El Pailón del Diablo (officially Cascada del Río Verde) is a waterfall of the Pastaza River located in the Ecuadorian Andes near the city of Baños de Agua Santa, bordering the Ecuadorian jungle.
It is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Tungurahua region (and surely from all of South America) given its spectacular nature, its proximity to the national highway and its more than 80 meters high.
It owes its name to the similarity that a rock has to the face of the devil, seen from one of its bridges.
If a few weeks ago I told you about an essential excursion in Ecuador (the Cotopaxi National Park and volcano), the Pailón del Diablo would be another. Every backpacking route (or not) through the Andean country must pass through the city of Baños de Agua Santa and its surroundings (waterfalls, volcanoes, jungle and unique landscapes).
How to get to the Pailón del Diablo waterfall?
The entrance to the waterfall is located very close to the road that connects Baños de Agua Santa with the city of Puyo, already in the middle of the Amazon jungle, and about 20 km from the first city.
Given this proximity, it is very easy to access it, unlike other attractions in Ecuador, Pailón del Diablo can only be accessed by road, there are no trains.
To reach Baños de Agua Santa or Puyo the most appropriate thing is to do it in buses of the Ecuadorian public transport service. Buses every hour connect Ambato and Latacunga (in the Andes) with both tropical cities.
Once in Baños, you can reach the entrance of the enclosure:
- By public bus: either from Baños or from Puyo. Some of the buses stop right at the upper entrance of the waterfall (there are 2 entrances). Others stop in the middle of the road but very close to the lower entrance. They make the route both outward and return and have an acceptable frequency, every hour there are several buses.
- By taxi: surely the fastest option but also the most expensive. In about 15 minutes you arrive at Pailón del Diablo from the center of Baños. If we choose this option, it is advisable to negotiate the price of the trip well and surely make the return trip with another taxi or with the bus.
- Cycling. This option is one of the attractions that the region offers to tourists: travel the entire road to Puyo by bike and stop at each of the waterfalls along the way. In this sense I want to tell you several things. On the one hand, the road, despite being well paved, has too high traffic and there are several tunnels along the way. On the other hand, from Baños to Puyo the slope is constant downwards, but the way back is uphill. Finally, note that the distance between the two cities is about 30 or 40 km. If you want to visit the waterfall on the bike route, keep this in mind. Surely the best way would be to do the way down by bicycle and the way up in a bus or taxi-4 × 4 that accepts bicycles.
From my experience, I recommend you look for accommodation in Baños and enjoy all the routes and options that the Andean jungle offers from this city for a minimum of 2 days. 1 single day is not enough, the excursion to this waterfall requires a whole day if it is done on both sides.
What to see in the Pailón del Diablo waterfall?
As I have commented previously The enclosure can be accessed through the lower part of the waterfall or through the upper part. Although the entrance is not entirely free (to a certain extent it is, for example the first suspension bridge, from there not), I recommend you do the two routes. The one does not connect with the other, at one point there is a barrier that separates them. Given the choice, I would first do the lower path and then the upper one, I think it is a little more impressive.
If we do the excursion from below we will first enjoy the Amazon rainforest in all its splendor (birds, trees, wetlands, ...) and finally the spectacular Pailón del Diablo from below. It is a route of approximately half an hour until you reach just below and even behind the waterfall. There are several viewpoints, bridges and stairs from which to contemplate the waterfall.
If we do the excursion from above, we will first enjoy a short path following the Pastaza River, with small waterfalls, and also of the humid jungle flora of the area. After a few minutes we will be located in the upper end of the waterfall from where we can contemplate the spectacular waterfall (about 100 meters of unevenness). From there, several hanging wooden bridges have been built that connect various points of the mountain and that gradually descend to the lower part of Pailón. Almost any of the bridges and stairs along the way are great for enjoying the scenery or taking pictures. It really leaves one speechless at the sight of it. At certain points it gives a bit of vertigo.
In the surroundings of the waterfall you can practice different types of extreme sports, for example rafting, climbing or zip line. For adrenaline lovers, Pailón del Diablo is the ideal place.
In summary, this region of Ecuador (and surely we could extend it to the rest of the country) is quite unknown to the European public and without a doubt it is one of the most beautiful and spectacular corners of South America.