We did the waterfall hike at the Princeville Ranch. Our group of 7 was made up of my husband and I (we are both 30), and then several older individuals ranging 40-late 60s I'd guess. Our hike day apparently fell after some substantial rain so the conditions were SUPER muddy, rocks were wet and slick, and the river was rushing (and in my opinion dangerous).
Before leaving the ranch they offered us ziploc bags for our phones (free), and we had the option to purchase water shoes to wear for $5 (very reasonable), and nutrition bars, water bottles, bug spray, etc.
We then were driven in a van to the ranch, where our group of 7 and our tour guide were dropped off. The hike started off easy as we walked up a few hills and through some meadows and then we were in the rainforest and in some serious mud. Our guide stopped along the way to point out numerous plants, nuts, and fruits, and she let us sample several of these straight from the tree, which was nice!
When we got to the water portion of the hike, we attached our belts to a metal wire and descended down a 10 foot rock. This was QUITE a bit more difficult than I had imagined. The older individuals on our hike were concerned about this but shakily made it down. When we exited hours later via the same rock wall, but this time were going up instead of down, they had some serious difficulty. The rock was wet and slippery and in my opinion it was too dangerous for climbing. They honestly barely made it up. And while you are clipped to a metal wire, you would still fall quite a ways (and land on rock) if you slipped.
What was even more dangerous was crossing the water right after the rock wall. The water was rushing! We were hooked to a metal wire and we precariously attempted to move from rock to rock as we crossed the water. This was super tricky, rocks were slippery, and the water was rushing. Not to mention immediately behind our backs was a 20 - 30 ft drop off which was a waterfall. Yes, we were hooked by the waist to the metal rope but the water was rushing by and I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if one of us missed a rock step. The guide mentioned the conditions were much different than usual given the amount of rain they had gotten. This would have been nice to know BEFORE this hike, so I could have opted out (which I definitely would have done had I known to expect these conditions).
After the rock wall and waterfall crossing, we crossed water many more times and all were challenging. You were in water up to your knees and the water was so murky you had no idea what you were stepping on (I think this was caused by the weather).
Also, we couldn't swim (which was an advertised portion of the tour) because the water was super muddy from all the rain.
I think this hike could be fun (but still challenging) without the rushing water caused by the serious rain, but with the rushing water and slippery conditions this was far too dangerous for me.
I see that children aged 5 and up can attend the hike, but I can't fathom how a child could do the slippery rock wall and deal with the rushing water.
Our whole group is as exhausted by the time we made it back to the van (5.5 hours after the hike began). From wading through a lot of rushing water, to the tricky rock wall, to overall apparent danger... this was mentally and physically challenging.
Also worth noting that we got COVERED in mud. Mud well above our shoes, on my shorts and all over my shirt (We trashed our shoes and shirts after the hike).
My husband and I also got cuts on our lower legs from the overgrown paths and the underwater rocks we hit when wading through the rushing water. read more