hiking el limon waterfall
We spent one week in Las Terrenas, DR and adventuring out of town to hike to this was my favorite day.
how do i get to el limon?
The El Limon waterfall or ‘Cascada el Limon’ is only a short drive from Las Terrenas, about 30 minutes!
There are several ways to get here and access the falls, so keep reading. If you rented a vehicle and are driving yourself to the falls, use these coordinates: 19.28437 N, 69.43814 W. This will take you directly to the parking lot & trailhead. However, if you don’t have your own means of transportation, take a guagua (or a bus), a private taxi or sign up for a group tour that includes transportation.
We took our ATV to the falls and on the way there, there were several locals summoning us to come with them to the falls and use their tour guides, so… eventually we caved and went with one of them, better safe than sorry! But, by all means this does not need to be a guided hike per se.
We paid about 300 pesos ($20 USD) for the guide and then there was a national park access fee of 50 pesos per person.
how difficult is the hike to el limon waterfall?
So, to be honest, we were not expecting a hike. I was thinking that it was a short walk to a waterfall - I wore my waterproof birkenstocks which was not necessarily ideal. For an avid hiker it was a fairly easy to moderate hike, however for a beginner hiker it was definitely on the moderate to hard side! My watch clocked 3.12 miles and 900 feet of elevation gain! Be sure to wear comfortable shoes that you don’t mind getting wet and muddy.
And on the plus side, if you have hired a guide to take you and you aren uncomfortable with navigating down on the wet and slippery rocks, there are horses and mules that you could rent to take you down! There is also a small hut that is pictured above where you can purchase refreshments.
was it worth it?
YES. I’ve never been one to explore off the beaten path when going on a ‘beach vacation or take in the surroundings other than the beach, but I am so glad I did and this really changed my perspective when visiting new places that I would typically only consider are for relaxing on at the beach.
