Biking the Routa de las Cascadas
Biking this popular waterfall trail is one of the top things to do in Baños, and with good reason! It’s accessible, cheap, doesn’t require a lot of effort and has guaranteed beautiful views.
Bikes can be hired from a number of places in town. We paid $5 each for a full day, even though we only needed the bikes for a few hours. But, if you’re up for it, you can make a day of it and continue riding to Puyo which would be 60-70kms. This was our original plan but the rain rather dampened our enthusiasm. The scenery en route is pretty magical - lush green mountains protrude from the cloud, seemingly haemorrhaging water every which way – but you can’t afford to do too much gawking because you’re sharing a narrow, busy road with plenty of trucks and buses. The key is obviously lots of stops!
Among the many tourist attractions – zip lining and bridge swings galore – there are four or five bigger waterfalls that you’ll want to stop and admire. But indisputably the pearl of the pack is Pailón Del Diablo, an absolute magnificent beast of a waterfall in the small village of Rio Verde.
One of the more impressive falls en route
Peering down at Pailón Del Diablo or the Devil’s Cauldron
It’s worth mentioning that we visited in June, one of the wettest months, so she was absolutely throbbing. In the summer, she will still be beautiful, just not ejecting water with the same powerful urgency.
Woman vs Waterfall
There are two entry points to the waterfall, each giving different perspectives. We paid $2 entry (2019) at the main entrance and were blown away by the views we got and didn’t feel the need to go to the second viewpoint.
So impressive!
After about 16km many people call this the end of their trip but if you want to see one last fall just keep going another five minutes down the road to Cascada el Rocío Machay. There is a $1 entrance fee and a bit of a hike to get to the bottom but it’s still worth a look.
Cascada el Rocío Machay
Returning to Baños is easy and best done from Rio Verde where there will be trucks waiting to receive you and your bike. The cost is $2.50 providing there are a minimum of four. If you’re not a confident rider, this might not be for you, but the good news is you can take a bus tour for almost the same price as it is to hire bikes. However you choose to experience the routa de las cascadas you won’t regret it. Beautiful even in the rain!