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El Imposible National Park

El Imposible National Park

El Imposible National Park
4.5
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djo1113
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina67 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2016
This was a great hike, and a really fun adventure! This was probably been the most outdoor fun/adventure I have had in El Salvador (I am 3/4 done with a two year diplomatic assignment here). The waterfall jumping is not for the faint of heart though. The jumps range from 6-8-10-12 meters in height. At a few of the waterfalls, if you can't make yourself jump, there is no other option than to rappel down (ie. you cannot just hike around the side of it). If you are afraid of heights, I strongly suggest considering another hike. You have to be in pretty good physical condition to do this hike and make the jumps. I suggest NOT to bring any young children (high school age is OK); additionally, any older adults should ask themselves if there body is really up to it. Any sort of injury on this hike could have pretty bad consequences as you would be hours away from basic medical attention.

Depart for the hike from the city of Tacuba at the "Hostel Mama y Papa". If you drive to the hostel, you can park right out front on the street. Our guide was Sander, he was awesome. We had two other porter/guides who assisted with our bags and ropes, and there was also a driver. All of them were very friendly and professional. I set up the hike with and initial email and a few follow-up phone calls to confirm the date, # of hikers, etc. Sander spoke great English (and Spanish) and the other porter/guides only spoke Spanish.

Hike Timeline: We arrived in the morning at the Hostel at about 10:30am, departed with a group of seven at about 11:00am, rode in the back of a pick-up for one hour to arrive at the hike's trailhead (note: you are standing up in the back of the pick-up truck this whole very bumpy ride), hiked down into the river canyon for about one hour, jumped seven waterfalls/navigated the canyon riverbed for two hours, had a quick bite to eat after jumping the last waterfall (note: the sandwiches left much to be desired; I would suggest bringing Cliff Bars, or other small snacks, along with a water bottle), then began the one hour arduous uphill hike back to the truck, followed by one more final hour in the back of the pick-up truck. We arrived back to the Hostel Mama y Papa at around 5/5:30pm at the sun was coming down. (note: if you are driving back to San Salvador, you will be driving in the dark as it is about a two hour return drive. I suggest departing from the hostel immediately to drive back to San Salvador with as much light as possible)

The accommodations at the hostel are very basic/backpackery. If you are looking to stay in the area and would like a nicer option, I suggest overnighting in Ataco (30 min drive). The Casa Degraciela in Ataco is a really nice option.

Other details: The cost of the hike is $25/person. I tipped the guides/drivers an additional $5 each on behalf of the group. I felt very safe throughout the duration of the hike. Sander our main guide would always jump first and show us exactly where to go. The other guides waited until the last person had jumped. The guides would show us with a pebble exactly where in the waterfall pool to jump. It's almost impossible to take photos during the hike (until the last waterfall) because your bag/camera is being brought down through the canyon by the porter/guides, and as such it is not on your body. If you had a waterproof Go-Pro, that would be a cool way to safely record the jumps. Both the hike down and out of the canyon is pretty steep. Wear a good pair of cross-trainers, and if you have water shoes, bring those as well. Bring a bathing suit and a light set of hiking clothes. Don't forget sunscreen. Pack as light as possible though. Only one backpack is allowed per three hikers.

All in all - Siete Cascadas in Parque El Imposible is a winner for El Salvador. You can only spend so much time at the beach or climbing up a volcano. Don't miss this hike!
Written 15 February 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rob
Dublin, Ireland2,927 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2016 • Solo
I visited here with a friend in a car. A lot of people come here by booking through mamas and papas hostel based in Tacuba, it's probably the only real way to get here without your own vehicle.
We stayed at nearby hostel Hostal imposible, which is about a 10 minute walk from the park. It's $6 to get in and you need a guide to get around, generally its expected to tip $10 or more. You can camp in the park as well.

