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Gramado to Caracol Falls, Brazil: Self-Guided Driving Tour - tour image
Driving tour

Gramado to Caracol Falls, Brazil: Self-Guided Driving Tour

11POIs
12.21 miDistance
44mDuration
EnglishLanguage
Category
Main Sites
Language
English
Mode
Driving
Region
South America
Country
Brazil
City
Gramado
Listen to the tour introductionA short audio preview of this tour
0:00

Gramado to Caracol Falls Driving Tour: Lago Negro, Canela's Stone Cathedral & Araucaria Forest

Welcome to the Serra Gaúcha, the highlands of Brazil's far south, where towns built by German and Italian settlers sit among araucaria pines, and a waterfall drops into a hidden canyon.

Over the next 12 miles (19 km), we'll drive from Gramado's Lago Negro, the Black Lake, along the hydrangea avenue to Canela, and down the Estrada do Caracol to the Caracol Falls park.

The lake we start beside has a story of its own. In 1942, a fire tore through this little valley, the Vale do Bom Retiro. About ten years later, a local man named Leopoldo Rosenfeldt dammed the stream and replanted the slopes, with seedlings associated with Germany's Black Forest. The dark trees gave the water its name.

Along the way, you'll hear about a film festival in a mountain town, a locomotive that changed Canela, a church dressed in stone for 34 years, and a house built without a single nail. Between the stories, you'll learn about hydrangeas, a living Italian dialect, and the mate tea of the gaúchos.

Your directions will come as short spoken cues just before each turn.

Sit back, and let the highlands come to you.

Top landmarks and attractions included in this English self-guided 44m driving tour in Gramado

Parque do Caracol
Vale do Quilombo
The Stone Cathedral
Chimarrão
The House Without Nails

Good to know before you go

Best season
Spring, Autumn, Winter
Best time of day
Morning, Afternoon
T
Tour #3009
Tour Creator Traveling Eve · UCPlacer level Expert
Published
Last updated

Before You Start!

For the best experience, begin at the tour's recommended starting point and follow the stops in order.
Want to start somewhere else? Simply use Start At on the tour screen, before tapping Start Tour, to begin from any stop.
Need to detour or skip a stop along the way? Tap Tour Assistant (UCPlaces AI Bot Icon) to use Force Play, Skip, and Back, for full flexibility.

Route Preview

Places (POIs) visited during this tour

Place 1

Lago Negro: Here We Go Recommended starting point

Distance: 0.00 mi R. Ladeira das Azaléias, 27 - Tres Pinheiros, Gramado - RS, 95670-000, Brazil Place 1: Lago Negro: Here We Go
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Here we go! Our road trip through the Serra Gaúcha begins right here, with Lago Negro, the Black Lake, among the dark pines on our left. Follow the lake shore straight ahead.
Place 2

Gramado: A Small Town That Thinks Big

Distance: 0.03 mi R. Pedro Benetti, 06 - Centro, Gramado - RS, 95670-000, Brazil Place 2: Gramado: A Small Town That Thinks Big
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Welcome to Gramado.
At the end of this street turn right and then left.

Meanwhile, on your left, stands the stone church of São Pedro. Its parish was founded in 1917, decades before Gramado became a city, on December 15, 1954.

This small mountain town thinks big.

On January 10, 1973, it held the first Gramado Film Festival. It became Brazil's most famous film festival, and every August a red carpet still rolls down the covered street beside the festival hall.

Then, on December 26, 1986, hundreds of choir singers walked through town toward São Pedro, and Natal Luz was born, the Christmas of Light. It now runs for weeks, and draws visitors from all over Brazil.
Place 3

Vale do Quilombo

Distance: 0.35 mi Av. das Hortênsias, 3131 - Vila Suica, Gramado - RS, 95670-000, Brazil Place 3: Vale do Quilombo
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On your right, the land falls away into the Vale do Quilombo, the Quilombo Valley.

Long before hydrangeas and chocolate shops, these highlands were the country of the Kaingang people, who still live in southern Brazil today.

In 1824, the first German colonists landed far below, at São Leopoldo, near Porto Alegre. In 1875, Italian settlers began to climb into the serra farther east. Both pushed up into hills that already had names and trails.

Gramado itself grew from a grassy clearing, a gramado, where tropeiros, the cattle drovers of the south, rested their herds on the long trail.

The valley's name is a Brazilian word with a hard history. A quilombo was a community founded by people who escaped slavery. They hid in remote valleys like this one all across Brazil. The biggest, Palmares, in the northeast, held out for most of the 1600s.

