Pailón del Diablo

Pailón del Diablo Cascada - Cascada de Río Verde

Useful Information

Location:	From Baῆos de Agua Santa 1 h drive on the Ruta de las Cascadas to Rio Pastaza. 30 min walk from the end of the road. (-1.403100, -78.298925)
Open:	All year daily dusk-dawn. [2020]
Fee:	Adults USD 1.50. [2020]
Classification:	Gorge
Light:	n/a
Dimension:	A=1,500 m asl.
Guided tours:	self guided, D=2 h.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Pailón del Diablo, Tel: +$CountryTelPrefix$-, Fax: +$CountryTelPrefix$-,
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1992	trails created by the Guevara family, coming from Río Verde.
2006	trails completed.

Description

The Pailón del Diablo (Devil's Cauldron) is a short but deep gorge with a huge waterfall formed by the Río Pastaza. It got its name because there is a huge rock in the form of a skull in the middle of the fall. At least that's what they tell, because you need a lot of That's the reason why this waterfall is the most well known in Ecuador, although it is not the biggest. The waterfall has three steps with a total height of 80 m.

To see the whole fall you have to follow a weird trail which becomes quite annoying at places, because it gets very low and there are numerous places where you are soaked by the waterfall spraying the trail. The trail leads down into the gorge, crossing the waterfalls several times on swinging bridges and once in the rock face behind the waterfall. At the bottom a balcony offers a unique vista of the lowest portion of the fall. The trail is not very long but its 100 m height difference from the entrance to the bridge at the bottom, and you have to walk back up.

As a result we have the following advice: take a water proof camera or at least an umbrella, otherwise you will not get any picture and probably destroy your camera. Do not take a backpack, probably leave it in the car with spare clothes and a towel. And finally we recommend a very wide angle lens, or take multiple pictures for a panorama.