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Wonder
Caracol Falls
In short
One of the most beautiful waterfalls in Brazil is Caracol Falls. This 131 m tall waterfall by far is not the tallest or largest but it has a rare quality – there are excellent viewpoints where the beauty of falls and surrounding forest and mountains can be observed.
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Location, address
Name in Portuguese
Height
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Tallest drop
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Map of the site
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In detail
Falls have formed on the basalt cliffs of Serra Geral volcanic formation. Waterfall has two cascades. The upper cascade consists of multiple smaller cascades, its total height is approximately 10 m. After some 100 m comes the second – by far the largest plunge. Here the stream falls over an overhanging cliff edge.
It is not entirely clear whether the height of 131 m includes both cascades or is just the height of the main, tallest cascade.
Upper part of waterfalls starts in the pine forest altitudinal zone (with quite a few gorgeous araucarias) but the lower end is located already in the moist Atlantic Forest.
Rio Caracol here enters the Vale de Lageana valley – beautiful, almost pristine, forest covered canyon with steep cliffs in both sides. Few kilometres further below Rio Caracol forms another impressive waterfall – the 70 m tall Lageana Falls (Cascata de Lageana). This waterfall is located in narrow canyon and its beauty is harder to observe, thus it is a lot less popular tourist destination.
On photographs the area around Caracol Falls may seem to be pristine and remote but in reality, this is a very popular tourist destination with nature trails, a 27 m tall observation tower, a cable car, a tourist train, a restaurant, and shops. Caracol State Park (25 ha) has been established around the falls and this is one of the most popular natural landmarks in Brazil, possibly the second most visited after the famous Iguazu Falls.
This popularity could be explained by the vicinity to major cities and definitely – by the unusual beauty of this waterfall which becomes especially beautiful during the sunset.
There is another waterfall in Brazil (on the border with Guyana) with a similar Portuguese name – the mysterious and remote Kurutuik Falls (Cachoeira do Grande Caracol).
Linked articles
Wonders of Brazil
Brazil is an enormous, diverse country with many amazing and unique attractions. Especially impressive are the diverse natural landmarks – many surprising geological monuments and areas with unique and endemic plants and animals. Few know it outside the country – but there are many beautiful historical cities. Many great monuments of architecture have been created in Brazil in the 20th century.
Waterfalls
Some of the most fascinating and awe-inspiring natural monuments are waterfalls or locations where a river abruptly changes its elevation.
Wonders of South America
There is little doubt – South America is one of the most spectacular… maybe the most spectacular continent of the world.
There is located the second-highest mountain chain in the world, the largest rainforest, the tallest volcanoes, and the tallest and largest waterfalls. The highest biological diversity in the world is reached somewhere near the eastern ranges of the Andes in Ecuador, Peru, or Colombia.