What you see along this road today is not wilderness. The avenue is busy, planted and built for visitors. But the steep valley beside it is a reminder of how wild these hills once were.
Place 4

Oscar Knorr and a Million Hydrangeas

Distance: 0.28 mi Av. das Hortênsias, 753 - Dutra, Gramado - RS, 95670-000, Brazil Place 4: Oscar Knorr and a Million Hydrangeas
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This road is the Avenida das Hortênsias, the Hydrangea Avenue. In early summer, the roadsides here are packed with clouds of blue, pink and violet flowers.

They're not wild. They were planted, and we know by whom.

In the 1940s, a German immigrant named Oscar Knorr settled in Gramado. He fell in love with hydrangeas, and he began planting them along the roadsides, a few at a time.

The idea caught on. By around 1960, more than a million hydrangeas had been planted along the roads of the region.

Gramado and Canela built their whole image around the flower. The road we're on was named for it. And the region took a new name: the Região das Hortênsias, the Hydrangea Region.

Here's a gardener's secret. Hydrangeas change color with the soil. In acidic soil, like the soil of these highlands, they tend to turn blue. In more alkaline soil, they turn pink.

The best time to see them is from about November to January. Outside that season, you'll mostly see green leaves. But when they bloom, this is one of the most colorful roads in Brazil.
Place 5

The Locomotive of 1924

Distance: 1.19 mi Av. Dom Luís Guanela, 1201 - Carniel, Canela - RS, 95680-000, Brazil Place 5: The Locomotive of 1924
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Ahead on your right is a playful steam-themed park called Mundo a Vapor, the Steam World. We're not turning in, but it sits beside a real story.

A railway from the lowland town of Taquara was pushed toward these hills from around 1913. On August 1, 1924, a steam locomotive finally reached Canela.

The man behind it was Colonel João Corrêa Ferreira da Silva, remembered as Canela's founding pioneer. Before the train, the climb from the lowlands meant a long, slow haul by wagon and mule. Afterward, timber went down, and summer visitors came up.

And the town's name? It comes from a tree. Long ago, a big caneleira, a native cinnamon tree, stood near what is now the main square of Canela. Cattle drovers rested in its shade, and the place became known simply as Canela, Cinnamon.

We're almost there.
Place 6

The Stone Cathedral

Distance: 0.45 mi Av. Osvaldo Aranha, 234 - Centro, Canela - RS, 95680-079, Brazil Place 6: The Stone Cathedral
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Keep your eyes straight down this street. In a few moments, a tall stone spire rises ahead.

Everyone calls it the Stone Cathedral. It isn't actually a cathedral. It's the parish church of Our Lady of Lourdes, and this small town spent 34 years dressing it in stone.

The architect Bernardo Sartori drew it in the English Gothic style. Work began in 1953. In 1955, they decided to cover the walls in local basalt, and the job lasted until 1987.

The tower rises about 213 feet (65 meters). As we circle the square, look up, and feel its weight.
Place 7

Araucarias of the Estrada do Caracol

Distance: 0.65 mi R. Princesa Isabel, 22 - Jardim dos Pinheiros II, Canela - RS, 95684-150, Brazil Place 7: Araucarias of the Estrada do Caracol
0:00
The last shopfronts are falling behind. This is the Estrada do Caracol, the Snail Road, named for the stream and the falls at its end.

Look up at the skyline. Those tall trees with branches like upturned candelabras are araucarias, the Paraná pine. Brazilians call it pinheiro-brasileiro, the Brazilian pine. It belongs to this cool, high plateau, and it's been here since the age of the dinosaurs.

In autumn, its huge cones drop seeds called pinhão, the size of a thumb. People here boil them or roast them on the stove, and peel them like chestnuts. Gaúchos say winter isn't winter without pinhão.

These forests were once enormous. Then came the sawmills. In 1913, a timber company bought pine groves around Caracol and cut tracks toward the canyons. For much of the 1900s, araucaria forests were cut across southern Brazil on a vast scale.

Today the tree is protected and endangered. The groves you see along this road are survivors.

Listen for the change. Less traffic, more wind in the treetops. The waterfall is farther down this road.
Place 8

Talian: The Italian Dialect Born in Brazil

Distance: 0.46 mi R. José Pedro Piva, 3000 - Bosque Sinoserra, Canela - RS, 95680-000, Brazil Place 8: Talian: The Italian Dialect Born in Brazil
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In the villages of these highlands, you can still hear a language that exists almost nowhere else on earth. It's called Talian.

When Italian settlers arrived here in the late 1800s, most came from the Veneto, around Venice, and nearby regions of northern Italy. Each village brought its own dialect.

