El Salto de Chilascó

Among the places local guides can take you is the spectacular El Salto de Chilascó, which they claim is the highest waterfall in Central America, at 130 meters. Other sources, however, place the falls at 70 meters and claim the highest waterfall in Guatemala is Tzuul Tak’a, recently discovered in a remote corner of the Sierra de las Minas, with a height of 115 meters. To the best of my knowledge, the highest waterfall in Central America is still Belize’s Thousand Foot Falls [1], at more than 450 meters.

In any case, the Chilascó falls are certainly one of the region’s highest and are well worth a visit. They can be reached via an excellent trail in about 1.25 hours. From the tourist information center in town (where you pay a $2 admission fee), it’s two kilometers to a parking lot and the trailhead. It’s another three kilometers from there to the falls. You’ll first come to a smaller waterfall known as El Saltito before reaching the point where you descend to the larger waterfall via a separate trail.

You’ll be treated to wonderful vistas along the way and to an opportunity to see the gradual progression from agricultural fields dotted with potato, broccoli, and cabbage patches to dense cloud forest with wonderful bromeliads, orchids, and ferns. There are two lookout points from where there are fantastic views of the spectacular waterfall. A guide is recommended and costs about $4.