Brazil - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 361

parks; buses to Parque Estadual do Caracol also run from
here. Daily 8am-7pm.

Ì TREAT YOURSELF
La Caceria Av Borges de Medeiros 3166
T 54 3295 7575, W casadamontanha.com
.br. An intriguing but expensive restaurant
in the classy Hotel Casa da Montanha ,
specializing in game dishes (mains
R$43-79) with unusual tropical fruit
sauces that complement the often
strong-tasting meat. Daily 7pm-midnight.

ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation can be hard to come by during peak
periods, when you should book ahead. Though it's cheaper
than Gramado, it is not cheap per se, and the town can be
easily visited on a day-trip from Porto Alegre.
Hostel Viajante Rua Ernesto Urbani 132 T 54 3282
2017, W pousadadoviajante.com.br. Right next to the
rodoviária , this is the best budget choice, with economical
dorms and neat and tidy doubles - perfect for travellers
windi ng down after a hard day's bungee jumping. Dorms
R$45 , doubles R$110

in downtown, with elegantly furnished, heated rooms,
free wi-fi, LCD TVs and floor-to-ceiling windows. The
substa ntial buffet breakfast will set you up for the day.
R$86

EATING
You can forget about finding truly cheap eats in Canela,
but there are some interesting restaurants around town
that make it worth investing the extra few reais; Canela is
especially known for its apple strudel and other German-
inspired sweet treats.
Churrascaria Espelho Gaúcho Baden Powel 50, at
Av Danton Corrêa T 54 3282 4348, W espelhogaucho.com
.br. Meat, meat and more luscious barbecued meat. In
fact all the meat you can eat for a one-off R$30.90. Daily
11.30am-3pm & 6-11pm.
Strudelhaus Rua Baden Powell 246 T 54 3282 9562,
W strudelhaus.de. This German-inspired restaurant is the
place to sample that schnitzel, wurst and apfelstrudel .
Mains R$15-25. Tues 8-10.30pm, Wed-Fri noon-2.30pm
& 8-10.30pm, Sat noon-3pm & 8-11pm, Sun 11.45am-
3pm.
Toca da Bruxa Praça da Matriz 50 T 54 3282 9750,
W tocadabruxa.com.br. A pizza house styled like a witch's
den. Serves a series of savoury and sweet pizzas (from
R$15.90) with haunting names such as the “Furiosa” and
the “Sinistra”, the latter with a healthy serving of chilli
peppers. Tues-Sun 7-11pm.

3

EATING
Gramado is noted for its handmade chocolate and has
some good restaurants (especially fondue places), but
expect to pay through the nose for anything resembling
a good meal; aim for the buffets or “café colonial” places to
fill up for a reasonably good price.
Ì Bela Vista Café Colonial Av das Hortências 4665
T 54 3286 1608, W belavista.tur.br. One of Gramado's
classic Alpine-style cafés, offering fabulous “café colonial”
spreads of cakes, pastries and meats for R$45. Mon-Fri
11am-11pm, Sat & Sun 10am-11pm.
ITA Brasil Av São Pedro 1005 T 54 3286 3833. Off the
main drag, but well worth seeking out for the cheap lunch
buffets (R$14 or R$23 per kilo) of classic Italian-Brazilian
food, fresh juices, strong coffee and home-made cachaça
(liquor made from fermented sugar-cane juice). Wed-
Mon 11.15am-2.30pm.

CANELA
Marginally cheaper than Gramado, but
arranged very much along the same lines,
CANELA (which means “cinnamon”),
8km further east, is another mountain
retreat popular with holidaying Brazilians
and better located for visits to the nearby
national parks.

PARQUE ESTADUAL DO CARACOL
Just 7km outside Canela on RS-466
(aka Estrada do Caracol), the highlight
of the PARQUE ESTADUAL DO CARACOL
(daily 8.45am-5.45pm; R$12) is the
spectacular Cascata do Caracol , a stunning
waterfall on the Río Caracol that plunges
dramatically over a 131m-high cliff of
basaltic rock in the middle of dense
forest. The hike to the foot of the falls
involves climbing down (and then up)
over 700 exhausting steps. Alternatively,
skip the walk and take a lift ( elevador
panorâmico ) up the 27m-high

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By bus Buses arrive at the rodoviária ( T 54 3282 1375),
a short walk from the centre.
Destinations Gramado (local buses every 20min; 15-20min;
R$1.80); Porto Alegre (15 daily; 2hr); São Francisco de Paula
(8 daily; 2hr).
Tourist information The tourist o ce, at Largo da Fama
227 ( T 54 3282 2200, W canelaturismo.com.br) in the
town centre, can put you in touch with a host of tour
companies arranging adventure-style trips to the national