Trip to Ametista do Sul and Derrubadas in November: how the departure works

Some trips we put together because the destination is beautiful, and others because the destination exists nowhere else in the world. Ametista do Sul is the second kind: a town of just over seven thousand inhabitants in the north-west of Rio Grande do Sul, considered the world capital of amethyst, with a church lined inside with stone and mines that still blast basalt to extract crystal.

The departure runs from 27 to 29 November 2026, Friday to Sunday, by leito (sleeper-class) coach from Porto Alegre, with a guide and a travel agent accompanying the group from boarding to return. And before reaching Ametista do Sul, the group stops at a wonder few people know: the Salto do Yucumã.

The itinerary, day by day

Friday, 27 November: Salto do Yucumã

Boarding is at 6:30 am at the Estacionamento Haud Park, in Porto Alegre. The group spends the morning on the road to Derrubadas, in the Parque Estadual do Turvo, on the Uruguay river, on the border with Argentina. There the park's safari takes place: a ride of about 15 kilometres in the park's own vehicles, with drivers, to the viewpoints over the Salto do Yucumã, the longest longitudinal waterfall in the world, almost two kilometres long, running along the river instead of dropping forward like an ordinary waterfall.

Saturday, 28 November: Ametista do Sul from the inside

After breakfast, the day is spent in the amethyst capital with a local guide: the Igreja Matriz São Gabriel (walls, columns and altar covered with more than 40 tonnes of amethyst druses), the panoramic tower with a lift, the working mine (garimpo) with a blasting demonstration, the Museu Subterrâneo de Minerais Gigantes and the Vinícola Ametista, which ages wine in galleries dug into the basalt, with a tasting included.

Sunday, 29 November: museums, bamboo and lunch in the mine

The last day starts at the Museu do Bambu, with a tasting, and continues to the Ametista Parque Museu, which describes itself as the largest collection of minerals in Latin America, with a ride on a motorised wagon through the inside of the mine. The closing lunch is at the Restaurante Subterrâneo Temático Belvedere Mina, so you have lunch inside an amethyst mine, and then the group returns to Porto Alegre.

What the trip to Ametista do Sul includes

Not included are drinks, free meals (Saturday lunch and dinner) and the optional tasting at the Ametista Parque Museu.

Why November is a good time

November is the start of the dry spell in the north-west of Rio Grande do Sul, and the Yucumã depends on it: with the Uruguay river low, the falls appear in full; with the river high, the water covers the fissure and it almost disappears. Late November is the right window. In Ametista do Sul, the mines, museums and church do not depend on the weather: the itinerary works on any day.

Who this trip is for

For those who are curious to see different places without giving up comfort. The itinerary is calm, designed for the pace of most of our travellers, and many in the group are over sixty. The walks are short (the trail to the falls' viewpoints, the mine corridors), the church tower has a lift, and the mine is toured in an adapted vehicle, which is also accessible to wheelchair users.

How to book

Bookings are made by WhatsApp with Ana Carla: a deposit secures your place and the remainder can be paid in instalments until boarding. The package price and full conditions are on the trip page: November 2026: Ametista do Sul and Derrubadas.

All departures with set dates are listed in all trips. If you would like to prepare at your own pace, you can read what to pack for a coach trip and the get ready page.

Itinerary curation

This itinerary is organised with curation by Guatambu Travel, a partner of Mundo a Passeio; if you would like to know more about the destination, see the Ametista do Sul page.