In the fall of 2025 Tabal Chocolate ventured to Peru to visit some of the amazing farmers from whom we source our cacao. We visited with multiple farmers and cooperatives including those from Maranon and Awahun. As part of the adventure we were honoured with a visit to the world famous Don Fortunato and were lucky to see the Fortunato tree #4 which is world renowned for its 99.9% pure genetics.
Side trips to the worlds third tallest waterfall called Gocta which is located where the Amazon Rainforest meets the Andes is the beautiful town of Cocachimba. Though far from Peru’s traditional backpacking route, this hidden destination is becoming increasingly popular for having one of the world’s tallest free falling waterfalls, Catarata de Gocta.
Gocta Waterfall is one of the most impressive waterfalls we have ever seen (and we’ve seen a lot). It’s rare these days that a waterfall makes us go ‘WOW’, but this one surpassed all of our expectations.
The falls, surrounded by dense jungle and sheer mountain sides, makes you feel like you’re walking through the real life Jurassic Park!
Interestingly, even though these falls boast an impressive drop of 771 m, they weren’t discovered by the outside world until 2002, when German researcher Stefan Ziemendorff stumbled across them on an expedition.
We also visited the ancient ruins of Kuelap whichis a remarkable pre-Columbian archaeological site in northern Peru, often compared to Machu Picchu. Located atop a mountain, this ancient fortress was built by the Chachapoya culture and features impressive stone walls and circular houses.
