Passo Fundo, Santo Ângelo and the Jesuit Missions in Brazil

Northwest of Porto Alegre by 328 km is Passo Fundo, regarded as 'the most

city in Rio Grande do Sul', so much so that the town's square boasts a statue of a

gourd and bombilla. There is an international

in December.

Santo Ângelo is a pleasant town with the best infrastructure for visiting the missions. It has a missionary museum in the main square where there is a

with a hideous fresco of missionaries indoctrinating the indigenous population. The only considerable Jesuit remains in Brazilian territory are the very dramatic ones at

, some 50 km from Santo Ângelo. At São Miguel, now a World Heritage Site, there is a church (1735-1745) and small

.

A

show in Portuguese is held daily, in winter at 2000, and later in summer, although the timing depends on how many people there are. The show ends too late to return to Santo Ângelo and there are one or two options for accommodation . It is difficult to find a good place to eat in the evening; although there is a reasonable pizzeria next to the

or you could try a snack bar for hamburgers.

festivals are often held on Sunday afternoons, in a field near the mission (follow the music).

You can continue into Argentina to see the mission ruins at San Ignacio Miní and Posadas by getting a bus from Santo Ângelo to the quiet border town of

, on the Rio Uruguay. Buses also run to Porto Xavier from Porto Alegre and Santa Maria.

Between November and April, the Rio Uruguay overflows along its east bank for over 1800 m, creating the world's longest waterfall. The 12-m-high Salto do Yucumâ is in the 17,000-ha

. Its isolation (530 km northwest of Porto Alegre on the Argentine border) means few tourists visit. Accordingly it is a wildlife haven with over 220 bird species and 34 mammal species (12 threatened). The nearest town,

, 4 km from the park and has an