Lonely Planet BrazilTrent Holden et al.
Guidebook
Lonely Planet Brazil
Trent Holden et al. · 2025
Covers Foz do Iguaçu's panoramic side, Chapada Diamantina for Fumaça, and the Serra Gaúcha around Canela for Caracol.
Brazil · Minas Gerais
Bahia Falls
Bahia Falls is a waterfall on the Santo Antônio River, in city of Santo Antônio do Rio Abaixo, in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. It has about 4 m of height.
Essentials guide
Facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia, compiled September 2026; season and access are our estimate, not a visit report. How we build these pages.
Bahia Falls drops 4 metres (13 ft) on the Santo Antônio River. It is a cataract-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Santo Antônio do Rio Abaixo, Brazil. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).
As a cataract waterfall, a large, powerful waterfall or series of rapids on a big river.
What you can do here
A walk-in-and-look waterfall
No commercial adventures run at Bahia Falls itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Santo Antônio do Rio Abaixo are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forHikingPhotography
When to go
Tropical wet season fed: the rains bring the volume, the first dry months bring the clear skies and full falls together.
Getting there
- Base town Santo Antônio do Rio Abaixo, Brazil
- Country Brazil
- Region Minas Gerais, Brazil, South America
- Access Moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail
How it compares
This waterfall
Bahia Falls
Brazil
Height4 mWidth—
Most similar
Buckley Falls
Australia
Height4 mWidth—
Also a cataract waterfall and of similar height
Largest curtain
Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe · Zambia
Height108 mWidth1,708 m
Largest single sheet of falling water
Tallest on earth
Angel Falls
Venezuela
Height979 mWidth—
Widest on earth
Khone Phapheng Falls
Laos
Height21 mWidth10,783 m
Measured across the whole multi-channel system
4 m
4 m
108 m
330 m
979 m
Bahia FallsBuckley FallsVictoria FallsEiffel TowerAngel Falls
Khone Phapheng Falls
10,783 m
Victoria Falls
1,708 m
Angel Falls is 245× taller than Bahia Falls. Victoria Falls is 27× taller. We don't have a reliable crest width for Bahia Falls yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
Watch and read
Books worth packing
Guidebook
South American Handbook
Ben Box · 2017
The one-volume continental handbook, useful for multi-country trips that link falls such as Iguazú, Kaieteur and Angel Falls.
On the map
-19.236, -43.218
Quick answers
Where is Bahia Falls?
Bahia Falls is in Brazil (Minas Gerais). The nearest base is Santo Antônio do Rio Abaixo, Brazil. Its coordinates are -19.2360, -43.2180.
How tall is Bahia Falls?
Bahia Falls drops 4 metres (13 feet). It is a cataract-type waterfall on the Santo Antônio River.
When is the best time to visit Bahia Falls?
Peak flow is January to May. Tropical wet season fed: the rains bring the volume, the first dry months bring the clear skies and full falls together.
What can you do at Bahia Falls?
Beyond the viewpoints: hiking and photography. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail.
How do you get to Bahia Falls?
The usual base is Santo Antônio do Rio Abaixo, Brazil. A real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail from there.
Nearby
Closest to Bahia Falls
Chuvisco Falls
Brazil · 10 m · 7 km away
Chuvisco Falls is a waterfall on the Rio Preto in Minas Gerais, Brazil, on the boundary between the…
Toldi Falls
Brazil · 460 km away
Toldi Falls is a waterfall located in the municipality of São Bento do Sapucaí, São Paulo, Brazil.
Henriques waterfall
Brazil · 470 km away
Henriques waterfall is a waterfall located in the Henriques bairro of the municipality of Gonçalves, Minas…
Itiquira Falls
Brazil · 168 m · 620 km away
One of central Brazil's tallest waterfalls
Swimming