Waterfalls in Peru

Peru Waterfalls (or more accurately Perú Waterfalls) take a back seat to the more famous archaeological attractions in the country such as Machu Picchu, Kuélap, Ollantaytambo, Saqsaywaman, Sipán, and more. Indeed, you can feel like Indiana Jones or Lara Croft exploring these dramatic ruins perched on mountaintops or hidden amidst the overgrowth of dense jungles. But to truly appreciate this Andean country and its people, you’ve gotta get back to nature. After all, there’s a reason why the indigenous people revered Mother Earth as the provider.

And so it is that waterfalls recently became a big deal with the “discovery” (at least by a Westerner) in 2006 of La Catarata Gocta in an expedition that originally started with archaeology. Since that fateful exploration, waterfalls have been getting more attention around the country. Especially in Northern Peru, resources are now being invested in such regions and by the time you get out there, you may experience far easier hiking and driving conditions than what we went through in our own trip.

Being in the Andes Mountains with peaks routinely scraping 20,000ft and bordering the Amazon Rainforest to the east, I guess it shouldn’t be all that surprising that reportedly some of the tallest waterfalls in the world are found here. But besides the cloud forest cataracts, there are also more intimate ones you can get close to, if you’re willing to spend time in its steamy jungles…