My wife (72) and I (59) completed the hike to all the cascades in the morning and highly recommend it. Three hours provided plenty of time. We took an Uber from our place in Playa Majahual ($10, including $3 tip) to enjoy the view all the way up the valley from the ocean. We returned by public bus ($1) in less than an hour of riding time. Paid $20 for the entrance fee and a mandatory guide, Alexey, who received a $10 tip for his friendly and attentive service. The trail is dirt, rock and gravel. Some parts are steep, including stairs that provide cables to assist descent and ascent. To enter the pools requires some rock scrambling. You do not need an additional guide from outside the pueblo of Tamanique to get onto the trail and feel safe. Alexey got us to all three swimming pools, including the cliff jump at the end—what fun! There are a couple tiendas along the way to purchase water, other drinks and snacks. Although the trail and cascadas are on private land, the experience in this hiking attraction feels more like a well organized nature park. Our guide even picked up trail litter on the return portion. We went on a Saturday and the place was not overcrowded. Go early to “Trips & Tours Cascadas Tamanique” to be more quickly assigned a guide and get hiking and swimming under the waterfalls, including one that features a warm spring!

We had a great time! Our group of 11 was ages 6 to 70 and we all enjoyed this. We recommend tennis shoes, even though one adult in our group did wear her favorite flip flops and did fine on all the rocks. We read online beforehand that Abel (+503 7645 9809) was a great guide, so we whatsapped him the night before and he met us at the Tourism office in Tamanique (about 45 minutes from El Zonte) since you have to pay $7/person before you hike. They will assign you a guide if you don’t prearrange one (there was plenty available and we went on a Tuesday morning at 9am). The hike was about 30 minutes down to the first set of waterfalls (steep and lots of steps). And then it took us about an hour plus to get back to our car when we were all done since our group had to take some breaks! With jumping and swimming we were there about 3 hours. We, our children and my parents love to jump off rocks and Abel did as well, so he would jump first to show us where and then if the kids needed something shorter he would show them as well. He helped our 6 year old daughter in all the steeper hike areas which was very nice. There was a little shack selling waters, Gatorades, soda, and some chips. We packed in enough water and snacks, but still bought a few things from it for the kids when we were hiking to the second set of falls. Definitely go! And for afterwards, the town did have some local restaurants that looked good, as well as a park near the tourism office for the kids to play at.

This one was one of the best things we did in all of El Salvador! We booked a tour through Wayo Surf in El Tunco (though they did not actually run the tour - we were picked up by a guide seemingly from the park itself). I know it would have been cheaper to drive there and rent a guide on our own, but we did not have a car and it was more convenient to pay for everything at once. The most important thing is to GO EARLY. We picked the earliest time offered (8AM), and our guide linked up with one other guide who only had one other man with him (making this a three person tour with two guides). We were the first ones to sign the entry log book that morning. The hike down is short but STEEP - wear the right shoes. I didn't have a walking stick but I wish I did. There were some points near the water that were a bit scary because I imagine you could get very hurt if you slipped, but we were able to go slow and see everything without any other people around because we went early. I cannot imagine doing some parts of this trail with a bunch of people around! Swimming near the waterfall was amazing. After our first dip in the cold water (which felt great because it was VERY hot), we hiked to another spot nearby and were able to jump from the cliffside into the top portion of the falls. The guides go first, and even offered to take pictures/film. It was awesome! Our guide Pedro was the best. I was a bit nervous about my footing on the hike down, and he helped me navigate. On the way back up, my friend struggled with the incline and he at one point carried her stuff for her, offered a fan to both of us, and paused to make sure we were okay frequently. If you decide to visit this place (which you should), you will need to hire a guide to enter. They are great, and make sure you bring money to tip them afterwards (this is hard work they do all day in the heat!). Don't forget to bring lots of water and appropriate shoes!