Vértice trail
Along the rim.
Valdiney Pimenta from Campinas - SP, Brazil — CC BY 2.0 · Rene Lecheta — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Prdcfr — CC BY-SA 3.0
Itaimbezinho is the best-known canyon in southern Brazil, in Aparados da Serra National Park on the border between Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. The park was created on 17 December 1959, and here the rolling grassland of the plateau ends suddenly in vertical walls hundreds of metres high, as if trimmed with a knife, hence the name aparados, trimmed. The canyon runs 5.8 kilometres, up to 600 metres wide and some 720 metres deep, with a stream along its floor and waterfalls pouring from its walls, among them Andorinhas and Véu de Noiva. Its name is Tupi-Guarani: ita, stone, and aí'be, sharp. Two easy trails, Vértice and Cotovelo, follow the rim with stunning views, while the Rio do Boi trail on the canyon floor needs booking, a guide and an extra fee. Fog often hides the canyon on summer afternoons, so go in the morning. It is a long day trip from Gramado; better to stay overnight in Cambará do Sul.
Along the rim.
From sheer walls.
Ending abruptly.
Aparados da Serra National Park, Cambará do Sul
In the morning, as fog often hides the canyon on summer afternoons; the R$97 ticket is valid for three visits within seven days.