We did this tour through the cruise line. It was awesome!! You do need to be able to hike though. We had a couple of older women who could not keep up so this slowed us down considerably. It is all up for the most part - at times it levels out and you get a break plus the tour guide does show some flora and fauna along the way. Bring plenty of water as you will need it to keep hydrated and since you are in the rainforest plan to get rained on. We did and I wish I had had a hat to keep the rain from dripping down my face. Once we stopped hiking it was cool at the top and since we were all wet it didn't take long to get chilled. Yes, you can go swimming in the pool at the bottom of the falls. Our guide jumped off a small cliff into the water - no one else was allowed to do that but you could choose to swim. It probably took us 1 hr 15 min to complete the hike up - I think it should have taken 45 min. but again you do need to be in shape to do this. I would do this excursion again in a heartbeat. Forget the price with the cruise line ? about 90.00. They also take you to a stop for a snack & drink after the hike. The sun was shining brightly on the way down so we dried off quickly. The ride in the van takes a while as you climb up into the rainforest. A lot of hilly, windy roads with huge drop offs but what views!!! Definitely worthwhile. Linda
