I first came to Peru in 2007 and Gocta falls near the regional capital Chachapoyas was one of the first attractions that I visited . This 2 tiered cascade drops 771 m in total. I remember gazing up from the base of the falls at the top tier of 220m and thinking it would be good to visit
Well in 2017 I returned with that in mind . It was early evening and I had just trekked the standard 5km tourist route from the village of Cocachimba up to the base of main fall with a friendly bunch of Peruvians that had picked me up in their car as I walked up the access road. This is typical of Peru , friendly Peruvians picking you up in their cars. They seem to like to pass the time of day with whoever and will give you lifts and hang out with you at any available opportunity .
The family had headed back leaving me at the base of the falls contemplating 10 years of Peruvian adventures . Fond memories floated by. Then the lure of adventure drew me from my rest and I set off to find the path to the top level . Quite how a path could scale the almost sheer 600m cliffs of the valley sides I was unsure.
The path to the top level is located about 15 mins walk from the base of the falls and is marked with a red arrow. Its the first trail on the right walking back from the falls. The trail was a narrow single track affair . It dropped to a bridge over the river . As I crossed the bridge and entered the cloud forest a spectacular orchid suspended at head height in the centre of the trail welcomed me to the cloud forest. A well constructed ancient trail zig zagged up the 70 degree slope of the valley sides. This was a truly impressive construction enabling me to scale the steep valley sides with surprising ease. It must have taken a lot of effort to create .In places a vast construction of stone provided a stairway up vertical cliffs . It took me about an hour to get to the top. The climb was actually quite easy as aforementioned trail provided well made stone steps for the entire route. The climb over it was now a straight forward flat stroll along another ancient trail to the base of the falls.
The ancient peoples of this area were known as the Chachapoyas or "Warriors of the Clouds'. They had their own distinct culture and customs. In the 15th century they were conquered by the Incas but continued to exist under a peace treaty. There were various rebellions, generally quashed by the Incas, often using a system of forced resettlement known as "mitma" .
When the Inca empire fell into civil war the Chachpoyans sided with the losing side and suffered heavy losses . Having been battered by the Inca for years they actually sided with the Conquistadors when the Spanish first arrived . However they rose up in a latter Inca rebellion against the Spanish and as a result by 1547 they were fully conquered, subdued and all but wiped out. Some accounts suggest a 90% drop in population.
The forest thinned and the falls finally came into close up view. It wasn't a disappointment but light was fading and finding a campsite was now more important. Just before I had left the forest I had spotted a trail heading down through the trees towards the lip of the bottom tier of the falls. The start of this trail was marked with a sign reading "Privada" however I took this as a measure to stop tourists falling 500m off the top of the bottom waterfall rather than actual private property. I was hoping to be able to camp right on the lip of the falls. I didn't make it to the edge of the cliff, access been made difficult by slimey rocks or the need to wade through the stream to reach it. `Well, I probably could have got there but a nice flat spot between boulders on a sand bank prevented me trying too hard. Darkness fell as I pitched the tent and got dinner on and settled in for the night.
Next morning I woke early and after lounging with a coffee in bed headed up to see the falls in the morning light. It wasn't a disappointment and indeed came with an unexpected bonus. As I approached the base of the falls , a very curious phenomena occurred. The base of the falls is effectively a rocky bowl filled with spray. A circular rainbow appeared with my head at the centre. The closer I got to the cliff the smaller the rainbow got. The wonder of this phenomena was euphoric to be honest. Was this why the ancients had gone to all the effort constructing a trail to these falls? Who can know? I think that that the early morning sun being low in the sky was a key factor for the creation of this wonder and interestingly can find no references elsewhere to it occurring at this location. Given how instagramable such a thing is would suggest that it is little known. Anyway I bathed in the rainbow spray and would highly recommend it.
