Baños and the Pailón del Diablo Falls
A UNESCO Global Geopark since 2025, at 1,820 metres between the Andes and the Amazon
Baños de Agua Santa sits at 1,820 metres, exactly where the Andes come apart into Amazon lowland. The town lives at the foot of Tungurahua, a volcano that erupted for seventeen consecutive years and still heats the thermal pools downtown. Downriver, the Río Verde drops eighty metres into the Pailón del Diablo.
What you will see
Two Ways to the Falls
One short, with suspension bridges and a head-on view; the other descends stairs and tunnels to the water itself.
The Waterfall Route
The descent toward Puyo strings together one waterfall after another as the air turns warmer and unmistakably Amazonian.
Termas de la Virgen and the Treehouse Swing
The volcano heats the pools in town; above it, a plank swing launches out straight toward the cone.
Wildlife & flora
Transitional cloud forest between Andes and Amazon: orchids, bromeliads, tree ferns, hummingbirds and tanagers. September to January brings the clearest skies; February to May runs the falls at full volume, paid for in mist and slick trails. It rains year-round.
From our own visits
We have walked to the Pailón del Diablo many times: the trail is not short, but it is very easy and asks nothing special of your fitness, and there is a café beside the waterfall where you can eat. In town you can rent buggies and small cars and explore on your own. We recommend Animal Park for a slow midday; on weekends there is usually a horse show, and it is worth checking times when you book. Coming from Quito the road passes Yambo lagoon in Salcedo, with a view from Balcón de Yambo, and the old legend of a sunken train whose whistle is said to sound on Good Friday.
What you should know
Tungurahua (5,020 m) erupted from 1999 to 2016; it remains active but quiet, under permanent monitoring. The stairways at the Pailón are narrow, wet and have no alternative route: they are unsuitable for reduced mobility or anyone prone to claustrophobia. Bring a rain shell, not an umbrella.
Expeditions that take you here
1/3·3 expeditions available