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San Gil was easily one of my favorite places in Colombia. Not because the town looks that special or because there is a massive selection of amazing restaurants or accommodation option but, because it makes for an excellent base to explore attractions in the nearby area like the Pescaderito in Curiti, Barichara, and Chicamocha National Park. But, in this post, you can find everything you need to know about the Juan Curi Waterfall, the best time to visit, and how to get there from San Gil. Here we go!
Juan Curi main waterfall and swimming hole
The Juan Curi Waterfall is a stunning waterfall located in the Santander department of Colombia. It is located about 24 kilometers (15 miles) from San Gil and makes for an excellent day trip.
Juan Curi is not just a single waterfall but it is the main attraction inside an eco-conscious park that can be explored via lush hiking trails.
Inside the park, you can find many smaller waterfalls and swimming holes, adventurous pathways that you can traverse by holding onto ropes, and even ladders to climb over rocky boulders.
What a lot of people don’t know is that there are two entrances to Juan Curi, both accessible from the main road where the bus from San Gil stops. Most people enter the premises via the first entrance gate and this directs you to the main waterfall via an easy-to-walk path.
I can highly recommend to take the second entrance though to enter the park. The second entrance leads you to the main waterfall via an adventurous trail where you can find other smaller waterfalls and cute swimming holes.
The easiest way to explore the park is to take that route to reach the main waterfall and make a loop walk, by taking the well-paved path back to the first entrance and the main road.
The main waterfall of Juan Curi is the eyecatcher of the park and will surely captivate you with its impressive height and wonderful natural setting. The waterfall is approximately 180 (590 feet) meters tall and at the bottom is a big swimming hole, perfect for cooling down after a hike.
Juan Curi, one of the tallest waterfalls in Colombia
Not only can you hike and swim inside the park but there are also possibilities for adventure sports. As you can see in the photos, there’s a rope coming from the top of the waterfall. This allows you to rappel down the waterfall, all the way from the top.
If you are interested in this, inquire at entrance one or two about how you can arrange this. We have seen people rappelling down the waterfall when we were there, and it looked great but I’m definitely too scared to do something like that!
The pool at the bottom of the waterfall allows you to swim and cool down after hiking to the site. Do note that the water is incredibly cold and your body will need some time to adjust to it.
We had a lovely time at this pool, meeting up with local ladies from Medellin who were holidaying in Santander. They offered us a cup of hot agua panela (water with cane sugar and lime) with a shot of Aguardiente (a strong spirit that is very popular in colombia) to combat the cold after coming out of the water which was great!
As I mentioned previously, there are two sorts of pathways inside the Juan Curi Park, an adventurous one that runs by the Juan Curi river and a more curated one that allows for a more leisurely stroll.
A part of the easier trail inside Juan Curi
If you want your hike to be a loop inside the park, I highly suggest you start your hike at the second entrance of the park. This will take you on the adventurous trail first to the main waterfall and, after some swimming, you can return to the park via the easier walking trail.
The adventurous trails
The reason why I suggest to do the loop in this direction is because the terrain to the waterfall is going slightly upwards. It is easier to do the adventurous path going upwards because then you can cover the ladder, ropes and boulders in an upwards direction. In my opinion, this is easier and less slippery then going downwards.
A small swimming hole on the adventurous trail
Both trails are not that long in distance. I think the easy-to-walk trail took us about half an hour while the adventurous trail took a little bit longer due to the rocky and uneven terrain by the river.
While you find yourself in lush and dense jungle at the main waterfall and on the adventurous trail, this park is also well maintained and harbors great facilities.
At both of the entrances, there’s a possibility to have a snack or even a full meal. When you start your hike at the second entrance and return via the first entrance, there will be a restaurant at the ticket booth if you feel like having a meal there.
I personally didn’t eat there but there were typical dishes on the menu from the Santander region that looked delicious! I forgot to check though if they had any vegan Colombian dishes on the menu but I’m sure you will be able to get rice, beans and salad.
