Salto Ventoso Waterfall, Farroupilha

About this place

Salto Ventoso, the «Windy Fall», is a waterfall in Farroupilha, near Bento Gonçalves, dropping about sixty metres on the stream that shares its name. Its finest feature is a horseshoe-shaped cave that runs some two hundred metres behind the water and rises twenty metres high; Indigenous people once used it as a shelter, and Italian immigrants gave the falls their name in the late nineteenth century. The waterfall lies in a private park about fifteen kilometres from the town centre, and part of the trail passes behind the falls, the stretch visitors most want to walk. In 2016 the site was upgraded under the town's tourism department, with safety railings along the trail, lookouts, benches and information panels, and an entry fee was introduced. Swimming is forbidden because the water is polluted, but the site is lovely for walking and photography, with a small snack bar and parking.