Canela [1]’s main draw is the Parque Estadual do Caracol (Estrada do Caracol Km 9, tel. 54/3278-3035, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. daily, R$8). Within its borders is the stunning 131-meter (430-foot) Cascata do Caracol, the tallest waterfall in Rio Grande do Sul [2]. You can gaze on this spectacle from a lookout point, or else climb 927 very steep stairs (which takes about 40 minutes and isn’t for the faint of heart or breath) to the top of the falls.
Less exhausting are the hiking trails that weave through the park’s wooded landscape. If you don’t have a car, you can get to the park on the “Caracol Circular” bus that leaves from Canela’s rodoviária.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/brazil/the-south/rio-grande-do-sul/serra-gaucha/canela
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/brazil/the-south/rio-grande-do-sul