessary to repeat some sections to be able to go through everything. One of the most interesting trails is the “Via das águas” because of the various viewpoints, to the dam and to different parts of the Moinho waterfall. And this route gives access to the “Trilha do Moinho” which is a steep descent to the base of this waterfall, with an impressive view up close.
The Caracol stream/river that ends up forming these waterfalls is polluted, as it simply receives sewage from Gramado and Canela cities. It even exudes a bad smell, which is quite strong when you are near the dam or at the base of the Moinho Waterfall.
Unfortunately, this is not a problem that only affects this park. The care for the environment and the quality of our water here in Brazil is shamefully poor, and nowadays it is practically an exception to find a clean stream, river or waterfall suitable for swimming. Here in São Francisco de Paula, we also have examples such as the Ronda Municipal Park (all accessible streams and waterfalls are unsuitable for swimming) and the 8 Waterfalls Park (half of the waterfalls are unsuitable for swimming).
One thing I wanted to visit was the Environmental History Center, which provides information about the fauna, flora, geology and history of the park and the region. However, it was closed for renovations, and there was no notice of this on the website.
The “Escada da Perna Bamba” is another classic attraction that at the moment is not available. I found out at the park that it has been closed since 2015, but it looks like they are going to reopen it now with this new renovation. It is a staircase with 730 steps that goes down to the bottom of the Caracol Waterfall. It must be quite a workout going down and then up this stretch!
In the end, we stayed at the park for about 2 and a half hours, doing all the trails and stopping to admire the views, eat a snack and take photos. Since we went by bus to Canela, we had to catch the first bus that was super early, and we had already walked around the city center a bit, so after seeing everything in the park, we just wanted to go back to the center to catch our bus back to São Chico.
The visit was worth it to get to know the area (or revisit in my case), the views and waterfalls are beautiful, but we personally like trails that are truly in wild nature and without dozens of tourists around, lol. We also thought the entrance fee was expensive, so we only went now with this 50% discount, but it is common knowledge that in Gramado and Canela everything is really overpriced, and in general in Brazil access to this type of park, granted to a private company, is only for those who have money to spare, unfortunately.
But in the end, it really has great infrastructure and it is a cool park for those who want to get to know the landscapes of the Serra Gaúcha (Gaucho Highlands) or want to get in touch with nature, and especially for families with children, as there are many options for the little ones.
Speaking of which, the park has a “passport” that is given at the entrance along with a park map, and if you stamp it at the different park attractions and answer a satisfaction survey at the end of the tour you get a gift. I read that the gift would be available for pick up at the Chaulet – Salumeria e Queijaria store, and I was already imagining that it would be something tasty like a salami or a piece of cheese.
Wishful thinking… the gift was 2 tiny pins with a picture of the park, lol. I was disappointed, it was based on my own expectations, but let’s face it, for the price of the ticket they could have invested in a better gift.
But in the end it was actually fun collecting the stamps, they are in front of each attraction, but you have to pay attention so you don’t miss them, I imagine kids must really enjoy this activity. Plus, the passport and the little map themselves are already a souvenir of the park for those who like to keep these things.
For more information, check out the official website of Caracol Park, buying tickets in advance always gives you a discount. And a warning, there is an independent website about the park that provides some outdated information and ends up being confusing, so keep an eye on it. The official website is “.com.br” and the independent one is just “.com”.
📸 Pictures made in October, 2024 in Canela, Rio Grande do Sul (Serra Gaúcha, South of Brazil).