Palo Maria waterfall — Attraction in Jalisco

A beautiful waterfall and adventurous hike that was by far one of the best things we did during our visit to Puerto Vallarta! The hike itself took about 45 minutes each way to get to the first waterfall. The hike was easy but a little rocky, so make sure you have good shoes and be careful to watch where you step so you don’t twist an ankle. Apparently there are more waterfalls further up but you have to climb the rocks to get to them.

We ubered to the start of the trail and were let off by the Garza Blanca resort, then crossed the street and continued left to where the trail starts; just behind the bus stop on that side of the road. At first we weren’t sure but keep going and you will se a trail along the fence. Like others said, there were a couple of times where we lost the trail a bit, but just follow along either the fence line, or the rocks where the creek should be (in early May it was dry for most of the hike) and you will eventually see water.

I recommend bringing bug spray and don’t be surprised that there are plenty of small fish in the clear water at the end of the hike.

We got to the trail on a Sunday around 10am and there was only one other small group at the waterfall when we got there. Two more arrived while we were hanging out in the water. We saw two more hiking in as we were hiking out (around noon) so I would assume it gets busy in the afternoon...

A much longer/at times more difficult trek to the water. We went when it was NOT during rainy season, so I was a little worried there wouldn't be much water to swim in, but it was still plenty deep. There wasn't much of a waterfall though, I imagine it's much bigger during rainy season. It would also be much harder to get to during rainy season because there would be an actual river flowing. While we were there, it was mostly dry. There were some areas with a trail, but a lot of areas had no clear trail or path, so we just picked our way over the rocks whichever way seemed the easiest, but it was a bit difficult in some spots. It would definitely be a challenge for mobility impaired people.

The water was a bit cold, but felt great once we got used to it. We brought snorkels to explore, and there were a bunch of fish ranging from 1-2" long to maybe almost 12". They were biting at my legs, but it mostly didn't bother me. A few of them were a little too enthusiastic about it though and chomped on the back of my knee and made me jump. 😅

There's a big rock you can jump off of into the water, and there are ropes you can use to keep climbing higher to get to the higher waterfalls, but it looked way more intense than we expected and seemed like it would require expert level climbing skills to get up there without dying, so we didn't...

Best hike/scramble I have ever been on. We just can’t stop talking about it still. If you’re adventurous enough to go past the first waterfall (use the cable attached to anchors on the left), there are so many more. We had heard there were 7 waterfalls yet someone else said 10. We lost count at somewhere around 24 and just stopped counting. After 3 hours we had to turn back due to exhaustion and the energy it would take to clear the next obstacle. When you think there isn’t a way to go up any further, just keep looking around and you’ll see a way. There will be a rope, cable, pipe, or perfect hand/foot holds; something. One example is a seemingly impassable overhead boulder filling the valley with a cut through the middle for the water. But look close and you’ll see a nylon rope dangles right up the middle of the fall. Others have been here and left clues. You have to get into the water at times and your stuff will get wet. Very dangerous. You’re on your own. I consider myself fit and am above a Gumby rock climber. We hired a guide who would only go up to the 7th fall and then turned around. Best Valentine’s Day of our lives. The attached pic is the last fall we made it to. Deceiving as it’s over three stories tall but if you look close, you’ll see an attached rope on the left. I gotta see what’s on...