Gocta Waterfall: Hidden Cataracts
Those waterfall enthusiasts in the world will be excited to learn of a waterfall that has been ‘discovered’ in recent years. The Gocta Waterfall, sometimes referred to in its Spanish, ‘la catarata Gocta’ was brought to the world in 2002 when German engineer Stefan Ziemendorff and a group of Peruvian explorers spotted the isolated waterfall in Chachapoyas, Peru. We all thought the world had been mapped but there are still little known and even unknown spots that obviously harbor lovely secrets. This secret happens to be a five hour hike from the nearest village called Cocachimba.
Ziemendorff convinced the Peruvian government to map and measure the falls after his findings. It turns out that Gocta is the new third tallest waterfall in the world, measuring in at 2,532 feet. Gocta is a tiered waterfall, meaning that it hits a level or slightly inclined surface of the cliff on part of its downward plunge before spilling off and continuing on its way. Some authorities dispute the height measurement of Gocta precisely because it is a tiered waterfall and is technically considered two separate waterfalls. This would make Gocta the 14th tallest waterfall in the world. Visitors who’ve all ready seen the waterfall don’t care. They are caught by its beauty, both observed from the ground and the air.
The Cocahuayco River spills over the high tan cliff face smattered on the left side of the falls with rich jungle vegetation. On some days it can be hard to tell the mist Gocta throws up from the wispy clouds weighing down on the mountain side. After nearly one thousand feet the falls are broken by the slim level plain of the cliff face, where they wend their way a short distance around the local vegetation to fall over the side of the cliff from a narrow exit in the vegetation and spreading wider until it hits the water below.
The Peruvian government isn’t sitting on their laurels in the wake of this find and they are actively working to turn Gocta into a tourist attraction designed to help boost the local economy. They plan on having a good road, better accommodations and restaurants and programs to help educate the local villagers on conserving the environment. It is planned to turn the area surrounding Gocta into a nature preserve. The Regional Department of Tourism hopes that they will be able to open the waterfalls to visitors in mid-2007.
Interestingly the locals of Chachapoyas knew about the waterfall for nearly two centuries but kept it to themselves out of fear. There is a local myth that a beautiful blond mermaid lives in the water of the falls and they were afraid that she would bring a curse down on them if they told outsiders of the waterfalls existence. Since the Peruvian government isn’t letting the threat of a curse from a fetching mermaid hold them back from using the waterfall to boost their economy it seems that the tourists will simply have to take the risk of jinx in order to see the falls.