Paraty Natural Water Slide - Cachoeira do Tobogã

Swinging bridge at Cachoeira do Tobogã

Finally it is time to write about my mini-vacation. Russell and I had originally planned on going to the north of Brazil, Jericoacoara specifically, but decided that instead of spending hundreds on a plane ticket, we would just take a cheap bus to nearby Paraty and spend our money on good food and activities.

Upon our arrival in Paraty, after dropping our things at a pousada and grabbing a bite to eat, we headed to Cachoeira do Tobogã - a natural water slide that I has read is a must see when visiting Paraty.

See my photos of Cachoeira do Tobogã on Flickr

Cachoeira do Tobogã is 10km inland from Paraty and was featured in the film The Emerald Forest. To get there you can catch any bus marked "Penha" (R$2.60, 20-30 minutes) from the Paraty bus station. The ride there is beautiful and when we went everything was green and fresh. On the way up you will see the entrance on the right-hand side of the road. You can't miss it - there is a large poster with a photo of the falls next to a white church on a rock on the right and a covered bus stop on the left.

After walking down a path for 5 minutes we arrived at the bottom of the Cachoeira do Tobogã water slide - a big deep pool with a few people perched around it taking photos of the locals. About the locals: Do not do what they do! These guys go surfing down the slide on their feet often doing jumps and spins. Russell and I stuck to going down seated, which was enough fun for me.

Under the waterfall at Cachoeira do Tobogã

There is the bottom pool which you splash your way into from the slide and there is a top pool. The top pool was shollow enough for young kids and older couples to lounge in and there is a nice waterfall that runs into the pool. This is the waterfall that you can hide under as water cascades down around you blocking you from view. Rumor has it that this is where slaves would hide for weeks as they tried to escape their colonial masters.

I noticed that many people just hung around the two main pools and slide, but we decided to go up the path a little further (and across the kind of scary swinging bridge) to explore and were rewarded with clear swimming holes and nobody else around. We took some time to lay on the warm rocks and take in the sounds of the running water and the singing birds. Although we had the place to ourselves I imagine that during peak season things can get pretty packed since Bar do Tarzan is nearby (which was closed while we were there).

Cachoeira do Tobogã was extremely refreshing, rejuvenating, and relaxing. It is an easy location to reach, it is extremely beautiful, and the water slide is a blast! I highly recommend it to anyone who visits Paraty.

Note: There are also a lot of lovely pousadas nearby if you are looking to get out of Paraty's touristy colonial center for a night

Panorama of the Cachoeira do Tobogã pool