The ULTIMATE guide to the Seven Waterfalls Hike El Salvador [2024]
When you’re travelling in Central America, a lot of people will tell you to skip El Salvador (along with neighbouring Honduras!). They’ll tell you that it’s dangerous and that there there’s not much going on there anyway. You can choose to believe them and skip this soulful country. But then you’ll be missing out on the amazing Seven Waterfalls hike.
Well, I say ‘hike’. But on this adventure, you won’t just be wandering along a trail to a viewpoint. You’ll be rappelling up, diving underneath, and jumping over a series of waterfalls in the Salvadoran jungle! It’s definitely not the safest activity out there (maybe tell your parents about it afterwards!) but that’s where all the fun is, right? Keep reading for the ultimate guide to El Salvador’s Seven Waterfalls Hike!
WHAT IS THE SEVEN WATERFALLS HIKE IN EL SALVADOR?
The Seven Waterfalls (Las Siete Cascadas in Spanish) are a series of waterfalls hidden in the jungles of El Salvador, a country that is often-overlooked in favour of ‘safer’ neighbouring Central American destinations. Unsurprisingly, there are seven of them!
Well, as with Pulhapanzak in Honduras, I can guarantee that a visit to Las Siete Cascadas will be a much more memorable trip than most other waterfall viewing trips.
Why, you ask?
Because this isn’t just a hike along a trail to a viewpoint. It’s a thrilling expedition that involves going underneath, rappelling up, and jumping over a series of waterfalls in the Salvadoran jungle. You can’t leave El Salvador without experiencing this epic adventure!
There’s tons more to do in the area along the Ruta de las Flores, We’ll touch that at the end, and share our recommendations.
But first, let’s dive in to the Seven Waterfalls Hike in El Salvador (pun intended) with this ultimate guide!
Short on time? Jump to:
- What is the Seven Waterfalls Hike in El Salvador?
- What to expect for the Seven Waterfalls tour? (& our top tips!)
- Do I need a guide for the seven waterfalls hike?
- How much does it cost to visit the Seven Waterfalls in El Salvador?
- How to book a guide for the Seven Waterfalls Hike?
- Is the Seven Waterfalls Tour safe?
- How to get to Juayúa, El Salvador.
- Other amazing things to do near Juayúa and the Seven Waterfalls
- Is the Seven Waterfalls Tour Worth it?
Expect gorgeous, untouched jungle
WHAT TO EXPECT FOR THE SEVEN WATERFALLS TOUR?
After your guide picks you up, you’ll drive for around 10 – 15 minutes before jumping out of the Jeep to begin the adventure. The tour starts with steep descent through the jungle, as you wind your way through the trees. Soon enough, you’ll have your first glimpse of one of the the waterfalls, from a viewpoint just off the main trail.
Eventually, you’ll leave the trail and start wading through a river upstream. At times, the water reaches your knees, so wear something that you’re ok getting wet! You can’t take this tour and stay dry – you’ll read why in a minute.
WATERFALL #1: LA TOMA
Soon, you’ll reach the first waterfall. At a grand 70 metres high, La Toma is the highest waterfall of the seven. It’s not the most powerful of waterfalls – some areas are little more than a trickle – but it’s impressive nonetheless. You can stand underneath it and feel the mist spray across your face. It’s the perfect way to cool down from the jungle heat!
If you arrive mid-morning, you’re in for a real treat! Rays of sunlight squeeze through gaps in the foliage above you and it makes the most beautiful atmosphere.
WATERFALL #2: CASCADA SECA
Keep walking and eventually, you’ll reach the second cascada. It’s not the most impressive of the seven. The name translates to ‘dry waterfall’ and there’s not often a lot of water here. A nearby coffee farm uses a lot of the water, so this set of falls often runs fairly dry. Enjoy it if it’s flowing, but otherwise, keep wading upstream for bigger and better waterfalls.
WATERFALL #3: CASCADA ARCOIRIS
Cascada Arcoiris translates to Rainbow Falls because, when the light hits just right, rainbows dance around its base. It’s not the largest, but it’s one of the most beautiful waterfalls along the Seven Waterfalls Hike in Juayúa.
Our guide said that if you’re running low on water, you can fill your bottle up here. It’s almost 100% pure! Of course, we travel with our Water2Go filter bottles, so we know all of our water is safe to drink, no matter where it comes from.
Rappelling up Cascada Escalata
WATERFALL #4: CASCADA ESCALATA
You’ll continue to make your way upstream and, after clambering over a few boulders and slippery stones, you’ll arrive at Cascada Escalata. You don’t need Spanish to know that escalata means escalation (I mean, it literally sounds like escalator).
