The Catarata del Gocta or the Gocta Waterfall is a waterfall with two drops. It has been known for centuries to the local residents in Peru's province of Chachapoyas in Amazonas. The Gocta Waterfall is one of the exciting finds for waterfall enthusiasts. This debunks our belief that the world had been mapped but in reality there are still little known and even unknown spots that obviously harbor such lovely places.

Located at approximately 700 kilometers to the north-east of Lima, the waterfall was made public following an expedition in 2005 by German Stefan Ziemendorff with a group of Peruvian explorers. Upon his discovery, he was able to successfully persuade the Peruvian government to map the falls and to measure their height. The waterfall, seen from kilometers away in the heart of the Chachapoyas region, has been christened Gocta Falls, after the name of the nearest settlement.

On 11 March 2006, Ziemendorff held a press conference. He stated that the total height was accurately measured at 771 meters (2,532 feet). Based from the National Geographic Society, Gocta ranked as the third tallest free-leaping waterfall in world after Angel Falls in Venezuela and Tugela Falls in South Africa. Some authorities dispute the height measurement of Gocta precisely because it is a tiered waterfall and is technically considered two separate waterfalls making Gocta the 14th tallest waterfall in the world.

Bring a waterfall like Gocta indoors with an indoor water fountain.

An interesting report from El Comercio said that the impressive waterfall had remained unknown to outsiders until now, because local people feared the curse of a beautiful blond mermaid who lived in its waters if they revealed its whereabouts. However, on 13 March 2006 the Peruvian government announced to the press that the area surrounding the falls would be developed as a tourist attraction, with a target date for sometime in mid-2007.

On some days it can be hard to tell the mist Gocta waterfall throws up from the wispy clouds weighing down on the mountain side due to the Cocahuayco River spilling over the high tan cliff face smattered on the left side of the falls with rich jungle vegetation. The waterfalls are broken by the slim level plain of the cliff face after nearly one thousand feet. The falls then wend their way a short distance around the local vegetation to fall over the side of the cliff from a narrow exit in the vegetation and spreading wider until it hits the water below.

To reach the Gocta waterfall the only way is walking five hours through the virgin jungle departing from the village of Cocachimba. Through the trek it’s possible to see other amazing waterfalls, toucans, hummingbirds, monkeys and much more. Although there are some explorer or adventure lovers visiting Gocta but there is not yet tourist circuits or paths at the moment.