Caracol State Park, State park in Canela, Brazil

Caracol State Park covers 25 hectares in Canela, Rio Grande do Sul, at an average elevation of 760 metres. Its centrepiece is the Caracol Fall on the Arroio Caracol, a 131-metre free fall over basalt rock of the Serra Geral Formation. The water drops as a single white column down a cliff of layered tan, grey and brown rock, with dense forest on the slopes above and below.

The Kaingang, hunter-gatherers, occupied the area in prehistoric times. German settlers from the Wassen family arrived in 1863 and began farming and raising livestock. The state declared the park land of public utility in 1954; after expropriation it passed to Canela's tourist office in 1968, and the park was created in 1973 with 100 hectares, 25 of them state-owned.

The name Canela comes from a cinnamon tree (caneleira) under which early European explorers camped. The Loboguará Project, set up in 1991 and based in the park, runs courses on observation, interpretation and practical ecology, and the park keeps an environmental education centre in an old araucaria-pine house built by the Wassen family.

The park is well organized with marked trails and multiple viewing areas that make navigation straightforward, and a cable car system offers an alternative to hiking. Wear sturdy shoes because the forest floor can be damp and slippery, especially after rain.

This location in Brazil experiences actual snowfall and freezing temperatures during winter months, which is rare for the country. This makes the experience unusual and notable for visitors coming from warmer regions.