This is where it gets a bit technical.
Cascada Escalata is the waterfall that involves using a rope to climb up to the top. If you’ve come without a guide, this is the point that we recommend you turn around and head back the way you came.
But if you’re with a guide, you’re in for a treat! Your guide will climb up and attach a rope. One by one, you’ll climb up Cascada Escalata using the rope and the natural handholds in the rock.
To be expected, you’ll get absolutely soaked during the rappel! But, it’s so so worth it.
Top tip: leave your phone at home or bring it in a waterproof case. A dry bag helps to keep your spare clothes dry too. Of course, a GoPro can withstand almost anything you throw at it!
WATERFALL #5: CASCADA NOVENTA OCHO
Once you get to the top of Cascada Escalata, the fifth waterfall is just to your right. Cascada Noventa Ocho is the waterfall that you can see from the viewpoint back on the trail. It’s huge, and was one of our favourites
It can easily be missed, so make sure you turn right and have a look. You’ll have to approach the cliff edge to look out over the jungle, so be careful!
WATERFALL #6: BORBOLLAN
The adventure continues with the sixth waterfall, which you will also have to traverse. The penultimate waterfall isn’t a high waterfall, but it stretches wide before sending water cascading into the jungle below.
At this point of the hike, you’ll feel completely immersed in the forest. Keep an eye out for wildlife, like monkeys and tropical birds!
WATERFALL #7: CASCALITA
The final waterfall definitely isn’t the most spectacular. Cascalita translates to ‘little waterfall’, and this one is kind of small. But seven waterfalls sounds more poetic than six waterfalls, hence why it was probably included.
Just next to Cascalita is ‘Baños de Barro’, which translates to ‘shower with Earth’. The water constantly trickles, eroding the rocks below. This dirt has minerals that are (apparently) very good for your skin, so dig your hands in and smear it all over your face and arms. You can wash it off before you head back to Juayúa, don’t worry!
Some tours will head back to the Jeep now. But…
Bonus waterfall: nature’s infinity pool
BONUS WATERFALL: LOS CHORROS DE LA CALERA
… if you take the tour with Elizabeth (detailed below), you’ll get to visit a bonus waterfall! After heading back to the main trail, instead of going back to where you were dropped off, you’ll start walking along a different path.
This trail ends in the most beautiful, natural infinity pool, overlooking the jungle and valley. If you like, you can have a proper swim here, instead of just a paddle. You can jump off the rocks next to the pool – there are varying heights depending on how brave you are.
This pool is one of my fondest memories of the entire Central America trip. We were splashing around and just generally being a bit silly with the new friends we’d made on the hike. Elizabeth brought out fresh mangoes for everyone, and we relaxed in the cool water, which we used to wash our sticky fingers and faces afterwards!
If I close my eyes, I can still feel the sunshine, hear the jungle, and taste that mango. The tour is worth it just for that moment.
TOP TIPS FOR THE SEVEN WATERFALLS HIKE
1.
Wear sturdy shoes. We brought the Tropicfeel travel trainers, and although the quality wasn’t amazing, they were great for all of our watery adventures in Central America. Flip flops or Crocs won’t be good enough.
2.
Bring a full change of clothes, or be prepared to dry out in the sunshine afterwards. It’s impossible to do this tour without getting absolutely soaked. You’ll definitely want to get changed into something dry once you’re done.
3.
Leave your phone behind or bring it in a waterproof pouch. And make sure whatever you bring can be secured to your body. You’ll need both hands free to climb up the waterfalls. We brought a backpack and dry bag.
4.
Bring a dry bag! Otherwise anything you bring will get absolutely soaked.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO VISIT THE SEVEN WATERFALLS IN EL SALVADOR?
It doesn’t technically cost anything to visit Juayúa’s seven waterfalls. There’s no entrance charge to get to the jungle and no fee for the hike.
But by far the easiest way to do the Seven Waterfalls Hike in El Salvador is to book onto a guided tour from Juayúa, a small town along the Ruta de Las Flores. The guided tour is super cheap compared to the rest of Central America. It costs around $15 USD (£12.50 GBP) for the day, and that’s including snacks!
You can also book the Seven Waterfalls Tour from Santa Ana, with companies such as Go Travel El Salvador. But you might want to get a group together! It’s $90 USD (!!) for a single person, but the price drops as you add more people to the tour.
WAIT, DO I NEED A GUIDE?
