Rio Seco Waterfall…… a perfect beginner’s hike

Rio Seco waterfall is located just before the village of Balandra in the north-east  of Trinidad. This waterfall is one of the most well known in Trinidad and is beloved by many 😉 On any given weekend or especially on a holiday it is one of the most popular locations for hikers, limers (liming is a Trinidadian word meaning to socialize, limers are persons who are liming) and tourists. This is because this hike is an easy one with a big reward – an inviting emerald green (sometimes light blue) inviting pool to bathe in! What more do you want???? ❤

The Area

Rio Seco means “Dry River” in Spanish but the river is anything but dry in this area. Unlike Turure waterfall which can have very little water in the waterfall during the height of the Trinbagonian dry season 😐 (check out my post on Turure Water Steps here), there is always water at Rio Seco. It is a year round attraction 😎

The turn off for this trail is on the Toco Main road opposite Salybia Beach after you cross the Salybia bridge. The road is called the Matura National Park Road or I have seen it called the Salybia Matura Trace but there is a sign at the corner that you can look out for.

In the past we have parked our cars at the widest part of the road, closest to the start of the trail (where there are some large garbage bins and a lovely sign for people who like to litter), however, a couple of years ago there was an incident in which the windows of several cars were broken and some items stolen. Since that time, we have decided to take precautions and the last time we visited, we parked our cars  🚕  🚌 in the yard of one of the villagers, Mr. Nelson about 1 km down the road from our usual spot 😎 😎

The trail .…

This trail is one of the most family friendly in Trinidad and Tobago. The total hiking time one way is about 30 – 45 mins depending on your speed, fitness level and what you are carrying 🧗🏿‍♀️ 🧗‍♂️ I have seen people carrying pots and pans and a lot of food for a cookout  🍕 🥪  🍝

The trail is muddy at the very beginning but eventually you get deeper into the forest and end up walking on a path covered with fallen leaves with a canopy of trees providing shelter from the hot sun and rain 🐛 🦋🌲🌷 As you walk along the trail, there is gradual ascent and you can see the river meandering below 🏞 💦

When you are about 10 minutes from the waterfall, there is a muddy hill that you climb and then you gradually descend to the waterfall. You need to be careful here because your sneakers can get stuck in the mud (PS. Please do not go hiking in Slippers! You will regret it). In addition, at the end of the trail as you descend into the waterfall, you may need to use the rope on the final descent 🌹🌳

Why should you visit Rio Seco?

I would highly recommend this hike for anyone who never hiked before and aren’t too sure what your fitness level is ✨ Whenever someone messages our hiking group and are asking about a perfect beginner hike, this is one of the hikes that I suggest. For first timers, Rio Seco, Mermaid Pools or Turure Water Steps are great hikes for you ❤️

The reason I am a fan of Rio Seco in particular is because the waterfall has such a large pool to bathe in at its base and also for the more adventurous, you can even dive off some of the rocks into the pool below 🌤 💦 In addition, the trail is not too long so you as soon as you start feeling tired or just impatient to reach, you are already almost there.

If you are heading here for the first time, I suggest you go with a group, take life jackets if you cannot swim and contact Mr Nelson about parking 🚗 🚙 (message me and I will provide his number), or use a Maxi and also go early 🕰 It may also be best to avoid Holiday weekends completely or go very very early as here could be extremely busy (with hundreds of hikers descending upon this waterfall) ❗ ❗ ❗ ❗

Have you ever been to Rio Seco before? What are your thoughts about this waterfall? 🗺 ⛅️

Thanks for reading this post.

Much Love

Celly