Almost three hours from Lima, in the district of San Jerónimo de Surco, province of Huarochirí, there is one of the most attractive trekking routes. It begins at km 63 of the Central Highway, in the village of Songos (the cost of entering the village is S/3).
San Jerónimo de Surco is a place that gives us impressive landscapes adorned by rivers, green mountains, valleys and beautiful waterfalls. Ideal destination to enjoy nature, experiential tourism and adventure sports.
Its marked trail will guide you to the Pascana, Del Amor and Trenza de la Abuela waterfalls, where you can practice rappelling. Then head to the natural stone slides (10m high) and slide downhill!
Once on the mainland, and from the Plaza de Armas, walk 20 minutes towards the archaeological site of Huanano (S / 2 the entrance). There begins the 30-minute journey to the homonymous waterfall, which is 40 m high. In front of this is the viewpoint of the place. The views will take your breath away.
In the town of Huaquicha camp surrounded by mountains and ditches. Regain strength and rest to finally start the visit to the Palacala waterfall (2,850 m.a.s.l.). It will take 40 minutes. End the experience with a refreshing swim.
The direct route from Lima is the Central Highway. Leave very early because the traffic gets pretty heavy after 7am. At kilometer 66 (before crossing the Surco bridge) we find a short detour that takes us to our destination. In total there are approximately 2 hours and a half of travel.
The first thing we can do in San Jerónimo de Surco is walk through its beautiful main square, where its famous and old communal tower stands out.
The 3 best-known waterfalls and whose hiking routes start from the same town are: Huanano, Palacala and Cuchimachay. The cost of admission to the circuit is 3 soles per person and no matter which of them you want to visit, do not forget to be prepared with at least the following:
Also remember that the rainy season is between January and April, where you should be more careful, especially on the most demanding routes that in the middle of the rain can become impassable and dangerous.
The trek to the Huanano waterfall is the least demanding, so much so that you could do it with your family. It takes approximately 45 minutes and it is a well-defined route that has arrows and painted signs throughout its route, so it is very difficult for you to get lost.
On this road there are 2 obligatory stops, the first at the entrance portal to "the archaeological remains of Huanano" and later at the small chapel "Santísima Cruz de Quisho" that has a great viewpoint with an incredible view of the valley and the mountains. . Once you reach this beautiful 30-meter waterfall, you can cool off in the small lagoon that has formed on its slopes. But if you are looking for a little more adventure you can also practice rappelling, in the upper part of the waterfall they have installed a safe access and anchors that will allow you to do so.
If photography is your thing, in the surroundings you will have access to many areas from where you will get very good shots, not only of the waterfall, but of the entire ravine.
This walk is recommended only for people in good physical condition, because despite being relatively short, in several sections it is quite demanding due to the rugged and steep terrain.
Getting to Cuchimachay will take you a little over 1 hour through a fairly improvised route. The path disappears many times and if it weren't for the arrows painted at some points one could easily get lost. However, the beauty of the place makes it all worthwhile.
Finally we are rewarded for the effort with this impressive waterfall of 50 meters high.
The landscape from the "Mirador de San Jerónimo de Surco" is amazing, and it is another of the activities that you can do as a family.
To get here, take the route to Palacala and further on you will find some stone stairs that will take you directly to the viewpoint. The ascent is long and at some point these stairs can seem endless, so you also have the option of going up the zigzag path that is next to it, this one is more extensive but less overwhelming.
Passing the viewpoint and continuing along the route, there is a somewhat bumpy detour through which you can also reach Huanano, or without deviating, make the journey of more than 3 hours to the Palacala waterfall.
In the streets surrounding the square there are several restaurants, where trout and guinea pig stand out as the most recommended dishes.
Here ended our adventure in this beautiful place. Leave us your comments if you need additional information about the trip.
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