One of the most popular activities planned for guests at Villa Estrella is a trip to the El Cora Waterfall.

The falls are about a 30 minute drive from Villa Estrella, driving north along the coast road toward San Blas and then taking the inland fork toward Tepic for another 15 minutes until the village of El Cora.

The lush forest was like something out of a movie. Our guide explained that we were going to walk down a gully to the waterfall and informed us about the area and the habitat we were to visit. We parked and then debarked for our short hike down to the waterfall.

The first thing to hit us was the view; such a magnificent landscape awaited us. It was a warm day, but there was a nice breeze that kept us energized and ready to take in the trek. The walk down was a nice stroll, not too steep, but also worthy of the term, ‘hike’. As we strolled, we took in the amazing vegetation and sounds of the birds in the trees (all the while thinking, I hope this was worth the drive). I was very soon eating my words (or thoughts) as we came to the impressive El Cora Waterfall.

The falls were not massive, but extremely picturesque and set a wonderful canvas of contrasting greens of the trees against the grey-blue of the water. I’m happy we remembered our swim gear (as I’m prone to forget important items on big trips). The water was so refreshing after the road trip up and the subsequent walk. We knew many people had been here before but the setting was so intimate and romantic that everyone has a chance to make it their own. I could definitely see someone proposing here (although they’d have to make sure to hold onto the ring as the waterfall basin is fairly deep).

After an hour or so swimming in the falls, we dried off on the side of the pool for a while and then made the trek back to the car. The way up is usually harder than the way down, but we couldn’t stop talking about how spectacular the experience at the falls had been and before we knew it, we were back at the car. The same was true for the car ride as the majority of the drive was spent on discussing how the waterfalls were above and beyond what we had expected.

After arriving back at Villa Estrella, it was time for more of Rosa’s wonderful cooking and then a Del Sol and a dip in the infinity pool. A wonderful end to a phenomenal day!

Written By Carl A., Villa Estrella Guest, January 2010

San Blas is a historic spanish naval port with that makes an interesting day trip from Villa Estrella.

The road winds through the charming village of El Llano where fruit stand vendors try to sell you Jaca fruit products. Slow down at the town square and take in the charming cookie cutter facade of the old church. I recommend the Jaca fruit ice. You will also notice that the Noni fruit grows here and they will sell you those products too.

Right after El Llano the road offers two choices; Turn right and you can go all the way to Tepic, Guadaljara and even Mexico City. Future posts will detail some really interesting trips to those Cities. 20 minutes down that road you will also come to el Cora, site of a gorgeous waterfall you can hike to”..but that’s another story, today we are taking the LEFT turn and continuing toward San Blas.

Our next favorite stop on the road to San Blas is about another 10 minutes up the road as you enter the community of Las Cocos. There on the left is a clunky looking building called the Casa Mana, its a hotel. Doesn’t look like much, park your car, walk through the breezeway and Ta Daaa……

There is a lovely pool, restaurant,palm trees and beach. Pull up a chair at a table under the palm tree and have yourself some icy coronas and a plate of tasties from the menu. Food is good, atmosphere is cheerful, bright and fun. Come back on a Saturday night for “pizza night”. The pizza is great and often there is live entertainment, including sometimes Mexican Folk dancing.

In our next instalment, we will continue our trip to San Blas…with stops for Banana Bread, the longest surfing wave, and crocodiles. Have patience, eventually we will get to San Blas, a historic Spanish Naval Port from the 1775.