Las Pailas — Attraction in Puerto Rico

Great experience. Let me share what I learned.

Parking is at some guy’s yard and he’ll come and collect $10 per car plus $1 per person as advertised. You won’t see the guy again after he gets his money. Parking is limited, so get there early.

Most important: wear socks not shoes or water shoes. You can also go barefoot, which is what I did after slipping in water shoes.

Anything green is very slippery. Walk around it or risk falling in.

Go feet first and keep your hands out to avoid being turned around. I highly recommend not going head first. You might be OK, but one guy got turned, hit his head pretty hard and started bleeding. I asked him how he was, and he said he was OK, but he wouldn’t go down again.

There are two slides.

One is a muddy hike to upper falls with the long, but smooth ride. The pool at the bottom is about 4-5 feet deep. It is fast and there is a final drop that can turn you if you aren’t trying carefully to stay straight. The current at the bottom is pretty strong, but you should be able to stand up and walk out.

The other is down and it takes some effort to scale the rocks. It’s doable and my family carried a baby down, but it’s a bit of work so beware. This slide is really nice and smooth. No problems at all and much shorter. However, once you get to the bottom, the current is strong and most of the rocks on the right side are very slippery, which can be worrisome if you’re not a great swimmer. You can stand jn most places, but it’s so slick you might have to swim a bit further down to find a place you can get a hold of.

My 8 year old did both slides himself with only...

Fun rock slides, rather short, look a bit rough, but the girls loved it! There was a pool to do a small cliff jump into, but you really need to listen to the locals on where to jump. There are rocks under the water and you have to jump in a specific spot. There is also a rope swing, but again, ask the locals about it before going. Parking is tight. Walk in from the road, and down the steps next to the house. Holler out a hello and the owner will come out. He asks for $1per person. 25¢to use the bathroom. He may have parking room for you. If not, you can park at the neighbors house for $5. The Rock slides owner has a few snacks you can buy also. After parking, paying and getting snacks, follow the path down to the river and join in anywhere there is a spot. People just sit on the rocks all day and play in the many pools of water. It's a local hot spot. Rocks may be slippery. We went without shoes, although water shows would be good to use. I stayed in PR for a total of 5 weeks between 2 visits. I left reviews as often as I could remember between all the rum drinks I had 😅. Take my reviews as you will. I was traveling with one other mom and 4 teenage girls. We had...

WE DROVE WITH NO GUIDES

Today we visited Las Pailas Waterfall. The entrance is right off the side of the road, and it felt crowded as soon as we arrived. We paid $10 for parking and $1 per person to access the waterfall.

The trail starts with a short concrete path, then you walk along the river for a few more minutes until you reach the first waterfall. There’s a second one just below. The waterfalls are beautiful, and the natural water slides are really fun!

But honestly, the place was very crowded. There were a lot of tour groups, loud music, and people everywhere. It was not only a Sunday but also Father’s Day and a holiday weekend—so that probably made it even busier. Because of the noise and the crowd, it was hard to enjoy the peaceful side of nature.

One more thing: the place doesn’t have much structure. There are no bathrooms, and no one really welcomes you or gives any kind of orientation. It’s just a house by the road with someone charging at the entrance. For the number of people going there, it definitely feels unprepared.

Our tip: Avoid weekends and holidays. Try to go early and during the week for a more...