# Gocta Falls — a giant waterfall the world heard of in 2006 Canonical: https://sockmonkey.com/places/gocta-falls (this is a plain-text copy of that page) Source: https://sockmonkey.com/places/gocta-falls Publisher: SockMonkey.com (https://sockmonkey.com) Part of: The Field Guide - https://sockmonkey.com/places/ Cite as: SockMonkey.com - sockmonkey.com Last reviewed: 25 October 2026 - **Where:** Bongará province, Amazonas, region, northern Peru - **Coordinates:** 6.0231° S, 77.8872° W - **Height:** 771 m in two drops (PromPerú);, lower drop about 540 m (WWD) - **Ranking:** Disputed: announced as third, in 2006; others rank it lower - **Made known:** Expedition 2002;, announced March 2006 - **Neighbour:** Yumbilla, 895.4 m by laser, survey (World Waterfall Database) - **Access:** On foot or horseback from, Cocachimba or San Pablo ## The short answer Gocta, the Catarata de Gocta, is a perennial waterfall in Bongará province, in the Amazonas region of northern Peru, on the forested eastern slopes of the Andes about 23 kilometres from Chachapoyas, the regional capital (our measurement). It falls in two drops into the Cocahuayco river, 771 metres in all by the figure of PromPerú, Peru’s tourism board. The World Waterfall Database gives 2,531 feet: an upper tier of about 700 feet in a vertical fall and a lower drop of about 1,770 feet (540 metres), nearly vertical, into a huge amphitheatre, with the rest of the height between the two. The villages of San Pablo, near the top of the upper drop, and Cocachimba, below the lower one, are the starting points for the walk. Wikipedia notes that the falls are in full view of a nearby village and had been known to local people for centuries before a 2002 expedition, led by the German Stefan Ziemendorff with Peruvian companions, made them known outside the region. ## Why it's worth knowing Gocta was not found in 2006. It was announced. Wikipedia’s account says that Ziemendorff, after his 2002 expedition, persuaded the Peruvian government to map the falls and measure their height, and that on 11 March 2006, after his third expedition, he held a press conference, reported by wire services around the world, giving the total height as 771 metres and ranking Gocta the third-tallest free-leaping waterfall in the world, after Angel Falls in Venezuela and Tugela Falls in South Africa. Two days later, on 13 March, the Peruvian government announced that the area would be developed for tourism. The height has held up better than the ranking. Wikipedia says the third-place claim rested on outdated and incomplete information and has been widely disputed since: lists that add two Norwegian falls put Gocta fifth, and the World Waterfall Database’s list of the world’s tallest waterfalls ranks it eighteenth. Rankings of waterfalls depend on what is counted, total height or a single free drop; on the database’s free-fall list, Gocta’s lower drop of 540 metres ranks fourth. This entry gives the height, names the rankers, and makes no ranking of its own. The same plateau has since produced a rival. The World Waterfall Database says that Yumbilla, which falls from the northern wall of the plateau Gocta drops from, was laser-surveyed by Peru’s National Geographic Institute at 895.4 metres, making it the tallest in the region, though it carries far less water. ## The field notes ### Why nobody said Why a waterfall of that size stayed unknown outside its valley is a question with a local answer. The Peruvian newspaper El Comercio, as Wikipedia relays it, reported that people nearby had been afraid to reveal it because of the curse of a beautiful blonde mermaid who lived in its waters; the falls are said to be guarded by a white-haired, mermaid-like spirit whose hair can be seen flowing down the walls of the amphitheatre at the bottom. The story is the villages’ own, and this entry tells it as theirs. ### Two villages, two drops PromPerú describes the access in two halves: the upper drop is reached through San Pablo, the lower through Cocachimba, and a path links the two. The walk to the falls takes about two and a half hours from either village in its account, on foot or partly on horseback, and the path from the first drop down to the second about 45 minutes. It gives the first drop at 2,340 metres above sea level and the second at 1,800, and the villages are about an hour by road from Chachapoyas. Wikipedia notes a small hotel built about 10 kilometres from the base with views of the falls, and that cloud sometimes hides part of them, since they stand a little higher than Chachapoyas, which lies at 2,235 metres. ### In the rain or out of it PromPerú’s earlier pages, reached through their indexed text, gave the dry season as June to October and the rainy months as roughly November or December to April or May, and noted that the falls can be visited in the rains, when the flow is at its most impressive. Its current page names no months; for the rainy season it advises boots and waterproof clothing or a poncho. The trails are steeper and muddier then. **A relic from Gocta Falls** A newspaper cutting from March 2006. On 11 March 2006, after his third expedition, Stefan Ziemendorff held a press conference, reported by wire services around the world, giving Gocta’s total height as 771 metres and ranking it the third-tallest free-leaping waterfall in the world, a ranking disputed ever since. The