Rappelling at Cascada Las Brujas, San Francisco Antioquia

TLDR? Aventura San Francisco takes you on an amazing rappelling experience at Casacada Las Brujas!

Antioquia is one of the greenest regions of Colombia, full of waterfalls, rivers, forests, and beautiful landscapes. For this reason, the region’s also a paradise for rappelling, canyoning, trekking, and hiking lovers.

One place to try those activities is at Cascada Las Brujas.

At Cascada Las Brujas, you’ll get a boost of adrenaline jumping from the waterfall into the not-so-cold water of San Francisco, Antioquia. 

Keep reading to find out about rappelling and other activities you might want to enjoy in this beautiful town in Antioquia.

An Overview of Cascada Las Brujas

This waterfall’s name translates into “The Witches Waterfall”, but it isn’t a place with scary vibes; actually, it’s quite the opposite! 

The waterfall is near the river Melcocho, between Cocorná and San Francisco, Antioquia. The waterfall is about 131 feet high (40m), and the water is crystal clear. As you can imagine, it’s a huge, rocky fall, which is why it’s such a popular rappelling spot.

What to Expect on a Canyoning and Rappelling Tour

In San Francisco, there are a few tours for going canyoning and rappelling. However, I chose to take a trip with Aventura San Francisco.

This agency is all about ecotourism and adventure sports projects. They host several activities for families and big groups: trekking, hiking, rappelling, canyoning, river tubing, rafting, zip line, trail running, or mountain bike trails, you name it! 

If this is your first time, they have personalized levels of tours for beginners, advanced, and experts.

Their canyoning and rappelling tour begins in the small town of Pailania, from where a truck will bring you up and take you to the bridge of the Cascada Las Brujas. The ride takes about 20 minutes. 

Then, the guide will give you the necessary equipment, and you’ll hike to the top of the waterfall. 

You’ll start by rappelling down the toughest part of the water. Once you get about halfway down to a ledge, you have a choice to either jump from a 13-foot (4m) ledge into the water or take a zipline down into the water. 

I chose to jump, finishing my tour with a shot of adrenaline!

What’s Included

Unlike some other tours, Aventura San Francisco includes photos and videos of the trip, which is why I booked it in the first place. After all, I want evidence that I jumped off a waterfall!

A few other things that are included in the price are: 

• The truck from town to the waterfall and back
• Certified Equipment (ropes, harness, carabiners, etc.)
• A guide to explain this sport step by step and assist you throughout the trip
• Accident coverage

Transportation

If you go in a group of at least seven people, Aventura San Francisco will pick you up at the Terminal del Norte, in Medellin. You can also book private transport.

For those who don’t want to take private transport, you can ask the company about carpooling. When we went, we actually carpooled with some other tourists who were doing the adventure. 

Since everyone was leaving from Medellin, the company didn’t mind picking us all up at once.

Once you arrive in the village of Pailania, you’ll switch to a truck that’s suitable for the rough terrain. They’ll drop you off near the falls and you’ll hike the rest of the way up, led by your guide.

Recommendations

Although you can always just show up for your trek, there are a few things you can do to make it a lot more enjoyable. 

For one thing, remember to wear a swimsuit or comfortable clothes. You’re going to get wet! I wore my bathing suit under my clothes so that I could just take things off if I got too wet. 

And, bring dry shoes and clothes to change after the canyoning. That way, you’ll be able to change out of anything that got wet on the walk.

Also, don’t forget your water bottle. The exercise will leave you thirsty! (If it’s a plastic one, remember not to leave it behind: no trash in this paradise).

While we all know that the weather in Medellin can be sporadic, if it’s a sunny day, you might need sunscreen and sunglasses. And, in the event of severe rain, it could be canceled.

Finally, leave the alcoholic beverages phones, and valuables at home. Alcohol is prohibited, and taking your valuables just isn’t a good idea because they could get lost.

Multi-Day Trekking Adventures from San Francisco

San Francisco’s also known for its many treks and hiking trails. 

If you want to take your waterfall adventure to the next level, you can always book one of these multi-day trekking experiences:

• Trekking to Melcocho and Verde River: A three days-long trek through some of the clearest rivers in Antioquia. On the trek, you’ll enjoy forest walking, cold waterfall baths, and delicious traditional food.
• Trekking to Melcocho River: Two days hiking alongside the Melcocho river and experiencing the true Colombian country life.
• Trekking Camino de Murringo: Three days of adventure hiking through rivers and waterfalls to get to the majestic Sonson Mountain.
• Trekking Camino de Mulatos: Three days trekking from San Francisco to Aquitania.
• Cascadas Magicas: A four-hour and almost five-mile (8km) hike that takes you out to the stunning La Vega waterfall and its 229 feet (70m) fall.

If any of these sounds like an adventure you want to try, you can check out this website to see all the possible hikes in San Francisco.

Visit San Francisco in Antioquia

These are some of the many reasons to visit San Francisco: the adrenaline, the trekking and hiking, the jump into the stunning blue-colored water, and the beautiful landscapes.

If you book a getaway to this town, you’ll be setting out on an adventure you won’t soon forget.

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