Yes! It’s recommended to have book onto a guided tour to see the seven waterfalls in El Salvador. At one point, you’ll literally climb up a waterfall. This means that you’ll need equipment for rappelling, and someone who has the knowledge to set this equipment up safely. A guide will also arrange transport there and back, which is useful as there are no public buses.
I don’t always love guided tours either, we’d much rather do it ourselves at our own pace. But in Central America, we had to learn to embrace guided tours a bit more often than we usually would.
You CAN technically do this hike by yourself, but we don’t recommend doing this. The trail start can be really hard to find and transport can be difficult to arrange (there’s no public bus!). Once you arrive, you’ll either have to be content with only seeing four of the seven waterfalls, or take a risk and try to climb without equipment. The waterfalls have very good hand and footholds, but water levels can fluctuate and it can be slippery. If you don’t have rappelling equipment, it’s a long way to fall.
HOW TO BOOK A SEVEN WATERFALLS TOUR
Search for ‘Seven Waterfalls’ or ‘Siete Cascadas El Salvador’ and there isn’t exactly a lot on Google. You might be wondering, how do I book the Seven Waterfalls tour in El Salvador?
As usual in Central America, you can book the Seven Waterfalls Tour through your hotel or hostel in Juayúa. This costs around $20 to $25 USD (£16 to £20 GBP).
Or, you can save yourself some money and do what we did: cut out the middle man and book directly with Elizabeth Hernández from Gaviotita Tours Adventura.
Elizabeth was the most wonderful local guide from Juayúa. If you book directly with her, she charges only $15 to 20 USD (we paid $15 USD as we visited off-season). To book a tour with Elizabeth, you can contact her directly on Whatsapp (+503 6113 7277). She’ll arrange to meet you at Juayúa’s town square just before the tour starts.
If you’re not staying in Juayúa, don’t worry! Elizabeth can also arrange pick up and drop off in any of the other towns along the Ruta de las Flores (at an additional cost, of course).
IS THE SEVEN WATERFALLS TOUR SAFE?
Rappelling, up a waterfall? Sounds insane. Is it safe?
It’s important to remember that the Seven Waterfalls tour is in El Salvador. The definition of safety in El Salvador (and most Central American countries outside of Panama and Costa Rica) is a little loose. It’s definitely not comparable to safety standards in Europe or the USA.
There are no harnesses and you’re not clipped to anything. If you let go when you’re rappelling, you’ll fall. You might get a few small cuts and bruises. And if you slipped badly, you could seriously hurt yourself. But, you run the risk of injury doing anything fun. For a risk-free experience, you should have stayed at home!
The Seven Waterfalls tour runs daily, sometimes multiple times if there’s a demand for it. It’s not the most risky activity out there, in fact, it’s pretty tame compared to the Pulhapanzak Waterfall Tour in Honduras, and most people are absolutely fine. If you’re slow, careful, somewhat sensible, and listen closely to your guide, you’ll come away feeling elated and exhilarated without serious injury.
HOW TO GET TO JUAYÚA FOR THE SEVEN WATERFALLS TOUR?
HOW TO GET TO JUAYÚA FROM SANTA ANA
This was the route we took!
Head to the main terminal in Santa Ana (Terminal de buses Franciso Lara Pineda) and look for Bus 238. If you can’t find it, ask around for the bus to Juayúa. The journey time is around 1.5 hours. The price will be stuck on an A4 sheet of paper at the front of the bus – it cost us $1 USD.
Chicken buses don’t really run to a specific timetable, but they tend to start early (this one leaves Santa Ana at around 5:40 am). They also tend to finish early. We caught the last bus around 4.30 pm.
HOW TO GET TO JUAYÚA FROM SONSONOTE OR AHUACHAPAN
Sonsonote and Ahuachapan are the two larger cities on the Ruta de las Flores. Bus 249 runs between them, stopping by smaller towns, such as Conception de Ataco and, of course, Juayua.
From Sonsonote, you can catch bus 249 from the main bus station (Terminal de Buses de Sonsonate). From Ahuachapan, you can find bus 249 waiting at the main intersection – it’s where the Ruta de las Flores heads south out of the town centre towards Concepion de Ataco.
The journey time from each town is around an hour. It shouldn’t cost more than $1 USD, but check the price at the front. It’ll be displayed on a piece of paper in the window.
Again, it’s tricky to find a timetable. Chicken buses run to their own rhythm. They definitely run this route, and the one from Sonsonate, regularly in the mornings though!
HOW TO GET TO JUAYÚA FROM SAN SALVADOR
From San Salvador, you can take Bus 205 to Sonsonate, then change buses and follow the advice above. Alternatively, you can take bus 249 to Ahuachapan, which should stop by Juayua.