Here in Brazil, cut off from home, those dialects blended together, with a few Portuguese words mixed in. The result was a new language, Talian, also called Brazilian Venetian.

For a time, it was dangerous to speak it. During the Second World War, Brazil banned the public use of Italian and German, and families who spoke them could be fined or arrested. Many parents stopped teaching their children.

But Talian survived, in kitchens, churches and radio shows. And on September 9, 2014, Brazil's heritage institute officially recognized it as part of the cultural heritage of Brazil.

If you hear someone in a café say "bon dì", that's good morning in Talian.

The Italians gave this region something else too: its wine. The vineyards of the Serra Gaúcha, a little to the north of here, make most of Brazil's wine.
Place 9

The House Without Nails

Distance: 0.47 mi R. José Pedro Piva, Canela - RS, 95680-000, Brazil Place 9: The House Without Nails
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Ahead, among the trees on your left, stands a wooden house known as Castelinho Caracol, the Little Castle of Caracol.

Pedro Carlos Franzen and his wife, Luiza Sommer Franzen, built it between 1913 and 1915. It was one of the first homes in Canela.

And here's the remarkable part. They built it from araucaria timber, fitted together with joints and screws, without a single nail.

Before building, they soaked the boards for about six months in the Arroio Caracol, the stream that still runs behind the house. Then they dried them slowly in the shade, so the wood would last.

It worked. More than a hundred years later, the house is still standing.

Today it's a museum with a tea room. We're not stopping, but it's a lovely place to come back to.

The waterfall is just ahead.
Place 10

Chimarrão: The Gaúcho Ritual

Distance: 0.82 mi R. José Pedro Piva, 7415, Canela - RS, 95680-000, Brazil Place 10: Chimarrão: The Gaúcho Ritual
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We're on the final stretch now, heading to our last stop, the Caracol Falls. Before we get there, here's one more taste of the south.

If you spot someone carrying a gourd under one arm and a thermos under the other, you've just met a true gaúcho tradition: chimarrão.

The gaúchos are the people of Rio Grande do Sul, famous for their cowboys, their barbecue and this bitter green drink.

Chimarrão is mate, a strong tea made from the leaves of the erva-mate plant. The leaves are packed into a hollowed-out gourd called a cuia. Hot water, never boiling, is poured over them, and you sip it through a metal straw with a filter at the end, called a bomba.

The Guaraní people were drinking mate long before Europeans arrived. Later, the Jesuit missions of this region grew it on plantations.

And yes, there are rules.

The person who prepares it drinks first, because the first sip is the most bitter. Then the cuia goes around the circle, refilled for each person, and everyone drinks from the same straw.

When you've had enough, just say "obrigado," thank you, and you're out of the round. Say it too early, and you won't be offered more!

Here in the gaúcho south, sharing a cuia means friendship. So if someone offers you one, give it a try. Just don't stir the straw.

And now, get ready. The falls are just ahead.
Place 11

Parque do Caracol: Journey's End at the Falls

Distance: 0.19 mi RS-466, 5665 - Jardim das Fontes, Canela - RS, 95684-700, Brazil Place 11: Parque do Caracol: Journey's End at the Falls
0:00
Turn right!

We've arrived at Parque do Caracol, the Caracol Falls park, and this is where our drive ends. Follow the signs and park.

The waterfall is a short walk inside the park, past the entrance. Cascata do Caracol drops about 430 feet (131 meters), a single white ribbon of water falling from a basalt cliff into a deep, forested canyon.

For years, visitors could climb down nearly a thousand steps to its base. That stairway has been closed since 2015. The viewing decks at the top give the classic view.

Think back over the drive. A lake grown out of a fire. A parish older than its town. A film festival and a Christmas of light. A locomotive that reached Canela in 1924, and a cinnamon tree that named a town. A church that took 34 years to dress in stone, and a house built without nails.

Now it's time to explore on foot. Visit the falls, walk a forest trail, and look for the araucarias along the rim. If you have time, ride the separate Bondinhos Aéreos cable cars over the same canyon, or head back to Canela for a café colonial, the gaúcho feast of breads, cakes and cold cuts.

Thank you for touring with UCPlaces. Safe travels, obrigada, e boa viagem!

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Download the app (Android or iOS), purchase the tour (either here on the website, or from within the app).
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UCPlaces acts as your personal tour guide, providing self-guided audio tours fully navigated within our app using GPS-based navigation. You won't need to switch between external navigation apps.
Whenever you approach a point of interest (POI) on the tour, our app will automatically play the relevant audio story at the right time and place.
If you start the tour before reaching the first POI, the app will navigate you to the starting point and then begin the tour.

How is this more convenient than a traditional tour?

