Maracas Waterfall Trail.

The Maracas Waterfall is located in the Upper Maracas Valley in the Northern Range of Trinidad. This waterfall cascades from Mt. El Tucuche and is the highest waterfall in the country with a vertical drop of 91.5 meters (300.2ft). I started the hike from the corner of the Maracas Royal Road and Waterfall Road (10.71048°N and -61.41522°W) but the adventurous can start from Curepe (10.64982°N and -61.41004°W) and proceed up the Maracas Royal Road. There's little canopy cover along the Royal Road so lots of water, electrolytes, a snack, and a hat are good ideas. Additionally, one would consider starting this trek in the early morning to minimize direct exposure to the sunlight. The hike along Waterfall road is extremely easy. Waterfall Road leads to an established hiking trail that winds uphill for about 2.5 km to get to the main waterfall and picnic area. The trailhead is clearly labeled (10.72458°N and -61.40871°W elevation 154m). This uphill trek is a welcome relief from the zero gradient trek previously encountered. Along the trail there are quite a few vantage points that I believe are worth exploring. I found one that reveals a beautiful three tiered waterfall whose source is the main falls a few meters upstream. The trail to the three tiered falls ventures right off the main trail at 10.72559°N and -61.4078°W elevation 166m. At the end of this area there is an approximately 40 foot drop that appears worthy of exploration (10.72597°N and -61.40661°W). It requires a bit of rope, a couple carabineers (Karabinerhaken) and other safety paraphernalia to rappel because it is almost vertical. The picnic area at the base of the falls (10.73001°N and -61.40378°W elevation 280m) is quite picturesque and presents many opportunities for photography. Additionally, it is a splendid place to sit, have lunch or just contemplate, as I did. For the more adventurous there's an opportunity to climb to the top of the falls. The trail that leads to the top of the falls starts lower down the main trail and is rated 6 out of 8 on the local “subjective” difficulty scale. The trek to the top of the falls and exploration can take as much as 4 hours. Extreme caution should be exercised if it is decided to attempt this climb. However, if you do the views are exceptional, and I believe that it is truly worth the risk. This trail is a bird lover’s paradise. This morning I was fortunate enough to have the trail all to myself and was able to see a Lineated Woodpecker (Dryocopus lineatus), the White-lined Tanager (Tachyphonus rufus), the Silver-beaked Tanager (Ramphocelus carbo), the Blue-grey Tanager (Thraupis episcopus), the Palm Tanager (Thraupis palmarum), the Blue Dacnis or Turquoise Honeycreeper (Dacnis cayana), the Green Honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza), the Purple Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes caeruleus), the Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola), the Tropical Kingbird (Tyrannus melancholicus), and the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus).
Happy Trails.