GPS Track Details
Difficulty: 3/5 - Medium
Track length: 7.79 Kilometers
Total Ascent: 539 Meters
Total Descent: 179 Meters

A-6.0 Vilcabamba - Waterfall "El Palto"

Distance          7.8 km             (15.6 km round trip)

Time                2.5 hours         (5 hours return)

Altitude          1530 m - 1975m

Ascent             480 m

Descent           120 m

Rating             Moderate

Start                Vilcabamba tourist office

End                  Waterfall “El Palto”

The 30 meter waterfall of “El Palto” is one of the most popular hikes in the Vilcabamba valley and the favorite one for the horsemen with their clientele.

Route: Leave town from the tourist office on calle Diego Vaca de Vega eastwards to Yamburara alto in the Rio Yambala valley. After 4 Km’s you reach the trailhead for this trek.

Alternatively, take a taxi ($ 3.-) for the 4 km’s to the Trailhead at Yamburara alto, which saves you about an hour’s walk on a dusty and sometimes busy dirt road.

The trailhead consists of a concrete bridge, crossing Rio Yambala which has a sign, pointing to PN Podocarpus. Follow the well-trodden trail uphill across the river to the ridge, which you reach in about 15 minutes. In another 30 minutes, you get to a green metal-gate branching to the left. (Don’t follow the path uphill to the right!) The level trail passes first a Finca on the right hand side, and shortly after another one on the left.  About 45 minutes after the metal-gate, you reach the small stream El Palto (which forms the waterfall below). Cross the stream and pass through the first farm gate, then pass through the fence at your left, pass the Adobe farm shelter and follow the well-defined path down through the fields. The last downward slope is rather steep and slippery when wet, but equipped with fixed ropes to assist the hiker.

Return by the same route, since the alternative hike down & across the Yambala-river (see hike A-7) is very difficult & dangerous, reserved only for people with climbing skills.   

 

 
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