In Search of the Amazon Cataract

I was sitting in a restaurant in the port of Nanay in Iquitos, drinking Camu Camu juice to cool off from the strong heat so commonly felt in the jungle. I ordered grilled fish with a suri Kebob, Suri, is a worm that lives inside a palm tree, while watching the movement of the boats and fishermen that came from other parts of the Amazon.

 

Smoked fish with Tacacho, Suri and cocona sauce with ají charapita.

 

As I sat down eating I could not help but overhear the conversation of two young people, close by, talking about a spectacular waterfall on the next table. I interrupted their conversation and asked them where it was and what it was like. I was amazed at his description and wrote down the name since it was not easy to remember: Gocta Waterfall.

I searched the internet and I was amazed, it was spectacular. At that time, I could not consider traveling because the next day I had to sail on the cruise where I worked for the Amazon.

Arrival to Chachapoyas city

As soon as I had I was able to travel to the city of Chachapoyas, a small city nestled in the Andes in what is called “high jungle” which is the transition between the Andes and the jungle. It is about 2000m above sea level.

The city of Chahapoyas had the same physiognomy as the typical cities of the Peruvian highlands (Andes) with a central plaza that in Peru is called Plaza de Armas.

 

Plaza de armas in Chachapoyas

 

I contacted a friend who would help me to arrange a short tour to go to the famous waterfall. I stayed in a charming hotel a few streets from the square.

The first thing I did after arriving, was check out a local market to buy a sweater. Since the city is located in the province of Amazonas, the weather is characteristic of the Andes, at night it gets a little cold even though we are near the Amazonian tropical climate. I went around the city, it is small, charming, quiet and with a very welcoming people. You can immediately perceive their sympathy and generosity.

The Adventure Begins

The next morning a small van came to pick me up at the hotel and my adventure began. The waterfall is on the outskirts of the city, less than an hour on paved road. I spoke with the native guide and she explained that the level of difficulty to get to the waterfall was not very demanding. After an hour we reached a nearby village and started walking.

The views were majestic and the more we walked, the more excited I was. In a few minutes I was surrounded by vegetation.

 

Path to the Gocta Cataract

 

We were walking about 40 minutes up the mountain, fortunately the climb was not very steep. I must emphasize that along the way we stopped a few times to appreciate and contemplate the wonderful landscapes that could be observed.

 

 

Arrival at the great Gocta Cataract

While we were walking, we began to see the majestic waterfall from a distance, it made an impression on me and even more when we saw that other small waterfalls were forming near the great waterfall. Finally, we could see the incredible Gocta waterfall, we were speechless at such beauty.

 

Gocta Cataract

 

When we were near, we saw a sign indicating the different falls. It is the third highest waterfall in the world with a height of 771 meters and we are approaching one of its falls.

 

 

 

Falls of the Cataract

We started with the second fall and touching the water was one of the best experiences I have had in my life. It is very difficult to describe what I experienced but I noticed a force of falling water that penetrated inside me, nature in all its splendor and intensity. Something magical, that only the essence and complexion of mother nature makes us feel.

 

 

I was stuck in awe as I was admiring the waterfall for more than 40 minutes in awe of its grandeur and meditating on the importance that all human beings have of preserving our greatest patrimony that is the planet earth.

 

 

After a while, while the rest of the people returned, at that moment I decided to go down to the end of the waterfall. The access was not easy, it is very steep, you need to be in very good physical condition. I got to go down and see the waterfall from another point of view.

 

 

On my return to the town, I met several local people and if there is something that I love when traveling is to talk and interact with native people. His smile and kindness captivated me and I could not resist taking a picture to have a memory for posterity.

 

 

If you enjoyed reading about my experience and interested in doing the same click here: Kuelap Fortress and the Gocta Cataract in the Amazon

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