Trekking in Songos

Trekking in Songos is a very exciting route, full of adrenaline. It's not a classic circuit where you only walk, but also involves crossing streams, climbing rocks, and encountering a variety of slopes and waterfalls.

Photo: apu-adventure.blogspot

The hamlet Songos is located next to the Central Highway, precisely at kilometer 63. It's worth mentioning that this town belongs to the district of San Jerónimo de Surco, in the province of Huarochirí.

Starting the route, you will find the Linday River, which is the path to follow to reach the goal, in this case, the Songos Slides. Along the way, you will encounter beautiful waterfalls such as Pucará and La Trenza de la Abuela, named after the 3 waterfalls it has. Passing through this last waterfall is one of the most challenging parts of the journey.

Where the adventure begins

Songos welcomes us with an archway. From there, our adventure begins towards its waterfalls or the Songos Waterfalls, one of the natural attractions of the Rímac River Valley, named Songos for its location in the hamlet of the same name. Along the way, we will first cross a bridge over the Rímac River and continue climbing through the Linday ravine, always surrounded by mountains with abundant vegetation.

After walking for approximately 30 minutes, the first waterfall known as "La Trenza de la Abuela" appears. As the path progresses, it becomes narrower and more challenging, where we put our skills to the test. Ropes are needed to climb, along with a strong desire to reach our final destination. Only the final 25 minutes remain to reach the natural slides and start enjoying at over 2100 meters above sea level.

Level

The hike to the Songos Slides is of an intermediate level, not recommended for everyone. This is because the path has narrow spaces, considerable slopes, making this challenging route suitable only for people with some trekking experience and good physical condition.

Time

The hike takes an average of 2 hours, not so much due to the distance but because of some obstacles that take time to overcome.

Season

The best season to embark on this adventure is between April and November; although some people prefer to go between December and March, the rainy season, where the adventure is more extreme but the Songos waterfalls have much more water than in other months.

What to bring

• Light and extra clothing
• Trekking shoes
• Helmet
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Water and rehydrating drinks
• Towels

Recommendations

It is highly recommended to hire an agency to undertake the hike to Songos, as the route can be very dangerous if you are not familiar with it and the safety measures that a specialized agency in this circuit can provide.

Full-day video in Songos

Video: Inkatrek Peru

Share your experience hiking to the waterfalls and natural slides of Songos.