My Travels: Cascadas Chicala - Payande Colombia

Visiting the Chicala waterfalls in Payande, Tolima, was the last part of our little outing while vacationing in Colombia about a month ago. It was the part of the trip we enjoyed the most!

We had arrived in Ibague, my hometown, where we stayed for the night (check those pictures and story right HERE). The following day, we decided to take a tour of the Cascadas de Chicala with a company recommended by the hotel staff.

The five of us (me, two sisters, my nephew, and my daughter) got up early the next morning to wait for our tour guide/driver to pick us up and take us to Payande, Tolima, just 30 minutes away.

Five miles from the falls, the nice road we were traveling on ended, and we continued the trip on an open and very bumpy road.

 

The Andes mountains were visible on both sides of the road.

Close by was Cemex, a Mexican Cement manufacturing company, which broke our view.

They have a strong presence throughout the area. They extract various construction materials, such as limestone and clay, which the region is rich in. 

It's both a good and a bad situation: the company brings jobs and progress to the area, but it also damages the ecosystem and causes health issues for residents.

 

Let's continue with our trip to the waterfalls... we had to cross this little creek.

A short distance up the road, we reached our destination... Cascadas Chicala... Well, at least the parking zone.

The car was parked, and from then on we had to walk for about ten minutes. 

The first part, with the sun beaming down on us, wasn't too fun...

 

After walking several feet, we reached the mountain, and the trees provided plenty of shade.

I enjoyed the uphill walk under the trees. Getting there early was a good idea, since the weather wasn't as hot as it gets during the middle of the day. The other good reason is that there weren't many people crowding the space.

Here, following the guide...

And we arrived!! 

The Chicala waterfalls consist of six accessible waterfalls, all connected and well-maintained via natural hiking trails. 

The picture below is the first waterfall to the right as you enter. This is the one family with little kids enjoys the most, its depth is only 20" and has a soft sandy bottom.

We continued up the hiking trail to get to the other falls. 

Being right in the middle of the jungle, with the sound of water hitting the rocks below, was amazing.

We then got to waterfall number #3, after stepping from rock after rock... 

There was the fall hidden from plain view!

My daughter, a bit hesitant to get in the water, started to walk towards the waterfall.

 

And in no time, she was enjoying it! The water was so clear and fresh.

  

Soon after, we were back on the trail, climbing to waterfall #6, the deepest, at 26 feet.

 

Of course, she had to jump from here, too!

 

Her cousin was a good leader. ;)

He even dove in!

Me? 

No way! 

I was just relaxing and enjoying the view. :D

After a couple of hours, we began descending and headed to our final destination of the day as part of the tour.

 

Lunch, a swimming pool, and a resting area were awaiting us here in the little town of Payande.

 

Love the brick pathway and all the vegetation.

 

After having a wholesome lunch, some decided to take a dip in the pool.

I, instead, turned to the closest hammock under a few trees, and, enjoying the most wonderful breeze, took a long nap! 

Ahhh... it was glorious! :)

Well, guys, I'm so very happy we decided to visit the Cascadas de Chicala; it brought back great memories of outings we had as a family a long time ago while growing up. 

This time, it was great to share this same type of experience with my daughter, who had a wonderful time!

Hugs, my friends!

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