January 8
Hello everyone!
The self-styled ‘Land of Volcanoes' has many peaks, mountains and hills, as well as many streams and rivers. Combined together that means…lots of waterfalls!
 |
A member of our group jumping from a
height next to one of Tamanique's waterfalls |
 |
| Tamanique Waterfall #4 |
I do like a waterfall. The feeling of having your breath slightly taken away when you first see them, then having your breath taken away more as you swim up to its plunge pool. The rainbows that often streak out from the mist being swept up by powerful winds. Their incessant power and rumble, fusing beauty and an element of danger.
 |
| Uganda, 2015 |
 |
| Costa Rica, 2023 |
I have seen, scaled and jumped into some of El Salvador’s well-known waterfalls before, found on the Ruta de Las Flores to the west of the capital and near the old colonial capital of Suchitoto. Probably the most-visited set of falls in the country are found a bit closer to home and to the beach, near a town called Tamanique.
 |
| Mini modelling in front of a Salvadorean waterfall |
 |
| Like many places here, the town's name is shown in its main plaza |
From visiting them today, certainly the most visited by foreign visitors to El Salvador. The country is becoming more popular on the backpacking route and is a premier global surfing destination. This has led to an increase in visitors, many of whom stay in the realms of ‘Surf City’, a set of small towns on the central Pacific shoreline. I’ve not really explored them as yet.
 |
| This sign was in the airport when I first arrived in 2022 |
 |
| Popular beaches such as El Tunco are in the distance |
What I do know is that one of the popular day trips offered by hostels and hotels down there is to visit the Tamanique Waterfalls, a collection of four or six (depending on your definition) falls about a 30 minute drive inland or uphill from the beach. It’s also about an hour’s drive downhill from where I live in Santa Tecla. Easy enough to visit for a morning.
 |
Calling Tamanique a 'town' is a stretch - the
whole place is about 3 square blocks |
 |
| English on the signage - a sign of foreigners visiting regularly |
Most information online will suggest going on an organised tour from Surf City. As a friend and I weren’t doing that, we were going in relatively blind, solely knowing that we needed to drive to Tamanique town and find the tourist office. In other countries, its glaring green colour would stand out. Maybe it would if they made the ‘tourist office’ sign the same colour…
 |
| The original 'tourist office' - not set up for tourists |
 |
| The actual tourist office - the inside is an almost-empty room |
I think we got a bit lucky - the guide explained that there were already people waiting to go to the falls, and that we would leave in 10-15 minutes. It would be a 2.5 kilometre hike to the first waterfall - waterfall #4, naturally - and then a bit more walking to see the others.
 |
| The falls are about 600 metres above sea level |
The walk is easy enough, an uneven cobbled road followed by a dusty, dirt path which meandered down from the town to the first fall. The first is the highest, almost 50 metres tall.
 |
| The national tree of El Salvador, the maquilishuat |
 |
I'm visiting in dry season - I imagine it's a very
different experience in August or September |
The first section, which includes two other ‘waterfalls’ (more like a cascade), has some surprisingly deep water, allowing an opportunity to swim and cool off from the ever-strengthening sun.
 |
| Those trickles aren't counted as waterfalls! |
 |
| I couldn't touch the bottom in the middle of this pool |
The surrounding rocks are tall enough for you to jump from into the water below. As with many videos like this, it’s taller and slightly scarier than it looks on video!
 |
| We jumped from above this waterfall, probably about 6 metres or so |
Walking back up takes you towards water number 3. Not as tall but still a pretty sight.
 |
| The water was shallower here - no jumping allowed! |
 |
There were overhanging trees that seemed
to be growing horizontally from the rock |
Walking further up and left takes you to the final two waterfalls. The numbering system is clearly mostly done by height, which makes sense…once understood.
 |
| This is a long-tailed metalmark butterfly |
 |
This water will flow into the Pacific Ocean
at another spot in Surf City, El Sunzal |
Once again, the water is deep enough between the two waterfalls for you to jump in.
 |
| I think the drop here was probably about 5 metres |
For me, visiting Tamanique Waterfalls was a nice way of getting out of the city. Judging from the other groups that were passing us as we ascended back to the town, it’s also an opportunity for those staying at the beach to do something a little bit different.
 |
| Tamanique Waterfall #3 |
Love you all,
Matt
