Maracas Waterfall – The Tallest Waterfall in TnT

Maracas waterfall in the rainy season and Maracas waterfall in the dry season are two very different experiences. Back in 2019, I visited this waterfall two times in May (the dry season) and I really was quite disappointed. However, on the first Saturday in October 2022, my friends and I visited here again but this time it was the rainy season and I must say, I fell in love. I get it now. I understand why so many people enjoy this hike. Maracas Waterfall in all its glory is indeed a sight to behold. 😍 I am surely adding this hike to my list of favorite spots in Trinidad and Tobago and I think you should too! FYI, if you have not visited this waterfall before, it is worth the trek 🥾.

Maracas waterfall 💦 is located in Maracas, St. Joseph. St. Joseph (San José de Oruña) is the first capital of our twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, back when we were under Spanish colonial rule. Port of Spain became the capital in 1784.

The hike to Maracas Waterfall begins on the Waterfall road in Maracas Valley in St. Joseph. You can either drive to the end of the road and up the hill or park lower down by WASA Naranjo Intake Station and begin your hike from this point. (N.B. If you park on the grass by the Naranjo Intake Station, your cars can get stuck in the mud if it rains. I know this from experience!).

If you park by the Naranjo Intake station, the hike is flat at first, and then goes uphill for about 0.4 km as you pass by some houses and then eventually the Waterfall Road Intake Station. After the uphill portion, the trail levels off a bit as you arrive at the official entrance to the Maracas Waterfall 😎 with the signs and seating area.

The Maracas Waterfall trail is wide and clear for most of the trek. It is an easy hike overall and gently slopes uphill as you head towards the waterfall. Be careful as you cross the streams as the rocks are slippery 😳. The trail is absolutely beautiful, so many shades of green, tall trees 🌲 🌳 providing a nice canopy above, spots with bamboo, beautiful flowers 🌷, butterflies 🦋, it really shows that nature can be therapeutic. Almost every time I visit this spot, I see at least one blue emperor butterfly.

Maracas waterfall is the tallest single drop waterfall in Trinidad and Tobago standing at an immense 300 ft high 😱. The best time to visit is during the rainy season but of course on a sunny day (you know Trinbago weather, we could be in the rainy season and have amazing sunshine one day ☀️ and a thunderstorm the next ⛈). I suggest this time of year from my own personal experience as during the dry season, I found it was more of a trickle of water as compared to my visit in October. We actually heard the waterfall before we saw it as there was so much water cascading off the top this time around, it was absolutely breathtaking.

Although there is no pool at the base of Maracas Waterfall for bathing, you can stand or sit at the bottom and get a refreshing bath as if from a massive shower head. However, if you still want a pool to dive into, thankfully, you can head to Balata Falls which is just a short detour off of the main trail 😉.

Balata waterfall is lower down river from Maracas Waterfall and is about a ten minute walk off the main trail. If you are heading to the waterfall, it is a detour to the right and a short walk along a skinny trail. Although the trail is skinny, the pools are worth it  🌊. There is one big pool at the base with a second pool (with much colder water) at the top. The only drawback with Balata Falls is that the rocks as soon as you come off the trail are extremely slippery, I think that someone rubbed down those rocks with Vaseline or something! Of course, be extremely careful on this trail and take your time and you will make it safely.

Overall, our entire round trip from the cars to Maracas Waterfall and Balata Falls was 6km long. We took about 40 mins to reach to Maracas Waterfall from our parking spot. The Hikers United team rates this hike as easy and is perfect for families and first time hikers and most older folks. We actually hosted a hike to this spot late in October and had some kids (3 years and 5 years old) on this hike….. and they had a ball! 😁

Tips for hikers ✍️

• Go in small groups, there are some lonely parts of the trail.
• Hire security for your parking or arrange with a villager to throw an eye on your car while you hike (you can pay someone in the area to do this or simply ask someone to look out for your car)
• Pay attention to the weather reports. This is not a hike you want to do on a rainy day. Check the weather forecast and also the weather on the morning of the hike before you decide to hike to this waterfall.

Overall, I highly recommend that you visit Maracas Waterfall ❤️. It is different from all the other waterfalls in Trinidad and Tobago (Rincon will be the most similar but it is a much more challenging hike).

Have you visited this spot before? What did you think of it? Feel free to like, share or comment on this post.

Much Love

Celly