This was our first stop on the 2-week waterfall tour in Ilhabela and the reason for making this the…read morenumber one pitstop was due to the fact that we were rolling late into the afternoon (it was around 4pm) and this was said to be a short and easy hike with a decent payoff.
True to what we'd read, this trio of waterfalls was easily accessible (located towards the southern part of the island) and offered a short drive uphill to the parking area (more like parking off to the side of the road).
Considering the fact that there was a light drizzle, we were fairly alone on the trail and hit the first waterfall within 5 minutes of walking. This one was my favorite. You could hop rocks to reach a small (super small) island-like area where you could stand directly in front of where the water came crashing down. There, you could dip in for a light swim (very light considering that there wasn't a ton of swimmable area).
The next waterfall we hiked up to would never exist without a barrier in the U.S. I nearly lost my dog to whatever drop it offered. I can imagine a few people slipping on the rocks and falling a handful of meters to their... death? broken elbow? We never did find out.
The third waterfall was money and not as ominous as the second, but also not as favorite as the first.
This short hike was a great appetizer in what was to become a behemoth of a 2-week waterfall meal.