There are several accommodation options available at Juan Curi Ecological Park, ranging from camping to cabins and private rooms.
The camping option requires you to bring your own tent but there are facilities on site like showers and toilets.
I think San Gil is a great place to base yourself in the area, but staying here for one night could be fun if your travels take you in the direction of Charala afterward, or maybe to Sogamoso, Tunja or Villa de Leyva.
There are no toilets in the trails to the main juan Curi Waterfall and neither are there any toilet facilities at the waterfall itself. There are well-kept bathroom facilities though at both of the entrances.
The ticket booth of the first entrance
Juan Curi Ecological Park is open every day from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. When we arrived at the second entrance of the park, there was no one at the ticket booth when we arrived at 9 A.M. but after a while, a man showed up to collect our money and give us a paper bracelet.
The first and second entrance of Juan Curi Ecological Park
The entrance fee we paid to the park was 12.000 COP per person. This includes access to the hiking trails and the main waterfall. The use of the bathrooms is free of charge.
The dry season, from December to March, is the best time to visit Juan curi Ecological Park. The weather is great during this time of the year with minimal rainfall but it can also be the busiest in terms of other tourists visiting the waterfall.
If you visit during the rainy season, the waterfall will be more dramatic due to a higher water flow but note that taking the adventurous trail might be trickier because of the higher water level.
My partner and I visited in late January on a weekday early in the morning. We had the trails all to ourselves and had to share the waterfall with only about 10 to 15 other people.
Getting to the Juan Curi Waterfall from San Gil is easy-peasy! There are two bus stations in San Gil, the main transport terminal with long-distance buses, and Terminalito, a small bus station in the center of town that connects the surrounding towns in the area with San Gil.
To reach Juan Curi Ecological Park, make your way to Terminalito and buy tickets for the bus goes in the direction of Charala. Tell the ticket vendor that you want to get off at the Juan Curi Waterfall. The bus ticket to Juan Curi was 8000 COP per person at the time of our visit (Jan 2024).
Buses depart regularly to Charala, approximately every half an hour and takes about 40 minutes.
Note that, while it was very easy to reach the waterfall from San Gil, we has to wait quite some time for a bus back from Charala to San Gil. We eventually hitchhiked and got a ride back that way so I’m not sure what the frequency of the buses coming from Charala really is but it’s something to keep in mind when you plan out your day.
San Gil, Colombia, South America
What made our stay in San Gil one of the most memorable experiences was the lovely hostal that we stayed at!
We stayed at Santander Aleman Hostel where a Colombian girl called Alicia took amazing care of us. We felt like one little family! The accommodation is not really a hostel but more like a big house with only four rooms and an amazing rooftop terrace that looks out over the surrounding area.
I would normally suggest more places to stay when I write posts about destinations but this one was so incredible that I only want to recommend this one. Santander Aleman Hostel was the best accommodation we stayed at in Colombia regarding price and quality!
There you go! I hope this travel guide to the Juan Curi Waterfall was useful to you! If want more information about the waterfall and the park in general, you can visit the park’s website but it is in Spanish though.
It seems like there are more adventure activities on offer inside the park like ziplining but I haven’t seen any of that during the time of my visit.
Remember to get good travel insurance when you are planning to do adventure sports. I personally like Heymondo for this. They already provide great coverage in their premium policy for adventure sports (including ziplining) and also have a great addon for other activities like canyoning and climbing. You can have a 5% discount with my link!
Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or drop me a message through my contact page.
Also, don’t forget to check out my resources page with my favorite booking platforms and tips to start planning your trip. Additionally, have a look at my favorite travel gear if you want to pack more consciously!
ENJOY!
Disclaimer: This post may include affiliate links. If you click on them, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Hi! I am Annelies and this is Travelers & Dreamers, a blog about conscious travel which means traveling in a more mindful way, with a positive impact on the world and yourself!
On this website, I cover different topics like slow travel, plant-based food guides, responsible travel, sustainable packing, eco-travel, and more!
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