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Standing 43 metres (141 feet) tall, Cataratas Pulhapanzak is the biggest waterfall in Honduras.
Pulhapanzak means ‘white river overflow’ in Mayan, and it could not be a more fitting name.
Formed by the Rio Lindo dropping off a steep cliff, the waterfall has multiple tiers and it feels as if water is thundering down the moss-covered rocks from all angles.
View it from multiple observation decks, soar above it on a zipline, or for the ultimate adrenaline hit, walk behind it!
The Pulhapanzak Waterfalls are a truly epic display of nature and one of the best natural attractions in the country. In this guide, I’ll cover everything you need to know to plan your visit.
Don’t have time to read this whole post? Here’s the lowdown 👇🏼
- Cataratas Pulhapanzak are the largest waterfalls in Honduras
- The waterfall is located around 30 minutes from Lake Yojoa and 1 hour from San Pedro Sula
- The San Pedro Sula – El Mochito chicken bus route passes close to the entrance and also goes through the town of Los Naranjos (D&D Brewery & Lodge)
- The falls are open daily from 7:00 am – 6:00 pm, and entry is 100 Lempiras for adults
- You can view the falls from several observation decks and swim in the calmer river above the falls
- You can also do additional activities like ziplining, an epic adrenaline tour going behind the waterfall into a cave or river tubing for an extra fee
- There are bathrooms, changing rooms, chairs and tables and a restaurant on-site
- You can stay in cabins or go camping at Pulhapanzak Waterfalls, but it’s best to visit from the nearby town of Los Naranjos on Lake Yojoa
Where are the Pulhapanzak Waterfalls
The Pulhapanzak Waterfalls are located in the small town of San Buenaventura.
It’s about 1 hour from the city of San Pedro Sula, and half an hour from the popular tourist destination Lago de Yojoa.
How to get there
If you’re travelling through Honduras, the most common place you would be staying near the falls is Lago de Yojoa.
From the lake, it’s an easy 30-minute chicken bus ride. From Los Naranjos (the best access town to the lake and where D&D Brewery & Lodge is located) take the El Mochito bus heading towards San Pedro Sula.
You want to get off the bus on the side of the highway around here (tell the driver where you’re going and he’ll know where to drop you). The fare shouldn’t be much more than 35 Lempiras per person.
Then you’ve got a short 15-minute walk to the entry of the falls.
To get back, just return to the highway and wait on the opposite side of the road for a bus to pass. They’re quite frequent, you might also encounter some colectivos too going to Los Naranjos. Or at least Peña Blanca which is quite close and you can take a tuk-tuk from there.
It’s possible to visit the waterfalls from San Pedro Sula, just take the El Mochito chicken bus from the main bus terminal, and get off at the same location as above. It should take a bit over an hour.
Entrance fee
The entrance fee is 100 Lempira for adults (~ $4 USD) and 80 Lempira for children (~ $3.20 USD).
If you want to do additional activities (I’ll share more below), you will need to pay extra:
- Ziplining: 550 Lempira (~ $22 USD)
- Behind the waterfall cave tour: 400 Lempira (~ $16 USD)
- River tubing: 550 Lempira (~ $22 USD)
You can check the waterfall’s website for current prices.
Opening hours
Cataratas Pulhapanzak is open 7 days a week, from 7:00 am – 6:00 pm.
This is a pretty popular activity for local tourists, so I would suggest avoiding holidays and the weekends if you have the option. We visited on a Monday and practically had it to ourselves!
It can also turn a not-so-nice brown colour after heavy rain which we discovered.
As far as I know, the tours generally run year-round, but if there has been extremely heavy rainfall, I imagine they would have to close the behind-the-waterfall tour. Just keep that in mind in case you are going in peak rainy season.
What do to at Pulhapanzak Waterfalls
View the falls
As soon as you hear the thundering roar of the waterfall, you’ll understand why you can’t swim under these falls! They are absolutely pumping (and we visited at the end of the dry season!).
But the next best thing is viewing them from some observation decks, and feeling the spray.
After you enter and approach the river, you’ll get a decent view of the waterfalls from along the walkway, near the colourful ‘Pulha’ letters. But the best viewpoint is a short walk further downriver.
There is a path leading down a set of concrete stairs, follow that and you’ll end up on the lower observation deck. It’s wet and slippery down here, prepare to get very wet!
Zipline over the falls
For the best view of the waterfall, fly across the top of it!
For 550 Lempiras (around $22 USD) you can go ziplining above the falls. There are 7 lines crisscrossing over the river, giving some epic views.