UCPlaces offers an innovative and flexible way to explore exciting destinations on your terms.
Here are some key advantages over traditional tours:

  • No need to commit upfront or purchase in advance; buy a tour only when you're ready to go.
  • Walk at your own pace.
  • No waiting for groups; go on your schedule.
  • Take the tour in your preferred language.
  • Start, stop and continue the tour whenever you want.
  • Returning to the same destination? Take the tour again, and again, and again... And bring a friend!
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What's included?

  • A self-guided audio tour taken via the UCPlaces app [iOS (iPhone) / Apple CarPlay / Android / Android Auto].
  • Tour route map and in-app GPS navigation (via the UCPlaces app).
  • Audio stories for places visited during the tour.
  • Apple CarPlay connection (iOS users) and Android Auto connection (Android users); for a seamless driving tour experience.

What's NOT included?

  • Earphones (highly recommended).
  • Smartphone.
  • Any kind of transportation (including tickets and passes).
  • Tickets to the attractions on your tour.
  • Food and drinks
  • Physical tour guide.

Have any questions about this tour? Or a general travel / self-guided tours question? That's completely natural

How long does this tour take?

Most travelers complete this tour in approximately 0.5 to 1 hours, depending on pace, time spent at each stop, and optional detours. Having said that, please remember that self-guided tours are extremly flexible (you can start, pause, continue anytime) and everyone has their own pace.

What does this tour include?

This self-guided driving tour includes 11 stops, covering top attractions such as Lago Negro: Here We Go, Gramado: A Small Town That Thinks Big, Vale do Quilombo, Oscar Knorr and a Million Hydrangeas, The Locomotive of 1924.

Where does the tour start?

The tour starts at Lago Negro: Here We Go (Address: R. Ladeira das Azaléias, 27 - Tres Pinheiros, Gramado - RS, 95670-000, Brazil). You can begin the tour there or join from any stop along the route.

What type of tour is this?

This is a self-guided driving tour designed to be completed by car, covering scenic routes, city highlights and optional key stops.

Can I do this tour at my own pace?

Yes, this is a self-guided driving tour, so you can start anytime and explore at your own pace. You can pause, skip stops, or spend more time at places that interest you. You can even split it into multiple days. Explore however feels right for you. The only vaiables that might affect your pace are speed limits and traffic congestion.

Do I need a car for this tour?

Yes, this is a driving tour, designed to be completed by car, with stops spread across different locations connected by a driving route.

Do I need anything in order to take the tour?

There are two things that you need - 1. A mobile phone (with the UCPlaces app installed and active location services, and a cellular data plan with a decent signal for downloading the tour). 2. A car. Here are some recommendations for a great experience: 1. Make sure your phone is fully charged and bring a charging cable for your car. 2. Connect your phone to the car speaker system via bluetooth or use our CarPlay/Android Auto option for the best experience.

How will I navigate from point to point during the tour?

The tour uses GPS-based navigation through the UCPlaces app, with automatic audio playback and step-by-step directions between stops. This works great either directly from your phone, or while connected to your car's multimedia system and using our CarPlay or Android Auto options. Just follow the route and listen to the audio guide. Use the resume feature to continue from where you recently stopped (or closed the app). Easily skip or go back to stops.

What known landmarks and main sites does this tour have?

The top landmarks and main sites on this tour include Lago Negro, Parque do Caracol, Vale do Quilombo, The Stone Cathedral, Chimarrão and The House Without Nails. In total, the tour has 11 points of interest along the route.

Is this tour suitable for families or groups?

Yes, self-guided tours are ideal for families and small groups, allowing everyone to explore comfortably without being tied to a fixed schedule.

What makes a self-guided tour better than a guided tour?

Self-guided tours are more flexible, affordable, and personalized. You can avoid crowds, choose your pace, and focus on the stops that interest you most.

I installed the app and it's now asking for GPS and media access permissions, why?

The app is your tour-guide, it needs to know where you are located on the map to be able to trigger the points of interest. It also needs access to audio and media files to provide you with this experience.

What happens if there are unexpected roadblocks or navigation issues?

We have been working hard to deliver a great experience. Though you may run into unexpected obstacles (the world is constantly changing), our app has multiple features and mechanisms in place to help you overcome them, including: AI assistance, force play an audio if you can't reach the stop, skip or return to stops, automatic rerouting and more.

Can I take the tour in my language?

Though all of our tours are primarily in English, many tours are multilingual (including: Spanish, German, Portuguese, French, Japanese, Hebrew, French, Arabic and more...). The tour language options depend on the specific tour - You can easily check which languages are available in the tour screen!

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