falls are in full view of a village and had been known to the people who live near them for centuries. The newspaper El Comercio reported why nobody had said: they feared the curse of a beautiful blonde mermaid who lived in its waters. ## Getting there How to get there. Chachapoyas, the capital of the Amazonas region, is the base; from there the villages of Cocachimba and San Pablo are reached by road. Check current flights and road connections to Chachapoyas before you plan the trip, as the region is remote. The walk. From either village it is about two and a half hours to the falls, on foot or partly on horseback, in PromPerú’s account. Cocachimba leads to the foot of the lower drop; San Pablo to the upper. Local guides and horses are hired in the villages. Bring rain gear in any season. When to go. June to October is drier and the paths firmer; the rainy months bring more water over the falls and more mud on the way. How to be there. The falls sit above villages that have lived with them far longer than anyone has measured them. Hire guides and horses there, and treat the story of the falls’ spirit with respect. Safety. The United States has Peru at Level 2, exercise increased caution, because of crime, civil unrest, the risk of kidnapping and terrorism. Its Do Not Travel areas are the Colombia border area in the Loreto region, the VRAEM valleys and the cities of Abancay, Ayacucho, Huancavelica and Huancayo; the Amazonas region is not named, and Gocta lies about 730 kilometres from the nearest of them, Huancayo, by our measurement. The advisory warns that demonstrations can close roads without notice and that criminal groups sometimes set up roadblocks outside Lima. ## Common questions #### How tall is Gocta Falls? PromPerú, Peru’s tourism board, gives Gocta Falls in the Amazonas region a total height of 771 metres in two drops. The World Waterfall Database gives 2,531 feet, about the same: an upper tier of about 700 feet and a lower drop of about 1,770 feet, or 540 metres, plunging nearly vertically into a large amphitheatre. #### Is Gocta the third-tallest waterfall in the world? That was the claim made when Gocta Falls in Peru was announced in March 2006, and it has been disputed ever since. Wikipedia says it rested on outdated information; lists adding two Norwegian falls put Gocta fifth, and the World Waterfall Database ranks it eighteenth by total height, though its 540-metre lower drop ranks fourth among single free falls. #### Who discovered Gocta Falls? The people who live below it. Gocta Falls, in Peru’s Amazonas region, is in full view of a nearby village and was known locally for centuries, Wikipedia notes. It became known to the wider world after a 2002 expedition by the German Stefan Ziemendorff with Peruvian companions; he announced its height at a press conference on 11 March 2006. #### How do you get to Gocta Falls? Gocta Falls in northern Peru is reached from Chachapoyas, capital of the Amazonas region, by road to the villages of Cocachimba or San Pablo. PromPerú describes a walk of about two and a half hours from either, on foot or partly on horseback; Cocachimba leads to the lower drop, San Pablo to the upper, and a path links them. #### When is the best time to visit Gocta Falls? PromPerú’s earlier pages, reached through their indexed text, gave June to October as the dry season at Gocta Falls in the Amazonas region, with the rainy months from about November or December to April or May; its current page names no months. The falls can be visited in the rains, when the flow is strongest, but the paths from Cocachimba and San Pablo are wetter and muddier. #### What is the legend of Gocta Falls? The Peruvian newspaper El Comercio reported, as Wikipedia relays it, that people near Gocta Falls in Peru’s Amazonas region had kept quiet about it for fear of the curse of a blonde mermaid living in its waters. The falls are said to be guarded by a white-haired, mermaid-like spirit whose hair can be seen flowing down the walls at the bottom. #### Is there a taller waterfall near Gocta? Yes. The World Waterfall Database says Yumbilla, which falls from the northern wall of the same plateau as Gocta in Peru’s Amazonas region, was laser-surveyed by Peru’s National Geographic Institute at 895.4 metres, making it the tallest waterfall in the region. Yumbilla carries much less water than Gocta. #### What does the U.S. State Department advisory say about Peru and the Amazonas region? The United States has Peru at Level 2, exercise increased caution, because of crime, civil unrest, the risk of kidnapping and terrorism. Its Do Not Travel areas, the Colombia border area in Loreto, the VRAEM valleys and four cities in central and southern Peru, do not include the Amazonas region where Gocta Falls lies. The advisory warns that demonstrations can close roads without notice. What to pack: the Rainforest & reef kit, forest, caves and waterfall trails ## Related places Iguazú Fallsalso in Waterfalls · same region Niagara Fallsalso in Waterfalls · both tagged waterfall Yosemitealso in Waterfalls · both tagged hiking Gullfossalso in Waterfalls · both tagged waterfall Plitvice Lakesalso in Waterfalls · both tagged hiking ## Sources and notes Written and checked by SockMonkey.com · last reviewed 25 October 2026 - [PromPerú](https://www.peru.travel/) - Background: Wikipedia - Travel advisory: the US State Department