LA CHORRERA

COLOMBIAS HIGHEST WATERFALL

We stayed 2 weeks in Bogotá and wanted to do some day trips on our Weekend. During my research I found that Colombias tallest waterfall is just a day trip away from Bogotá. So while everyone else in Colombia celebrated Christmas we got on the bus and left the city for a nice hike in the countryside. As the waterfalls are really mentioned by What to do Lists in Bogota* by tourists or Bloggers I think its absolutely worth it.

The Waterfall roughly a 1hour Busied away from the City, so its the perfect adventure for when you need to escape the crowded and smoggy city.

If this Blog doesn’t convince you to visit the Waterfall but you still want to leave the City I can recommend a day trip to Zipaquiera and the Salt Cathedral or if you want to do a small hike for ½ a day look at my La Monserrate recommendation.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT THE WATERFALL:

The general recommendation is to visit Colombia during dry season - December til March. I would recommend visiting the Waterfalls after a few days of (heavy) rain as they are far more majestic. The paths are more slippery but the views are worth it.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE HIKE:

Make sure you check the weather forecast in advance, so you know how to dress. When we got off the Bus i was a little cold as I only wore shorts, but as we were walking towards the entrance of the park I got warm. Bring plenty of water and sun-protection for hot days and appropriate rain cloths for dais with a wetter forecast. Make sure you bring shoes which are hiking appropriate.

We also brought a lunch pack from the city, but even though we did go on the 25th of December - a major holiday in Colombia - all restaurants at the park entrance were open. You can buy food and drinks there for little money.

There are Park rangers who you can ask for directions but honestly you will not need it. there are signs along the way and more than 90% are between fences.

The Park itself has quite steep up’s and down’s. But from the entrance of the Park the distances are not to far. But in case you are not so sporty make sure you arrive earlier so you have enough time for breaks in-between the climbs.

HOW TO GET THERE:

I assume when you are on this page you are eager to explore this beautiful hike by yourself. But I want to mention that there are also tours you can book from Bogotá. If you don’t want to plan the tour by yourself or feel uncomfortable on public transport I think a guided tour is perfect for you.

Even though we never felt unsafe while we stayed in Bogotá, and people were very helpful when we needed them.

So back to the how to get there: Take a Bus from the Transoriente Busterminal. This is not the main Busterminal. You can easily find it on Google Maps. The Terminal is on the corner of Calle 6 and Carrera 14, next to a big Police Station

We did take the trans Milenial from our apartment the stop is the Terrier Milenio. The Area is not super safe but between the Public transport stop and the Transoriente is a police station so you should be finde. Otherwise take an Uber to the sation. The Bus you are looking for is going to Coachí. There are drivers asking you for Coachí when you arrive at the station. Buy your ticket from the counter in the station its about 25,000 COP per person for a round trip.

Important note: when you go on the Bus tell the driver to stop at La Chorrera Cascade. There are no dedicated stops but the driver will stop for you there. The same on your way back, when a bus approaches signal with you hand you want to take it and they stop.

Once you are off the Bus you will see a sign which is almost impossible to read. But once you are very close you can see that it directs to the park.

Now you have the rather boring part ahead of you, its a roughly 4km long road winding through small villages and alongside little farms until you reach the park. The first half you will walk down, don’t think about the way back ;) Don’t get worried when it takes longer than you expected, you will see some La Chorrera signs on the way.

Right before you reach the official park entrance there is a super steep road, where only AWD / 4x4 vehicles are allowed. Trust me, you know when you reached this part. Once you climbed the steep road and if you are lucky you can catch a glimpse of the full Waterfall.

Once you reach the entrance of the Park you have to pay an entrance fee. There are different packages, the Basic fee is 40.000 COP per Person. It includes a small Bag with water, an apple, a raincoat and a tissue. Other packages include a lunch on you return from the waterfall. But you can check the official Webpage of the park in advance: https://lachorrera.com.co/paquetes-y-servicios/

In my opinion you won’t need it as I mentioned before there a plenty of small “restaurants” along the road who want to offer you lunch.

Picture by Jorge Garcia via GoogleMaps

After roughly 15 minutes of walking you will pass the first Waterfall El Chiflon, I would recommend to pass it and go to La Chorrera first.

If you choose otherwise, you can walk behind the Waterfall and I read in previous articles that you can walk around. When we were there it didn’t work as some of the path was closed. But we did walk behind it and then also watched it from the Front.

But back to the main attraction. It is roughly 3km from El Chiffon to la Chorrera. From here you will walk between forest and then pass some Cattle once you go down again. Keep left on the break place, from here it will go uphill again and you will walk through Jungle. Really make sure you bring the right shoes, it will be a lot easier with those.

After about 20 minutes you will reach a Checkpoint where you can see the full Waterfall beautifully. Have a Foto break and then lets get close to the base of the Fall.

back to COLOMBIA

You will cross a bridge and then after 5 more Minutes you will reach the last point before the Waterfall. The “checkpoints” as I call it are the Rangerstations but in case there are no rangers you will identify them with the blue Sunbrellas.

We were the only people when we did the hike and decided to eat our sandwiches. After that we followed the circle tour down to the closest point of the Waterfall. Here it pays off if you brought a rain jacket as the steam from the Water will make you wet and the Climate is a lot cooler than when you hiked uphill :)

The way back is pretty much the same than the way you came. If you are brave enough you can hitchhike from the Park entrance to the road. There you can catch the Bus, they com approx. all 15-30 min. maybe you will have the luck to get a seat otherwise you need to stand on your way back to Bogotá.

At the street is a small restaurant where you can get a refreshment or an Empanada while you wait for the Bus.

I hope this explanation helps you to feel confident about the planing and you can enjoy this beautiful hike.