Must See (if you have time) in Peru: Gocta Falls and Kuélap — Do´s, Don´ts and Best Itinerary
I was going to start this article with a snippet from Wikipedia and a detail on where Gocta falls is located and how it was found. But if you are reading this — you already know that Gocta Falls is in Peru and is supposedly the third tallest waterfall in the world. I say supposedly, because it is still being debated!
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So, why don’t we just get straight into it… the big question is whether the trip to Gocta falls is worth it … short answer is Yes! But… hold on, there are caveats — if you are visiting Peru from a different country and you only have a few days, chances are you would give it a miss. But if you have time, or you are living in Peru — this is a place you should visit.
I did a recent trip with my wife and two kids ages 6 and 10 — and it was a good trip! As any other trip, there were some hits and misses… and I was surprised that those never came up in any do´s and don’ts list when I researched Gocta before travelling there — and thus, this article.
So, in no particular order, some do´s and don´ts for your trip to Gocta and oh, how could we forget, the nearby (1.5 hours away) Kuélap!
Do´s:
1. If you are travelling from Lima — fly LATAM airlines to Jaén airport. It is a VERY SMALL airport with no shops — so better carry water and snacks from Lima.
2. Jaén airport is about 4 hours from Gocta — but the route is not exactly great and often under repair — so takes 5 hours give or take. Make sure you get a car pre-arranged and specify that you want air-conditioning! More on this later…
3. Stay at the Gocta Lodge — you won’t regret it. You can contact their reservation centre through whatsapp, or the easiest way i found was to book via booking.com. This link will take you directly to the hotel on booking.com, no search, no hassle.
4. There are some taxi places you may find online — but your best bet is to ask the lodge to arrange transport for you! We arranged our own taxi one way — and it was the worst drive ever! Best to go with the Gocta Lodge transport.
5. The trek to the Gocta falls is both nice and extremely tiring. Be sure to take the horse…
…unless you are one of those who treks mountains every day… even then I would say, take the horse — its goes a little more than half the way and waits for you, while you trek the rest of the way to the falls — so you get the best of both worlds.
Plus, the trek is REALLY TIRING… so make sure to take enough water, a raincoat, wear good walking shoes — the usual — but most of all — keep a day free to rest after the trek!
6. Did I say the trek is tiring! Yes, it is — very, so make sure you keep a day free after your trek to just relax. You will thank me for this tip.
7. Gocta Lodge offers many tours — I would recommend buying the tour to Kuélap (I am assuming you know what this place is). The tour is well organized and Kuélap itself is very nice. Buy souvenirs there — they are nice and well-priced.
8. The roads are windy — make sure you carry enough meds if you have motion sickness.
9. Take your own water bottle to the lodge — they have a filter where the waiters will fill the bottles for you — so you don’t need to buy water. And we are picky about how the water tastes (yes you read that right) and we felt the water was absolutely fine.
Don´ts:
1. Don´t buy the Gocta falls tour from the Gocta Lodge — you really do not need a guide for this trek, and we felt it was just a waste of money. Just make sure you hire the horse (which of course comes with a person who guides the horse) — that way you have someone who brings you more than halfway there on a horse anyway and the rest of the way you trek yourself. The trekking route is well defined, so there is no way that you would get lost. Pack enough water and snacks and you are golden.
2. I made this point before — but don´t take local taxis to go to the Jaén airport — it may save you some money (maybe) but the pain is not worth it. We took a local taxi one way, and it had no air conditioning and we literally felt we were burning (Jaén is much hotter than Gocta) and inhaled so much dust in parts where the roads are unpaved and under repair. Get a taxi from the Gocta Lodge instead, switch the air-conditioning on, roll the shutters up and go in peace.
3. Unless you are doing all the tours, don’t buy the Gocta Lodge package. Just get the rooms and pay for your meals and tours separately — it works out to be cheaper and better — more choices.
4. Don’t buy the tours from the Gocta Lodge reservation center before going — just book them directly at the Lodge — if travelling with kids you may be surprised that the tours cost lesser if you book them directly at the lodge. Kids rates are not available if you buy through their reservation desk.
5. There is a local place near the lodge where you can bird watch this amazing hummingbird with long tails — we are not into bird watching, so we would say give it a miss — but if you are into bird watching you may enjoy it and you can do it on an evening — plus it helps the local economy.
The ideal itinerary would be:
Day 1: Lima to Gocta. Rest.
Day 2: Gocta Falls trek.
Day 3: Rest. Maybe the nearby bird watching.
Day 4: Kuélap tour.
Day 5: Gocta to Lima.
Alright, armed with the above — go have fun!