Gocta Waterfall
The village of Cocachimba is the gateway to the bottom tier of Gocta Falls.
The Falls can be seen in the distance as you begin the 2-hour walk from Cocachimba to the base.
The path to Gocta Falls initially goes through farmland, including coffee plantations.
The ecology of the area is Amazonian Cloud Forest.
It is simple to rent horses from local farmers to take one to the base of the Falls.
The flora beside the path includes ferns and lichens typical of cloud forest environments.
Fossil evidence along the way to Gocta Falls points to the Andes mountains once being under the ocean.
There are a number of covered bridges along the path.
A sturdy cable bridge across one of the many small rivers that flow into the Cocahuayco River.
One never tires of the views of the Falls on the approach.
There are places along the trail where the path has been damaged by water rushing down the mountains or landslides.
A sense of scale at the base of Gocta Falls.
The spray created by the water hitting the rocks at the bottom of Gocta Falls provides a refreshing mist.
Gocta Falls are divided into two drops. This is the bottom of the first drop, accessible from the village of San Pablo.
A view downstream of the steep Cocahuayco Valley.
A look upwards at the cascading water.
The Cocahuayco River runs into the Utcubamba River, whose valley can be seen in the distance.
This is the view towards Cocachimba nearing the end of the return hike from the Falls, with Gocta Lodge in the background.