It’s not a particularly long or fast course like you’ll experience in Costa Rica, but there aren’t too many places around Central America where you can zipline across a waterfall, for such a cheap price too!
🌳 You can also go ziplining in Honduras in Copan Ruinas
Behind the waterfall cave tour
Often called the adrenaline tour, or the extreme tour, this is a pretty epic experience!
I was shattered that we visited after such heavy rain, as the waterfall was extremely brown and dirty with a lot of debris around, so we didn’t end up doing this tour which was one of the primary reasons we came.
Hopefully, you have better luck.
Through a combination of walking, swimming, climbing and jumping, you’ll go with a guide right up close to the waterfall, and into a cave behind it.
It’s an insane experience being so close to such a huge amount of watering thundering down around you. It’s a given that you will be totally soaked, at times it will be impossible to open your eyes because the spray is so strong and even catching a breath can be tough when you’re right near the waterfalls.
You have to love adrenaline, and not mind a few cuts and bruises as you’ll be clambering over very slippery rocks and jumping into pools. It looks like so much fun.
Wear clothes you’re happy to get wet in, and bring a spare change too. You definitely need to wear some kind of water shoes or sturdy sandals.
This experience is 400 Lempira (~ $16 USD).
Swimming
Again, because the falls are so strong you can’t swim under them (you’ll get a small swim in one of the adjacent pools on the adrenaline tour but that’s it).
However, there is a calmer section of the river upstream above the waterfalls where it’s safe to swim and float around.
Just don’t get too close to the edge where the current picks up right before the drop-off, but it’s cordoned off and there’s usually a lifeguard around.
Tubing
For something a little more relaxing, you can go tubing on the river above the waterfalls.
You’ll get kitted out with an inflatable inner tube, head upstream and have a (mostly) leisurely float down the river, hopping out before the drop-off.
This activity is 550 Lempira (~ $22 USD).
We didn’t tube here, but we had a very wild ride tubing at Semuc Champey in Guatemala!
Amenities at Pulhapanzak Waterfalls
- 🚻 Toilets and changerooms: there are clean bathrooms on-site with places to change.
- 🛖 Picnic tables: scattered along the river bank are a number of picnic tables, some with covered palapas.
- 🍽️ Restaurant: there is a restaurant on-site, I don’t know how consistent the opening hours are. It didn’t look like there was much activity in there on a Monday. If you’re visiting during the week and hoping to have a meal, I’d check in advance if they’re going to be open (via Facebook or WhatsApp). They are definitely open on the weekends.
- 🛍️ Souvenir shop: there was an unexpectedly well-stocked souvenir shop at the falls. I was in the market for a cute Honduras t-shirt and they had tons of options.
Where to stay near Cataratas Pulhapanzak
On-site
You can actually stay on-site at Pulhapanzak Waterfalls if you’d like to.
There are cute cabins available for rent, located in a separate area of the park with lovely gardens, a pool, and spaces to hang outdoors.
They are quite pricey, as the cost is per person and includes an inclusive package with food too, three meals a day.
The price starts at around $100 USD per person and gets cheaper the more people you have sharing one cabin.
If you’ve got a tent, you can set it up right next to the waterfalls. It would be magical to sleep to the sound of the falls flowing!
Lake Yojoa / Los Naranjos
I wouldn’t recommend staying at the falls unless you’ve only got time for an overnight excursion from San Pedro Sula.
Instead, stay at nearby Los Naranjos which is just half an hour away, and the best gateway town to explore the Lake Yojoa region.
There are tons of other great things to see and do here, and this charming little town is a better base.
I would highly recommend staying at D&D Brewery & Lodge, which you can read more about in my Lago de Yojoa travel guide.
Otherwise, check out Bioparque Paradise and Garden Coffee & Cabañas.
Final thoughts on Pulhapanzak Waterfalls
These waterfalls are a truly spectacular natural sight to behold in Honduras.
Their ease of access from nearby Lake Yojoa and reaching the falls without a lengthy hike makes this an easy and safe activity to do.
If you’re brave enough, venture behind the falls or fly over the top of them on the zipline!
If you’re already visiting Cataratas Pulhapanzak, you have to add on a few days to explore the rest of the Lake Yojoa region, with tons more gorgeous hikes, kayaking on the lake and wildlife spotting opportunities. Don’t miss Copan Ruinas either with its impressive Mayan ruins and macaws.
You won’t be disappointed with the beautiful mainland of Honduras.
