Cool Off in Escaleras de Cuyón Waterfall
Sometimes you just have to check out some of the places you see photos of on the internet. Escaleras de Cuyón (or Charco el Chalet) is a cute little waterfall that cascades down rocks that look like steps cut into the exposed rock. But it is all natural. As it turns out, getting to these falls is an adventure in itself! Such fun and a pretty little spot.
Located in the town of Aibonito, this little falls is not what I would call a “must do”, but we managed to enjoy it and a few other things in that general area on the day we went. Aibonito is a mountainous town in the east/central part of the island. This waterfall is on a road off of the Ruta Panorámica, so you need to take a bit of twisting/turning roads to get there. But we went in summer and the flamboyant trees were in bloom – it was quite beautiful. The waterfall, located in Barrio Cuyón, is about 25 minutes from the highway.
The walk down to the falls was a bit unexpected. You enter the thin path and follow it – you are actually walking in a stream part of the way! The path goes through a little stream, then mud, then up on dry land, then over some rocks. The day we went, the stream you walk through was about knee-deep in one spot, but mostly just ankle deep. But it would be best to wear closed-toe shoes that can get wet! The path was a bit overgrown, so you were pushing your way through the plants on the side of the stream. When you come to the rocky river with the larger rocks, turn to the left and climb the rocks to the pool and waterfall. All in all, it takes about 10-15 minutes to walk to the falls, but it is pretty fun to see what comes next on the trail!
The clear, green colored pool is not really large, but it is nice. It is pretty deep – people were jumping from the large rock on the right side, so I guess it is about 8-10 feet deep. You can swim over to the falls and sit there and get some nice photos. I have seen people who got to the top of this falls, and there is another pool/falls up above (which we could see in our drone photos).
I am not sure of the “quality” of this water – there are some houses very close by and upriver. We chose not to go in, but many people do!
On the way back, we stopped for lunch at Lechonera El Cuñao on Route 1 (at KM 65.4) and it was delicious!
Details
There is no cost to access this waterfall.
Visit during daylight hours.
Wear closed-toe shoes.
From Route 1 in Aibonito, turn onto Road 162. Continue on Road 162 for about 1.8 miles (3 kilometers) and make the first left onto Road 716. It will be just past the chalet on the left. Park on the left side of Road 716 (without blocking any driveways). The trail is to the left of the “garbage can area” of the first house.
Click on a placename below to view the location on Google Maps ...
PuertoRicoDayTrips.com assumes no responsibility regarding your safety when participating in the activities described in this article. Please use common sense! If your mother or that little voice in your head tells you that you are about to do something stupid … then don't do it!
