Hiking up Colombia’s tallest waterfall
“Can we go to La Chorrera tomorrow?” this is what Maša, my Slovenian friend said to me while she was visiting me in Bogotá last October.
“La Cho-what?!!” is what I thought. “I wonder if she means Chorro de Quevedo” – which is a popular tourist attraction in downtown Bogotá. I quickly googled this “Chorrera” place that I had never heard of before, and surprise, surprise… I found out this was Colombia’s tallest waterfall (590 metres, or 1935 feet), located only about an hour away from my home city.
La Chorrera is located in the town of Choachí, approximately 3,400 metres (over 11,000 feet) above sea level. The drive itself is absolutely gorgeous, however windy, with beautiful sights and landscapes wherever you look. Keep an eye out for frailejones, also known as big monks, which are a native plant from Colombia, Venezuela, Perú and Ecuador. Frailejones only grow in páramos, which are high treeless plateaus in tropical South America.
Getting to La Chorrera:
If you have a car, you’re set. You’ll drive yourself there and back at your own pace and on your own time. If you’re going on Saturday or Sunday, be patient. The drive up to Choachí can be slow on these days, as there are tons of professional and amateur cyclists making their way up the Andes mountains. The lanes are narrow, and it’s sometimes hard to pass the cyclists.
No car? No problem! We took the Transmilenio (public transit) to the Tercer Milenio station, and we came across a local man with a small van taking tourists up directly to La Chorrera! Hit me up if you want his number.
If you can’t find transportation directly to La Chorrera, you’ll have to take a bus to the town of Choachí (less than $5 CAD), and once you get to the main town, you’ll ask around for transportation to La Chorrera.
The entry free is highly affordable. The basic package is $33000 COP (about $12 CAD), or you can add in lunch to your entry fee for $50000 COP (about $17 CAD). There are also packages that include camping for one night, and other activities such as zip lining and bird watching. https://lachorrera.com.co/ is the official website for La Chorrera falls. Click on “Translate” at the top, right-hand corner of your screen if you want to read the content in English.
The hike requires you to be in decent shape. It doesn’t mean you need to be a trained athlete or have a six pack on your abs, but you’ll be hiking up through a dense natural cloud forest at a high altitude.
There’s no rush though, you can take as long as you need to getting to the falls.
It takes approximately 3 hours round trip, and I must definitely recommend you stop multiple times along the way for pictures and to take in the scenery.
Another great thing is that on weekends, there are manned guide posts every 100 metres or so, with park staff sharing a bit of knowledge or a fun fact about the park, or the town of Choachí.
The downside? They don’t speak English, so if your knowledge of Spanish is limited, you’ll miss out on learning some cool information.
Bonus points… you actually get to see TWO falls for the price of one! Hahaha, really! There’s a smaller fall located within the park called El Chiflón. El Chiflón is not nearly as tall as La Chorrera, but it’s equally beautiful. You can actually walk behind the fall and feel like you’re standing behind a veil of water. It’s impressive. If you’re more adventurous, you can practice canyoning on El Chiflón.
All in all, this place is a MUST visit if you ever travel down to Bogotá. It’s relatively close to the city and easy to get to. Plus, you’ll be able to say you’ve visited Colombia’s tallest waterfall, and South America’s 6th tallest fall, #braggingrights.
I will forever be grateful to my Slovenian friend Maša for introducing me to La Chorrera. It only took an European tourist to enlighten a Colombian citizen about this magical spot!
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