Yesterday, we took a trip along La Ruta de las Cascadas, or Highway of Waterfalls along the Río Pastaza that goes east from Baños de Agua Santa towards the amazons of Puyo, Ecuador. There are dozens of amazing waterfalls to view along this route; many only a few kilometers from town. There are many ways to sightsee the falls. One can mountain bike along the meandering highway and trails, rent an ATV or go-cart, hire a private taxi, or join an open-air "bus"(more like a converted flat bed truck) called a chiva tour that comes with loud Latin music and a guide. We wanted to spend the day relaxing (not sweating), so we went with the $5 chiva that took us to 4 waterfalls plus lunch in 4 hours. What a steal!
We also really wanted to hike down to Pailón del Diablo (Devil's Cauldron) Falls, which would require a couple of extra hours. Our hostel owner mentioned that the chiva could drop us off at the point as our last stop, and we could either catch a local bus back to town or hitchhike in the back of a pickup truck into town. However, when I discussed this plan with the tour guide, he did not allow us to get off and separate from the chiva tour at Pailón. So, although the tour was leisurely and the guide tried very hard to provide information in English, the advantage of going with the mountain bikes or go-carts is that you can set your own agenda. However, the chiva was an excellent way to get an overview of the Río Pastaza valley, the falls, and history. Not to mention, the awesome fried trout lunch that we would've never found on our own!
As the adventure sport capital of Ecuador, there are multiple opportunities to risk one's own life around the waterfalls. There are plenty of zip lining (aka. Canopy) across the river gorge; bungee jumping off the bridge down towards Río Blanco below; canyoning (rapel-ing) down the cliffs next to waterfalls; class IV white water rafting; and riding the crazy tarabitas. The closest description of a tarabita is a cable car, except much more "basic". It is an open air metal basket precariously hanging from steel cables that gets pulled by a motor while gravity sends the cart barreling out into the wide open. This is Ecuador...there is no OSHA. We went on the tarabita willingly and without question, but had to stop ourselves from asking the 'what-ifs' while we were suspended over the river gorge to prevent ourselves from having a complete panic attack [Link to our YouTube video riding the tarabita at Agoyan Falls]. We rode the tarabita twice! They're everywhere. After that, we really didn't feel the need to zip-line like we originally wanted to. We'll save that experience for another place! Here are some photographs of our adventure.
[Above: our waterfalls tour from Baños.]
[Above: suspended over Agoyan Falls - tallest waterfall in Ecuador - inside a tarabita.]
[Above: Views of Manto de la Novia (Bridal Veil) Falls.]
[Above: In front of Manto de la Novia (Bridal Veil) Falls. 2 years ago, there was only Novia on the right, but Novio on the left has joined her after a flooding.]
[Above: Popular bridge over Río Blanco for bungee jumping.]
[Above: Pailón del Diablo (Devil's Cauldron) Falls.]
[Above: 2.5 km hike to Machay Falls, where there are swimming pools as well.]
[Above: Panoramic view of Machay Falls after a hike down a very steep trail.]
[Above: Rewarded by a full rainbow at Machay Falls.]
[Above: Time to rest! There's our colorful chiva.]
[Above: After fishing for our own lunch from a trout pond, this pescateria fried our fresh catch. Our lunch that came with rice, red onion/tomato salad, fried plantains, and a wedge of lemon was AMAZING!]
For a night view of Baños, we decided to take a $5 taxi ride up to Luna Runtún Resort and Spa, which sits atop a cliff on the southern slopes overlooking the town. This place has very nice accommodations, full spa services, and pools on the edge of the cliff heated by volcanos nearby. If we were taking a regular 1-2 week vacation (and still employed...ha, ha), we would totally stay here. There's a nice little restaurant (Cafe Cielo) that serves a light meal and beverages, but most importantly, it has the best panoramic view of Baños!
