The most beautiful natural sites to discover Northern Cordillera

Family atmosphere and totally local! We bathe in a beautiful place, under the trees, and next to a small river with raging rapids. To get there: the paradero is located Jr. Amazonas 833 (in Chachapoyas); jump in a car and head for Mendoza, 2.5 hours away (S/ 20). Then hail a taxi (S/ 7 per person) to Tocuya. From the tiny village square, retrace your steps a bit to take the wide dirt road on the right: 15 minutes walk.

One of the natural wonders of the region, this 771 meter waterfall that rises from the vegetation. It shares the spotlight with Yumbilla, which is even more impressive, but more difficult to access. Here is how to get there easily:

From Cocachimba: from the village you can see Gocta clearly on the mountain in front of you, but the objective is to reach the foot of the waterfall. Count 2 hours of walking downhill (5 km) rather easy. The hardest part is then to go back up. The locals offer horses for rent and they are welcome (count about S/40). The owners pull the horses with a light step, so you don't need to be an expert in horse riding.

If you are doing it alone, take the opportunity to leave early before the many agency groups that start at 9am.

From San Pablo, wemakes a loop. You walk from San Pablo to the birth of the first waterfall (flat path, about 2 hours), you follow the waterfall downhill (about 2 hours and a half downhill), then you arrive at the foot of the waterfall like everyone else and you go back up to Cocachimba. In the village of San Pablo, there are also local guides available to accompany you. This loop will take you all day. You can also do the last part on horseback since you will be following the same path as those who left Cocachimba.

Agencies sell "full day "packages with transportation to and from Chachapoyas and Cocachimba, a "self-paced" ride and lunch.

Gocta had barely achieved fame and recognition when another name was whispered: Yumbilla. At 896 metres, it is one of the top five highest waterfalls in the world according to the World Waterfall Database. And it is located further north, near the village of Cuispes, about 30 minutes by motorcycle taxi from Pedro Ruiz. Which one to see? Both would be ideal. Even though Gocta is not as high and only consists of two waterfalls, the panoramic view from the Cocachimba viewpoint makes for a beautiful and unique picture. But Yumbilla does not lack assets, less known, wilder and more impressive. A muddy but flat path of 4 km (1h30-2h) leads to the bottom of the^first jump and to the beginning of the^second one, not without having seen two smaller waterfalls on the way. Another trek leads to the foot of the beautiful one where a natural cave has formed, amazing. And a^third one at the top of the mountain where it originates, at the bottom of a cave and a stream lined with white sand. And this is without mentioning Pavilion and Chinata, the twin sisters of Yumbilla, other waterfalls that can be seen from the road and that can also be approached... In short, Yumbilla is a series of adventures and explorations, in the heart of the cloud forest, also pleasing for the flora (orchids, bromeliads, trees covered with moss, ferns) and the large number of birds seen on the way. It is not one but several waterfalls, in the heart of what is now known as El valle de las cataratas.