Pousada da Toca

The waterfalls are beautiful, especially Poço do Coração, but the bridge leading to them needs maintenance. When an employee charged us the extra fee to enter the park, she came across as distrustful, as if she thought we might sneak in without paying. We had planned to eat lunch there after our outing, but the poor service led us to have our meal in the town center instead.

Several waterfalls in the Toca complex are close enough to reach on foot from the inn. I suggest walking to Cachoeira da Borda Infinita (Véu da Noiva), about a 30-minute walk from the pousada. The chalets are right at the entrance to Carrancas, but surrounded by nature, so you can rest and get away from the town. If you want to go into Carrancas, the center is only about five minutes away.

I walked there, and getting to the site was easy. I didn’t stay overnight, though the place looked nice. The restaurant service and food were great, and I really enjoyed them. The waterfall is beautiful, but the muddy route to it was slippery. The trail could use some improvement to make all parts of the waterfall easier to reach. I plan to come back, and hope access to every part is better then.

The location is inside the Toca complex, which is handy if you have children and don’t want to drive around. One day of staying there was enough for me. The waterfalls and scenery are beautiful, and the place itself is impressive. We stayed in simple but comfortable chalet no. 10, with a great view. Lunch was simple and delicious, though the restaurant only operates until 6 pm. Breakfast was disappointing and not at all what I’d expect from a countryside-style meal. Service was weak too. The staff didn’t seem trained, had more than one job, and weren’t friendly, so we didn’t get good service. The bridge to the waterfalls is old, poorly maintained, and dangerous, so be very careful. The signs for the inn are poor, and I drove past without seeing it. Don’t rely on GPS in Carrancas, its information is wrong and can take you to the wrong place. At night the road from the main road to the pousada is completely dark. They should add at least a few lights. It could be dangerous in the rain, and the narrow section only fits one car, with a risk of going into the fishing pay lake. Thankfully nothing happened, but at night the chalet area seemed abandoned, with everything dark and no one obvious to contact if you needed help. There’s no front desk, and everyone disappears after 6 pm.