We did the cerro el Leon walk. It's about 8km and took just under 3 hours. It's a very nice walk and the views from the top are fantastic. It was very very windy on top but totally worth it. If you visit El Salvador this is a place well worth visiting it.
Written 13 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Marius G
Schaumburg,IL205 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2014 • Friends
Through our helpful friend Cesar, owner of Hotel Anahuac in Juayua, we booked the Seven Waterfalls (Las Siete Cascadas) tour at El Imposible National Park. It was the highlight of our trip in El Salvador. We arrived early in the morning at Hostel Mama y Papa in Tacuba after an easy bus ride from Juayua, with a bus change in Ahuachapan. The scenery was breathtaking. We met up with our tour guide Miguel, and we jumped in the back of the his pickup truck. The trip to get to the park was about an hour long, through the valley, breathtaking scenery of mountains, dense forests and tropical trees. We stopped for a 15 minutes break at a vista point where the very knowledgeable guide pointed us Guatemala and other surrounding towns.
Then we got to the park entrance and we started the journey through the jungle. It was such an amazing scenery, with all kinds of trees and bushes. Miguel was explaining us the names of the trees, some of them being used by the local population for homeopathic cures. We were not even afraid to chew a part of the plant that he mentioned to us that is healthy of the kidneys.
We ventured through a creek, walking through a path of rocks, stones and all king of vegetation. The walk was very enjoyable since Miguel provided us with valuable information about the local history, geography and culture.
The first highlight was a 20-30 ft. jump in the refreshing water of the waterfall. That was an amazing jump! We swam through the crystal clear green water of the natural pool, cooling ourselves off.
We continued descending through the narrow path going down through the mountain, by the river and jumping in all waterfalls.
Miguel was equipped with climbing gear, a harness and a rope. Then we stopped for lunch, he offered us sandwiches, we sat down on the rocks and got some rest.
We finally got to the last waterfall, but because we were already tired we decided to skip it.
Forgot to mention the natural waterslides we encountered and of course like kids, we just went down on it.
Last part of the trip was climbing back through the jungle, to get up on the top of the hill. It was about an hour climb, we did numerous stops to catch our breath.
The trip was well worth it, we've seen amazing scenery, unique vistas, breathtaking waterfalls, a beautiful jungle all done with a very pleasant and knowledgeable tour guide.

Thank you to all who made it possible:
Cesar-owner of Hotel Anahuac in Juayua, for helping us out booking the tour.
Miguel-the pleasant and knowledgeable tour guide.
Hostel Mama y Papa owners in Tacuba

¡Gracias a todo!

Last and not least I listed some helpful tips:
•Wear comfortable clothes (shorts, t-shirt) and light sport shoes
•Get sunblock and sun shades
•A big 1L bottle of water per person is good enough, since the river’ water is potable and you can replenish it with cold fresh water from the river
•Travel light, get only the necessary items with you
•Get some snacks, there’s plenty of stores in Tacuba
•Tip your guide, he really deserve it

... and of course enjoy it !
Written 2 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

M F
11 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022 • Couples
The park is nice and worth a visit. Nice views, nice waterfalls and you can see the surrounding volcanos and the Pacific. Our guide gave us a nice tour.
But be aware of Imposible Tours (Mama y Papa hostel), as we think that they scam you and the guide they hire for you. They charge high prices, way higher than our Lonely Planet suggested, and tell you that about 40-45% of it will go to your guide. We highly doubt that is the case, because the owner and organizer of the tour asked the guide to come out of our sight to get paid. We assume so we wouldn't see how much he actually received. By the way, the owner is a rich owner of a local Finca and just drove us to the park, the guide on the other hand did most of the work.
Be careful who you hire for your tour if you want that local people in need get the profit they deserve for their hard work.
Written 2 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dairydiva
Green Bay, WI27 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2015 • Family
The roads to get here are horrible, even in a 4-wheel drive SUV, at least 45 minutes each way on very rough roads. We were told there would be an English speaking guide available, there was not. We did the hike down to the river which included a couple of really nice overlooks. This hike probably would have been more enjoyable if not for the pace of our guide who practically ran down the challenging trail. There is a bit of tricky footing which could result in tragic falls and she did not slow down even though we had our 11 year old son along. If you are an experienced hiker and have plenty of time to spend here you may enjoy this park more than we did.
Written 10 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robert Broz
Suchitoto, El Salvador95 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2015 • Couples
I just returned from my third trip to the Impossible National park, entering at the San Miguelito entrance and staying the night at the Hostal El Imposible Ecolodge. This trip as the last two were wonderful experiences, my wife and I hiked up to the Mirador La Mula marked as just over 1K but I think it would be closer to 1.5K on nice groomed trails. We used one of the park guides Rosy who is an excellent bird guide. The park for nacionales cost $3/person and for foreigners is $6/person. You are required to use a park guide all of who come from the surrounding areas, guide fee is $10/group. I don't see the ecolodge here on Trip Advisor but it is a good option all though a bit expensive for the budget tracveler at $25/night for one person. The park as well as the other surrounding areas of South west El Salvador all need people to visit so if coming from Antigua or entering on the coastal hwy, the park and Ecolodge make a first good stop. If you enjoy hiking there are several options from a couple of hours to 4-6 for the more extreme hikers.
Written 18 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

setadir
Warsaw, Poland6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2017 • Couples
Park is beautiful and a trip with Wiliam was excelent!
We took a waterfalls tour in Mamas y Papas hostel based in Tacuba (we've tried book in by e-mail but noone answered so we decided to go there anyway - and it was a good choice, both hostel and trip are avaliable if you come).