HOW TO GET TO JUAYÚA FROM THE BEACHES (EL CUCO & EL TUNCO)
From El Tunco and El Cuco, hop on a bus to San Salvador, then follow the advice above.
Smiles all-round on this tour!
OTHER AMAZING THINGS TO DO NEAR THE SEVEN WATERFALLS TOUR
#1 WATERFALL SALTO DE MALACATIUPAN
Craving the cascadas? Around 1.5 hours north of Juayúa (or only 30 minutes away from Ahuachapan) is one of the most unusual waterfalls in El Salvador.
But Salto de Malacatiupan isn’t unusual for its height or beauty, but because the water is around 36 Celsius (97 Fahrenheit). A visit to nature’s hot tub makes for a pretty cheap spa experience. There are tons of pools to unwind and relax in.
The waterfall was closed when we visited. After taking two chicken buses and a tuktuk to get there, I was gutted! But hopefully it’ll be open for you! You’ll have to let us know how it goes in the comments.
Cost: Free of charge
#2 EL IMPOSIBLE NATIONAL PARK
El Imposible National Park is the largest national park in El Salvador. It’s close to both Conception de Ataco and Juayúa, and is certainly worth a visit! The national park is home to more than 500 species of plants, over 100 species of mammals and, amazingly, more than 5,000 species of butterflies. And if you’re chasing those cascadas, there’s loads to discover here too!
There are also Mayan ruins here. They’re cool to have a look around, although you might not be too amazed if you’ve seen any of the big three: Guatemala’s Tikal, Honduras’ Copan Ruinas, and Mexico’s Chichen Itza.
#3 RUTA DE LAS FLORES
The Ruta de las Flores is a picturesque and scenic tourist route in the northwest of El Salvador. The name translates to ‘Route of the Flowers’. It was one of our favourite parts of the country, and definitely one of our reasons to visit El Salvador, yet many travellers skip it!
The route is made up of a series of quaint and colourful towns, each with its unique character. Our favourites were Juayúa, known for its famous weekend food market, and Ataco, which we loved for its colourful street art.
Set amongst hills of coffee plantations, lush green landscapes, and peaceful villages, the Ruta de las Flores is yet another reason to visit El Salvador. This area feels a million miles away from the madness of San Salvador and Santa Ana. There’s tons to do in this area, including hiking, natural hot springs, touring coffee plantations, or taking a cookery class. If you’re an adrenaline junkie, you can also try zip-lining and sky cycling!
Base yourself in one place, or town-hop and stay somewhere different each night. How you explore the route of the flowers is up to you. But one thing’s for sure – you won’t run out of things to do!
#4 HIKE SANTA ANA VOLCANO
Santa Ana Volcano is one of the cheapest and most accessible volcano hikes in Central America because you only have to pay your park entrance fee plus a little tip for the guide. Overall it cost $10 USD (£8 GBP) each, including the chicken bus there and back. Not bad for a day’s adventure!
The guided hike up Santa Ana Volcano leaves once a day, at 9:30am. This means you’ll have to get up super early to catch the first bus of the morning from Santa Ana, but it’s totally worth it. The views are insane! On a good day, you can even see all the way out to the Pacific Ocean.
This hike is super popular, so expect a social walk with quite a large group. If you prefer a quieter experience (or if you don’t want to be up at the crack of dawn), it’s easy to arrange private tours.
Top tip: Don’t listen to any out-of-date blogs! Any website or blog that says that the tour leaves later than 9:30 am is wrong. You need to get there early. Anywhere online that says you’ll have time to get pupusas for breakfast once you get off the bus, before the hike starts, is wrong too. You will not have time to grab food. We were betting on that, and ended up with a snickers bar each for breakfast, and rumbling tummies for the rest of the hike.
IS THE SEVEN WATERFALLS TOUR WORTH IT?
Absolutely yes! There’s so much to do in El Salvador, from national parks to beach-town surfing, from volcano hikes to waterfall trails. But, the Seven Waterfalls Tour in Juayúa remains one of our favourite trails in El Salvador.
Rappelling and scrambling up and down waterfalls, swimming in nature’s infinity pools, and picking fresh mangoes as you walk through the jungle. Tell me where else in the world you can do this?!
We loved this tour, and we hope you love it too. If you visit, let us know how it goes in the comments. We’d love to hear if you had as good of a time as we did!
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Alice
Alice is a UK travel blogger who advocates sustainable travel and being more eco-conscious on a budget. She loves coffee, her houseplants and summiting mountains.
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