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 · Bahia
Cachoeira da Fumaça
Smoke Falls
Water free-falls off a sandstone tableland in Chapada Diamantina and, in a strong breeze, never reaches the canyon floor at all, dispersing into smoke-like mist that gives the falls their name. The clifftop viewpoint after a demanding hike looks straight down the full drop rather than at it from below.
One of Brazil's tallest waterfalls Essentials guide
Checked September 2026 by David Bussell
Cachoeira da Fumaça drops 340 metres (1,116 ft) on the Rio Capivara, inside Chapada Diamantina National Park. It is a plunge-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Vale do Capão, with SSA the closest airport. Access to the main viewpoint is rated hard.
Cachoeira da Fumaça is the tallest of the 14 waterfalls we cover in Brazil. As a plunge waterfall, water leaves the rock entirely and falls free through the air.
What you can do here
A walk-in-and-look waterfall
No commercial adventures run at Cachoeira da Fumaça itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Vale do Capão are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forCampingHikingPhotography
When to go
Dry season (Apr-Sep) is best for the strenuous clifftop hike; heavy rains make the trail slick.
Entry: Park entry fee ~$5 USD
Getting there
- Base town Vale do Capão
- Airport SSA
- Country Brazil
- Region Bahia, Brazil, South America
- Access Hard — a serious approach: distance, altitude, a boat, or a guide
How it compares
This waterfall
Cachoeira da Fumaça
Brazil
Height340 mWidth—
Most similar
Maria Jiray Falls
Peru
Height300 mWidth—
Also a plunge waterfall, of similar height and in Peru
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
108 m
300 m
330 m
340 m
979 m
Victoria FallsMaria Jiray FallsEiffel TowerCachoeira da FumaçaAngel Falls
Khone Phapheng Falls
10,783 m
Victoria Falls
1,708 m
Angel Falls is 2.9× taller than Cachoeira da Fumaça. It drops 3.1× further than Victoria Falls (108 m). We don't have a reliable crest width for Cachoeira da Fumaça yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
Watch and read
Videos from Cachoeira da Fumaça
31:54
14:07
10:24
Chosen from YouTube; videos belong to their creators and play from YouTube's privacy-enhanced player.
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
-12.6007, -41.4551
Quick answers
Where is Cachoeira da Fumaça?
Cachoeira da Fumaça is in Brazil (Bahia), inside Chapada Diamantina National Park. The nearest base is Vale do Capão and the closest airport is SSA. Its coordinates are -12.6007, -41.4551.
How tall is Cachoeira da Fumaça?
Cachoeira da Fumaça drops 340 metres (1,116 feet). It is a plunge-type waterfall on the Rio Capivara.
When is the best time to visit Cachoeira da Fumaça?
Peak flow is April to August. Dry season (Apr-Sep) is best for the strenuous clifftop hike; heavy rains make the trail slick.
What can you do at Cachoeira da Fumaça?
Beyond the viewpoints: camping, hiking and photography. Access to the main viewpoint is rated hard — a serious approach: distance, altitude, a boat, or a guide.
How do you get to Cachoeira da Fumaça?
The usual base is Vale do Capão, and the closest airport is SSA. A serious approach: distance, altitude, a boat, or a guide from there. Park entry fee ~$5 USD.
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