William, our guide, is a perfect man at his place, helpful, easy to talk (we don't speak spanish, he speaks really bad english but it wasn't a problem). He was also prepered for our fear of high - he had a climbing gear and emergency road on the rocks for non-swimming people (but to be honest - it's not a good choice, my knees were blooded after a half an hour).

We were not prepared for jumping into the river from 5 or 10 meters but... it was awesome! One of the best experiences in my whole life and undoubtedly the most amazing in El Salvador.
Written 27 November 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Erin W
Washington DC, DC38 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2014 • Friends
I did this hike/day trip with a tour company out of San Salvador. The tickets were about $60 per person and that included transportation and some water. We of course brought our own water as you need more than the one little bottle.

El Imposible is in one of the hotter parts of the country and the altitude isn't as high, so the heat can be a factor. Aside from that it's a fairly easy hike (at least the route we took) for the first leg. The second leg was a downhill hike to a creek/stream where we had lunch. The return trip up was, of course, uphill and definitely a bit of work. The guides were very knowledgeable and interacted with the group.

The park is a little difficult to get to if you go by yourself. The day tour was nice as we didn't have to worry about transportation; however like with any other tour, you're on their time. We finished the hike about an hour ahead of the stragglers and had to wait for them to return to the bus area. There were some snack stands at the end of the hike along with some souvenir vendors selling artisanal goods.

All in all, I'd say if you have a lot of time in El Salvador and have done the volcanos, this is a nice addition to a hiking trip. The park also has campgrounds and longer hikes available that are more difficult and for more experienced hikers. But it is a very scenic walk through the forest/jungle there and was worth the trip.
Written 21 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Charles P
Mansfield, TX13 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2014 • Friends
El Imposible is home to some of the last old-growth rain forest in El Salvador. We took this trip with a group of 12 teenagers. It was our tourist day on a youth mission trip. We booked the tour through Impossible Tours (http://www.imposibletours.com/en/imposible_en.html) . We meet out guide at their Hostel. After meeting our guides we piled into the back of two pick up trucks for teh ride tothe trail head. The truck ride by itself would have been woth it. You travel into the mountains and a cross a ridgeline that gives you views for miles.

The hike tothe first waterfall is steep and kind of technical. It took about an hour to hike down. the firse jump is about 6 feet high (2m) into a deep pool (over 10ft deep). the water is clear, and cool. From that point on the waterfalls get higher up to 30ft (10m) or so. The coolest jump is at a waterfall that is basically in a cavern.

Our guides were very good. They were prepared with climbing gear to lower and of us who did not want to jump any of the falls. They also provided us with lunch at a vista at the top of the last water fall abotu 150 feet high. Lunch was simple sandwhiches and the best bannans we had ever had (that was the oppinion of allthe teenagers with us).

If you are in El Salvador, you must do this tour!
Written 26 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

wabowfisher
Washington State17 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2014 • Couples
We booked the Waterfall Jumping tour through the Hostel de Mama y Papa in Tacuba and it was SICK!!! We tried numerous times to get in touch with Manolo via email before we came with little success. But a quick call from the helpful guy at our hotel got it all set up. So glad we didn't skip out on this!

We met up with our guide Guillermo (Williams) at the hostel and jumped into the back of the pickup for the hour long ride up into the park. The drive in is where the adventure begins! Bouncing around up the mountain roads gives you a great view of the surrounding countryside as well as a glimpse of neighboring Guatemala.

After getting up and over the top of the mountains, it was time to hike in to the waterfalls which was about 45 minutes worth of steep downhill through coffee plantations and forest. Our guide didn't speak much english, and we only had some spanish, but we were still able to communicate pretty well. It was very obvious that he LOVES his job and is passionate about it and conserving the area. Very helpful and we were able to learn some local knowledge about plants and animals in the area. Guillermo also came equipped with quality safety gear (if it were needed to lower someone who didn't want to jump down the falls - static rappell rope and Petzal harnesses)

We got to the start of the waterfalls and from then on it was a whole lotta jumping and sliding. I lost track of how many falls there were, but I think it was seven or eight. There seemed to be a pretty decent trail along the whole run of the creek because Guillermo actually walked most of it since he was carrying all the gear as well as lunch.

We had a real basic lunch of sandwiches and babannas at the top of the last falls which was pretty impressive, probably about 150' high. Afterwards we did a rather exposed downclimb next to the falls to get to the base. Guillermo was rather miffed at the locals who had left a bunch of trash strewn around the base of the falls and who didn't bother to use the big garbage bag he had left there for that exact purpose. We all spent about 15 minutes cleaning up the place and it looked pretty good afterwards. The final jump into the creek was from a rock ledge about 30' up from the pool at the base of the falls. A great way to end the trip. The only down side is that after all that hiking and jumping, it is a STEEP hour long hike back out.

DO NOT MISS THIS TOUR!
Written 6 January 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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