If you travel near Bogotá, you have probably heard of La Chorrera and El Chiflón Waterfalls.
After spending 3 full days in Bogotá, I figured a hike wouldn’t be too bad.
La Chorrera waterfall is Colombia’s tallest waterfall. It’s also the 6th highest in South America and 60th in the world.
And it was also one of the most difficult hikes of my life. If not, the most difficult. Seriously.
La Chorrera Cascada (waterfall in Spanish) is 590 meters (2,000 feet).
It was a kind of spontaneously booked trip, just like the rest of my life. Luckily, the price was reasonable.
I booked my ticket on Viator for USD 76, which wasn’t too bad for what ended up being 12 hours.
I booked the tickets for me and a girl I met on Facebook- Uma.
I think booking a tour, either with a local or online is your best bet. The drive was wicked long and bumpy at times so it made getting a guide worth it.
How to Get to La Chorrera and El Chiflón Waterfalls
The morning of the hike, Uma and I took an Uber to the hostel in La Candelaria, where we were meeting.
We waited for the rest of our group members and then walked to grab a second breakfast full of carbs for the long day ahead.
After an hour and a half, we hopped in the van that took us up the narrow roads to the waterfalls.
There were horses, donkeys, cows, dogs, hens, and many other animals along the side of the road.
After driving for about an hour on the paved road, we ended up on a dirt road for another ten minutes.
Our van’s brakes had something going on so we all got out to stretch our legs.
Then, we walked for a bit to the entrance but the driver came and scooped us after he fixed the brakes.
We drove for a little bit longer and alas, we made it to the entrance.
What Was Included in the All-Day Tour of La Chorrera and El Chiflón Waterfalls?
The tour included breakfast, lunch, transportation, and a little goodie bag.
Transportation alone took over an hour to drive up and an hour to drive down.
How Long Did it Take to Hike the Waterfalls?
This was the tough part- for me at least.
In total, it was a 3-hour hike of huffing and puffing. I had Covid and the flu back in December 2021. PLUS the elevation. So, why did I think it was a good idea?
I didn’t think LOL.
There’s a wishing tree so I hugged it to help me make it through the rest of the hike.
However, the views were stunning.
So looking back, it was worth it.
La Chorrera Waterfall:
This cutie dog was also following us throughout our hike which was adorable.
El Chiflón Waterfall:
El Chiflón Waterfall was my favorite out of the two because we were able to see the beauty of the water actually falling.
And also cause I got to drench my sweaty head in it. It was very refreshing.
I had heard to go right after it rains but it wasn’t going to rain for a bit and I wasn’t sure when I was leaving Bogotá, so I had to make a decision.
After Hiking La Chorrera and El Chiflón
We went to grab a late lunch/early dinner.
The restaurant was neat- it was built inside of a rock.
The views were incredible.
I had ordered the fish and I was not disappointed. The lemonade was also great.
We stopped at a páramo that’s 3500 meters (~11000 feet) above sea level.
The páramo that we stopped in had finchones and chiches de agua.
After hanging out for a few minutes, we were
My Experience Hiking La Chorrera and El Chiflón Waterfalls
Looking back, I loved it.
During the hike, I actually thought at one point my throat was going to close so that was very scary.
I kept trekking though and it did get a little easier.
Everyone was in front of me and clearly in better shape than I was. But my group was pretty awesome; they were all patient. All of us were also from the US so that was cool.
Don’t let the pictures fool you, I was hurting.
There were some awesome views though.
Superb blog thanks for sharing such an amazing post.