I recently made a special trip to Colón, I had months without going to this province and I was dying to return, this time I went to El Jiral Waterfall, San Lorenzo Castle and 3 Beaches in Portobelo.
We left really early to take advantage of the day and get to know the waterfall, they had told us that it looked like an elephant, but in the photo it didn’t seem so much, intrigued to meet it, we went to El Jiral,.
How did we get there?
With the guidance of a friend of a friend of a friend, hahaha, as it is. Thanks to him, we left the car at his relative’s house.
Getting to where the car can be left, is super easy, but the hike is not so easy, it is a hike with practically no difficulty.
We pass through 2 gates (private property), the first is about 20m from where the car is left and not you can see the trail, the second one a little more (we hike like climbing a hill).
Then the trail is more marked, then we pass through a cyclone fence, left side, now you must know what the point where it is crossed, from there you can see the trail a little and continues until we reach the river.
We continue hiking upstream until we reach El Jiral Waterfall, hiking is about 15 minutes.
Once we arrived at El Jiral Waterfall to be honest, it was difficult for me to see the elephant, but it is more noticeable when seen from the side, you can see the ears, the forehead, the waterfalls fall almost where the eyes are and this is the beginning of the trunk.
El Jiral Waterfall is very beautiful, I imagine that going on a hot day must be great, but there was trash around it.
The water was very cold, so I did not go in, hahaha, only one guy dared to enter, our guide of the day.
And when he jumped into the water, Picacho Pancake ran away, Jerry’s dog, it was a shooting star, hahaha.
It is a little afraid of the water, with everything and that we hiked in the river, the idea of jumping into the water is not very pleasant.
Although Jerry went looking for him, he couldn’t find him.
We stayed for a while, because we wanted to take some photos with light, the place is full of vegetation and very little light comes in early in the morning, so it looks dark.
While we wait, we take the opportunity to pick up some of the trash that other people had left unfortunately.
After a good while, it was time to return, our next destination San Lorenzo Castle.
Arriving almost where the car was, Picacho Pancake was waiting for us, yes, it did not get lost, it went straight to the car, at the last gate.
Advices
- Bring Sunscreen,
- Trash bag, remember do not to leave anything,
- Water,
- Do not go if it has recently rained,
- Shoes to walk in the water, there is a trail that you walk along the river,
- If you can go with a person from the community, much better,
- Do not leave trash.
Prices
- Free entrance
- $2.30 Panama-Colón toll, each way.
How to get to the Waterfall with Elephant Face?
If you are in Panama City, it is best to go on the Panama-Colón Highway, exit at Sabanitas and take the direction to Panama-City, until El Jiral, enter the street on the right side that is after Plaza El Jiral.
Continue along the street to the grocery store Aracelis, then take the street on the right, you will pass a bridge over a river and then take on the left, a few meters away you will see a Y, take the way on the left and park your car.
Time to start hiking, pass through 2 gates (private property), and then on the trail, you will pass through a cyclone fence that is on one side.
The trail is somewhat visible, but not much, you will reach the river, where you continue upstream until you reach the waterfall.
From Panama City to EL Jiral it can take 1 hour and 20 minutes, and from Plaza de Jiral to where it can be reached by car, it can take 8 minutes.
Note
If you search for information on the internet or google map, you will see El Giral, although the correct name is El Jiral.
Other places you may like
- Emberá Querá Community
- San Lorenzo Castle
- Tour To Venas Azules
- A Weekend Getaway to Grande Island
- Canopy over Gatún Lake
- Fun Day of Kayaking and Extreme Park at La Granja Campo y Aventura
