Founded in 1915 as the village of São Joaquim, Urubici is a small town in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. It reflects the influence of Portuguese, Italian, Latvian and African settlers and is renowned as a hub for vegetable production. Uribici is also famed for its natural beauty, with spectacular waterfalls, grottos and mountains to explore within São Joaquim National Park.
Things to do in Urubici
Don’t miss the Cascata do Avencal, a horseshoe-tail waterfall that plunges 100 metres over a spectacular cliff face. You can teeter high above the waterfall on the glass-bottomed lookout or fly over it on the zip line. Around one kilometre away is the Cascata do Mundo Novo, which is surrounded by giant tree ferns.
On the outskirts of Uribici is an important religious pilgrimage destination, Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, which houses a statue of the Virgin Mary. Devotees visit the cave to leave objects and photos while admiring the 10-metre-high waterfall that plunges nearby. To the north is the River Cave of the Indians, which was once inhabited by the area’s indigenous peoples.
Sprawling south of Urubici is São Joaquim National Park, which encompasses 48,300 hectares of alpine meadows, cloud forests and remnants of native Parana pines. It provides important habitat for a variety of wildlife species, including cougars, maned wolves and red-spectacled Amazon parrots. Impressive views across the park can be enjoyed from the natural stone “window” at Morro da Igreja.
Getting around Urubici
Urubici is around three hours’ drive from Florianopolis and Hercílio Luz International Airport, which has flights to destinations across South America. Buses connect to Urubici and the town centre is small enough to explore on foot. Renting a car is the most convenient way of getting around the region.