Gera Waterfall

The Gera falls drop in stages through a narrow forested gorge in the hills south of Moyobamba, the main plunge around a hundred and twenty metres, with a pool at the base where people swim and vegetation growing over every wet surface. It is the standard half-day trip from the city, reached by road to the community of Gera and then a short walk in. The same river feeds the Gera hydroelectric plant, which supplies much of San Martín, and the abstraction affects how much water is going over the fall - flow is noticeably reduced compared to what the gorge could carry, and in the dry months it can look thin. The walk in passes coffee smallholdings, which is what most of these hills are used for now. Local guides work from the community and there is a fee.

What you actually see

• The main drop - around a hundred and twenty metres in stages through a gorge.
• The pool - a swimming pool at the base, cold and shaded.
• The gorge vegetation - dense growth on every wet surface.
• The coffee farms - smallholdings along the approach through the hills.

When to go

Volume is highest from December to April, but the road and path are much worse then. May to September for easier access with a thinner fall. Half a day from Moyobamba.

Honest expectations

Water is diverted upstream for the hydroelectric plant, so the fall is smaller than the gorge suggests, and thin in dry months. The access road is rough and often muddy. Slippery rocks at the pool. Basic facilities.

Nearby

Moyobamba is north; the Morro de Calzada is west along the valley.