We took a day to go out with our guests to one of our favorite spots: Gozalandia in San Sebastian. It is the quintessential tropical waterfall getaway. I always feel that it couldn’t have been designed any better had it been in a movie set. It’s just magical!
We thought we’d round out Summer’s first time in Puerto Rico by doing something in the interior mountains. The beaches get much of the fame, but the mountains and what they contain are hidden gems. We asked if she would rather check out a cave or a waterfall, and the choice was emphatically: waterfall! So we decided to try a new one to us: Salto Curet in Maricao.
Salto Curet and me (for scale and fun)
It wasn’t easy to find, however. We were able to make it to the end of the road that it was supposed to be on and then down a very rocky dirt road. But then it crossed the river again and we weren’t about to get the truck stuck, so we set off hiking to find the waterfall.
Britton, Summer and I were walking and walking through bamboo groves- up and up!
We walked and walked, hauling our food, water and clothes. And we kept hiking until both Summer and I had to take a pit stop in the woods (not so easy for women as it is for men). So Britton kept walking ahead to see how much further it was. He was able to move much faster without us and all the crap to carry. Summer and I waited and waited and waited. Finally he came back and said that the road ended at a small house but that there was no waterfall. We ate lunch from the cooler in the middle of the trail and thought about what to do.
Finally, we walked all the way back to the truck and then backtracked but we didn’t see anything. We were just about to leave when we saw another truck full of young guys jumping out. I asked them if they would mind us walking with them to the waterfall since we weren’t having any luck finding it. They were happy to walk and talk (in Spanish) with us. They showed us where the hidden sign was that we had missed along the way.
Salto Curet- Oh, that way!
This is a very hidden waterfall. To access it, you actually have to walk in the river! How cool is that?!
Walk straight down the river
And you will eventually find this:
It was so beautiful and tranquil. When we got there it was raining which made it even more slippery to walk but it also amplified the scene with the rain falling along with the water from the fall. There were shallow parts and deep parts to jump into. The helpful boys hung out and cliff jumped for about an hour and then they left. We had the waterfall and pool all to ourselves, it was pretty amazing. We enjoyed jumping, swimming, climbing and taking photos. It reminded me a little of gorgeous Gozalandia, but not quite as well known and much more off the beaten path.
At one point in the day we didn’t think we would ever find it, but we didn’t give up and that lost and long hike made the crisp water of the cascade even more sweet. A fantastic day.
We were trying to think of a fun activity for my mom and Anthony while they were visiting us. We have visited the beaches and checked out the lighthouse area in Rincón with them, but there was something Britton and I had been wanting to check out for a while: the waterfalls of San Sebastian also known as Gozalandia (loosely: Enjoymentlandia).
Lots of photo ops
It’s not too hard to find these waterfalls. If you can find San Sebastian, you can find it and everyone in the town knows where they are. Basically you just go from the Walgreens up to the bridge and hang a right and keep going up until you see the signs and parking for $5.
These are very beautiful waterfalls and it sort of makes you feel like you are in some kind of tropical movie like the Blue Lagoon -especially because one of the rock faces actually looks vaguely like a skull face. There are virtually no rules and you are free to do pretty much whatever stunts cliff diving or swimming into the underwater caves. One of the waterfalls even has a rope with which you can swing and jump and you can stand behind the water as it falls. It was a little chilly for us to do much swimming in the cool river/spring water, but we watched the crazy cliff divers and we climbed around a lot.
It is not an easy climb to either of the waterfalls and so you would need to be moderately fit to traverse the wet and slippery steps and be able to hang on to the rope knots on the way down or fit your foot into tree roots. A helpful and funny man can walk you through it step by step if you need. But all the trouble getting to them is well worth it. Unlike most government sanctioned nature areas, this private park felt pretty much like it probably did when the native Taino Indians lived on the island and probably played in these cascadas. It wasn’t until just recently that the stairs were even installed!
The other lesser known waterfall has the rope and reminded me of the cenotes or sinkholes of the Yucatan in Mexico
I talked with one of the owners and he said it is a piece of property that has been in his family for many years and up until about 40 years ago it had been a 70 acre sugarcane plantation, but now it is just known for the waterfalls and natural beauty. He said that in the depth of summer on the weekends it can be crammed with as many as 150 full cars, so we enjoyed the relaxed and quiet vibe we had there on a January weekday with maybe 10 other people.
On the walk/hike to the secondary waterfall there are smaller dipping pools as well. I think I would like to go back and do some exploring under the water and do some jumping when the weather is a little warmer on a summer weekday. It was a stunning find and I would highly recommend it!
2016 Update: Here is our second trip to Gozalandia. Some improvements have been made to the property.
