Two drops
Off a green cliff.
Draceane — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Draceane — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Draceane — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Draceane — CC BY-SA 4.0
One of the world's tallest waterfalls, falling in two successive drops from a green cliff deep in the cloud forest, with a total height measured at about 771 metres. It stayed unknown to the world until 2002, when a German explorer visited with a Peruvian team, even though nearby villages had seen it clearly for centuries. As for why villagers kept quiet, local legend says they feared the curse of a blonde mermaid living in its waters, whose long hair they saw in the threads of water falling down the rock. After it was announced in 2006 it became one of northern Peru's best-known sights. The hike starts in Cocachimba on a clear path through farms and then under cloud-forest trees, with colourful birds, hummingbirds and orchids, to the base of the second drop, where cold spray blows hard. The trip is about ten kilometres there and back, taking five to six hours. The last section climbs over rocks, and you can hire a horse for most of the way. Bring a rain jacket, as the spray soaks everything, and cash, as the fee is paid in cash and there is no ATM nearby.
Off a green cliff.
Birds and orchids.
Hair of water.
Near Cocachimba village, Bongará province, about an hour's drive north of Chachapoyas
Moderate: about ten kilometres there and back in five to six hours, with a rocky climb at the end. You can hire a horse for most of the way from Cocachimba.