Family Friendly Hike to Chorro de Plata Waterfalls

It can be difficult to find family-friendly escapes. Not knowing what you’re in for when heading on an excursion can make parents (including myself) leery. I love to get my kids out in nature, hiking, biking, swimming in the river, lake or ocean and generally being active. A family friendly hike is something I’m often on the lookout for. Being newly arrived in Cali, I still don’t know a lot of places nearby. What might seem like a morning walk, can quickly turn into a half day of whining and complaining if emotions and expectations aren’t managed properly. So I asked around for recommendations.

Finding an Activity

I had asked about taking my boys (9 and 5) up Pico de Loro, but was told it might be long for the kids, and that I would need a guide. When planning excursions for the family, cost is always a consideration, so I figured something shorter that I could find on my own would be better. The recommendation I got from Gian Betancourt of Camping Trips Colombia was Chorro de Plata (Silver Falls). It’s in the same neck of the woods as Pico de Loro, but closer, shorter, and no guide required. Perfect for Saturday morning excursion.

Getting There

Although we decided to park in La Voragine, you can actually drive a lot of the way up to Silver falls. We left early in the morning, as Rio Pance gets busy on the weekend. We parked the car in a lot in La Voragine for 4000 pesos. If you are using public transportation you can take the Mio to the Universidades station in Ciudad Jardin (as far south as it goes). Then take a bus heading to pueblo Pance. Unlike the trail head to Pico de Loro, for Chorro de Plata you only need to get to La Voragine. In town, the road crosses the river, and that’s where you want to get out as you’ll be headed up the north side of Rio Pance (If you’ve crossed the river, go back towards the police station). The bridge was our trail head, (round trip about 6.5km) but as I mentioned, if you are driving, you can follow the road up past the police station (don’t cross the river) and cut the walking distance to about 2km round trip. Here is the map Gian provided me, please note it is very much NOT TO SCALE. The Google Map location may be easier for you to understand.

The Hike

The walk from La Voragine to the falls is about 3km, but more than a kilometer of that is on patchy road (some paved some not), there is a condominium campestre, and a few fincas as you head up, but very few cars. We spotted:

• Several Guatin (Agouti)
• Tons of Colorful Butterflies
• Loads of Birds
• Too Many Beautiful Flowers to Count

It is just about all uphill, but the path is easy to follow and not particularly technical. At one point we did reach a grassy knoll where we chose the wrong fork and had to double back. So head uphill to the left from the grassy knoll. About ¾’s of the way, on a clear day you’ll get a nice look down the valley at south Cali.

The Falls

The waterfall is a good size and a has a few small pools at the bottom where you can dip your feet or wade right into the falls if you’re up for that. It made for a feeling of accomplishment which the boys enjoy, and breaking up the hike with some play time makes the walking well worth it. The kids loved splashing around until they were shivering, I was more into dipping my feet, then we dried off for the trip back.

Overall this was a great, family friendly hike in Cali. The whole trip door to door was about 3.5 hours (2.5 hiking and a half hour each way driving). We had a Sancocho lunch in La Voragine once we got back to the village but honestly wouldn’t recommend it. Our was overpriced and not that impressive, but there are many options. Still, overall it was a great way to spend the morning with the kids. We enjoyed Cali’s amazing natural surroundings, and still got to be home by noon! I would highly recommend it for bird, butterfly or flower enthusiasts, or anyone who wants a short outing near Cali. We also saw some groups of mountain bikers on the trail, so maybe somewhere for you cyclists to check out.