A couple days ago we went on a hike to a waterfall. This hike took us about five hours to complete and ended at Gocta Falls in the Amazonas province of Peru.
We started the hike at around eleven in the morning. We parked the car, went to the bathroom and put on sunscreen before walking to the trailhead. There was a lady there who asked for our information and then let us in, mentioning that if we were tranquil and silent, that we would be able to enjoy the nature more. The other hikers seem to have not gotten this memo, because they were all talking at once. This specific trail only lets two hundred people in per day and entrance ends at two pm.
The walk is five and a half kilometers there and the same back. The hike started pretty well. It wasn’t as flat as was described but it wasn’t outrageously hilly either. We passed a few people and a few people passed us. We kept watching the super tall waterfall as it came closer and closer and finally only about half a kilometer away. We walked to the edge of the small pond that the falls spilled into and could feel the cool spray on our sweaty humid faces.
You see, we’re only about three or four degrees south of the equator so the heat and humidity is almost unbearable. We intend to cross the equator in about a week and bring in the spring! Anyways, once we had looked at the falls for a few minutes, we sat down for lunch. This was the delicious and nutritious combination of oranges and plain bread. We were just finishing up when it started to rain, hard. It poured down on us and we started to hurriedly walk back. It took us another two hours and we got completely drenched but we did manage to see the Peruvian national bird, the Gallita de las Rocas.
Once we got back, we bought some snacks at the minimercado and headed down the road. All in all, our waterfall hike was sweaty, hard, humid, hot, but tons and tons of fun, as well as quite beautiful. So, it just goes to show that hard work doesn’t have to end in money or physical value to still be worth it.
3 Responses
Audrey, I really like the picture of you watching the waterfall. Your description of the hike and things you saw was informative. I hope that you are somehow recording all of this great adventure so that you can relive it for years to come.
Wow! Waterfalls are soooo cool! And soooo cool (as in, cool you off)! You’ve seen sights that, I dare say, very few people from Massachusetts have ever seen! Savor the time, the sights, and the time with your family and your brother – not a lot of people get to spend that much time together. You’ll appreciate that much later in life!
Your pictures are beautiful! Your descriptions are so vivid that I can almost feel the heat and humidity and hear the sound of the waterfall!