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Cachoeira do Tabuleiro Climbing

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Elevation:	3,311 ft	1,009 m
GPS:	-19.08808, -43.55209 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	220 total · 7/month
Shared By:	Jim Lawyer on Aug 17, 2022
Admins:	Roberta Zouain, Matt Looby, Jim Lawyer Page Updates (admin only)

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Description

The third highest waterfall in Brazil, this amphitheater and surrounding walls have many poorly-documented big-wall routes. Some of the orange rock behind the waterfall is some of the best anywhere. It's an amazing place even if you don't climb.

Information is difficult to come by, so here are some pointers:

You need to check in at the park headquarters (where you park) and get a permit to climb. Permits are free, but since you need for somebody to be in the office, this limits how early you can start. You cannot get a permit online.
Permits are given out, one per route. They don't allow multiple parties on the same route. So if your route of choice is occupied, you will not be given a permit. And since information is so sparse, the burden is on you to name a different route. So do your research.
You have to be out of the parking lot by 17:00, or maybe 18:00 if you let them know in advance. Still, that makes for a short day. A bivy might take the sting out and give you more time.
If you plan to bivy on the wall, you need a "poop tube" and other big-wall gear. They check for this when you get your permit.
The approach to the base of the waterfall takes about 2 hours. That doesn't leave a lot of time to climb your route and get back to your car.
The access is closed (!) during the rainy season. The waterfall becomes really f'ing big and the river impassable, so you wouldn't want to be in there anyway. Season is June through August.
Most of the routes require trad gear, although once up on the wall, some routes are entirely sport.
Some routes are [minimally] described here.
As inviting as the plunge pool is for swimming, you can't without a life jacket that you have to carry in from the headquarters. During busy times, there may be a life guard to enforce this rule. I suppose this doesn't prevent you from swimming in any of the many pools you pass on the way in.
The park-climber relationship is improving, so these rules may relax or change in the future.

Getting There

Make your way to the park headquarters, located here. The headquarters is about an hour on dirt roads from Conceição do Mato Dentro, a bustling little mining town that you can't wait to escape (best to avoid this place). There are a couple hostels / pousadas in the little town of Tabuleiro (just before the park headquarters) that would make accessing the waterfall easier. This little town is quite scenic and feels (and is) very remote.

From the parking, follow the obvious tourist/highway trail down into the gorge to the river. It's quite an elevation drop, and makes it a challenge to come out later. Once at the river, follow red paint marks upriver to the waterfall.

You can approach from the top as well, but that's an entirely different matter involving locating your route from the top and rappelling in. Once you know the gorge, this probably makes more sense.

From below, the easiest routes to access are those behind the waterfall above the plunge pool. This is because there is no bushwhacking or elevation gain to where you begin climbing. You have to climb an "access route" (the common one is named "Incrivel Engano" or "Incredible Mistake"), which requires trad gear, to access a ledge from which most routes begin. The wall extends quite a bit to the right with many more routes. To access these, on the hike in, keep a sharp eye on the right for some cairns, which are easy to miss. These lead *steeply* and ruggedly up the hillside to the cliff, which adds about an hour to the approach. (Bushwhacking up this slope is the absolute worse, so absolutely locate this path.)