I have to admit that I am a bit skeptical when somebody speaks of waterfalls or for that matter, any large volume of water flowing down a rockface.
It has probably happened to you before, when someone has said “look, there are some very beautiful waterfalls in this region you have to visit! You gotta take the bus number 28 to that town over there, where Jesuschrist lost his cap, walk for about four hours, cross two rivers, get chased by the dog that guards the neighbor’s goats…. and there you have the waterfalls … they are beautiful!”
So you do what they say, you get rained on, luckily that dog doesn’t bite you and when you finally arrive, you think “seriously? Have I just come all this way to see a 4 metre high waterfall? God damn it!”
Yes, it’s happened to me many times and i’m sure it will keep happening because I’m stubborn and for some reason I don’t learn from my mistakes. However, this time when I was told that I should do a small hike to the Gocta falls, they were in fact right. Oh yeah !! It really is an impressive place!
The Gocta falls, also known as “La Chorrera”, consists of two drops, the first one 231 meters tall and the other 540, making it a total height of 771 meters. The image that you have at the beginning of the trek is spectacular, with the Gocta falls in the background, and as you get closer to source the views get even better
To get here you walk along a path in the midst of a thick, warm and humid forest surrounded by a beautiful mountaineous landscape. The Hike to the Gocta falls is quite simple. It doesn’t require much physical fitness and can be completed in 2.5 hours up and downhill.
MAP
HOW TO GET THERE
First, you have to get to the city of Chachapoyas and from there get transportation to Cocachimba.
The transport from Chachapoyas to Cocachimba is not very frequent, but you can always find some Combis (vans) or a tourist bus.
TIPS FOR HIKING TO THE GOCTA FALLS
CLOTHES AND SHOES
The road can be somewhat slippery, so you have to take good boots.
In the rainy season, from November to March, it can rain a lot. A water jacket is a good idea.
ROAD FROM CAJAMARCA
Another good reason for coming here is to travel the dangerous road coming from Cajamarca, similar to that of the Road of the Death in Bolivia. The views are unbeatable and the recklessness of the driver, unsurpassed.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
I highly recommend that you get a good insurance policy before you visit Peru. Trusted by thousand of adventurers, World Nomads is one of the best and more reliable options (without breaking your bank).
Read Next: Hiking the Huayhuash Circuit in Peru
Do you have any questions about Hike to the Gocta falls in Chachapoyas? Leave a comment!
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Hi, I’m Miguel; Adventure traveler, scuba diver and hiking lover. I have been traveling the world for the last 12 years and I hope my experiences, photos and hiking routes inspire you to travel the world too.
Of all the tourist destinations in Peru, after Machu Picchu, the Gocta Waterfall is my favorite place. In this place you can breathe nature.
Planning on hitting trail this weekend. Heard it is a really tough hike.
Hi, it’s not too hard but that’s a personal opinion. Let me know how it goes.
It was an amazing hike. We started at San Pablo and hiked to Cocachimba in 5 hours. The walk was so beautiful since you could see the waterfall from all different angles and hights. When we arrived in Cocachimba there was this one man, Hilton, who rides a collectivo directly from Cocachimba to Chachapoyas for 10 soles. This was handy and he drove very safe so we would recommand going back with him instead of taking a mototaxi (5 sol) and then waiting for a collectivo (5sol) to pick you up!