For those of you looking for a little adventure without too much travel involved, trekking the route of Palakala falls might just be what you need. Three hours away from stressful Lima, the falls are in San Jerónimo de Surco, district of Huarochirí located on km 67 of Carretera Central (less than hour away from Chosica).

Hiking to Palakala Falls should take between 3-4 hours, however, with my lack of exercise, I made the entire trip in about 5- and it is worth it. The landscape is beautiful, filled with lots of green in spite of the dry weather expected through this season. Experienced hikers should expect to carry extra bottles of water, snacks, sunblock and a lot of repellant for mosquitos. Though there are some bodegas in the town below, Palakala is 2000 meters above the town, and it´s best for hikers and campers to bring their own set of supplies.

Among the trail, there is a set of archeologic complexes, a chapel and two other falls: Huanano and Machay. The locals are very friendly, and they often guide you through the way. San Jerónimo de Surco also holds sights of its own, with a church built in 1836 and a main plaza where religious festivities are often held during weekends.

To get to San Jerónimo from Lima, you must travel along the Carretera Central for about two hours. To arrive by public transportation, you can catch a combi from Parque Echenique in Chosica.