Kat Sack here! Sometimes Katastrophic Sackrilege to the running community, but most definitely The Mountain Lioness to those who follow and join my adventures. I currently call Tallahassee, FL home. The mountains are my favorite place to be and explore but given my location, I dive into other types of rad places too!

I created this blog as a personal project to document my adventures. Photos are great, but I love text describing more of the story and to recall what I have learned. I am no expert at outdoorsy activities, but I learn as I go! If you end up here, I hope you can get something out of it.

My original focus was on backpacking, hiking, camping, kayaking, and mountain biking. I have thus shifted the scope as I discovered my love for National and State Parks. I have the National Parks Passport and the Florida State Parks passport which have allowed me to discover places I originally would never have seen. Now I write about national monuments, history, run-cations, etc.

At some point I hope to dive into personal growth as well with topics including self-sufficiency and improvement, turning boredom into adventure, steps to heal my body and mind, and overcoming social adversities.

Life is an adventure. Go outside. Pay attention to all that is around you. Get lost in the moment. Everything has a story. Listen for it, even if you do not speak the same language.

Ruta de Las Cascadas: Pailon del Diablo


Pailon del Diablo - Ruta de Las Cascadas

Baños, Tungurahua, Ecuador

Ecuador-Galápagos 2018

9 Febrero 2018


Introduction

Pailon del Diablo - The Devil's Cauldron - The main highlight of the somewhat infamous Ruta de las Cascadas in the Tungurahua province of Ecuador.

Ruta de Las Cascadas [Route of the Waterfalls]

The Route of the Waterfalls begins in Baños. The most common way to absorb the full experience is by mountain bike. Since I was using a motorized bike for my Ecuador transportation, I rode the Suzuki instead. Bike rentals are affordable at the many travel agencies in town. I'm going to give a shout-out to Geotours since I went on a super fun canyoning trip with them but also feel free to shop around as you're exploring the area.

This post mostly focuses on the biggest and baddest of them all -
THE DEVIL'S CAULDRON

Links to more of my Ecuador travels: Posts By Location - Ecuador

The Gear


The Story


The Journey

I began my waterfall journey by hopping on the main highway going East. I didn't really have a map of the waterfalls, but I knew my main destination was Pailon. There are many tunnels on the route, and there are bicycle/pedestrian walkways outside of them. I think this is where you can find access to the several waterfalls. I went through the tunnels not taking my chances of falling off a cliff. I stopped at a restaurant with an amazing overlook of the canyon and scarfed down some ceviche while basking in the scenery.

The Entrance

I arrived to see a more touristy entrance than anticipated. That wasn't going to stop me though, I love touristy s***. I paid $1 to park the motorcycle. I'm not sure if car parking was more expensive, but I'm pretty confident that bicycles were free!

Bienvenidos al mejor centro turistico del Ecuador!
They fully embrace the tourist attraction aspect.

It begins as a gravel path where there are many vacant shop stands and also some cool nature stuff.

Found the Devil's Cauldron!!!! Just kidding...

Time to pay money. The first fee I paid was for parking. Here you have to pay in order to go to the waterfall. I don't remember the cost, but it was definitely no more than $5.00. You will get a stub to hold onto. Don't lose it!

Signs in both Español and English advertise the dangers and precautions. It's going to be wet, be careful!

Also get used to stairs. Right now they are dry, but they will soon be very slippery.

Here is the first perch for viewing the cauldron. It feels sort of like a castle!

Slippery stairs will bring you even closer to the action. It gets louder and wetter, but it is so worth it. I strongly suggest bringing your items in a dry bag and wearing a rain coat.

Going down the stairs requires going back up the stairs.

To get EVEN CLOSER, there is a little cave passage that involves getting down and dirty.

A view of all that has been completed.

Loud and wet. 

From here, return the same way you came from until you reach a point to follow a new path. Stay focused on not slipping and falling. Hey look a beer!

Cascadas y Cervezas

Tourist attractions like to make money. If they didn't have food and beverages, it would be worrisome. Pilsener is the main beer of Ecuador. I wanted a small bottle, but they didn't have any available even though it was on the menu. Large glass bottle it is - La Fiesta de Todos!

Remember that ticket you got when you handed over some $1 coins? This is when it's needed - to cross this super fun sketchy bridge! It's even better with a beer.

The view from over here shows the FULL waterfall. It's pretty awesome.

Incredible taking in the view. 

The exit is the same path of the entrance. My rented moto made a friend while I was gone:

Afterwards I ride back to Banos and head to Casa del Arbor, another one of the famous attractions. 
Check out my time there here: The Mountain Lioness Swings at Casa Del Arbol.

Roar for More!


Hurdles

I lost my main charger and struggled getting all of my devices charged. My camera was pretty much out of juice, and I had to use my phone which didn't have the best camera. I heavily edited some of the photos to get an ounce of clarity. I know it's painfully obvious. I was able to capture some on the GoPro.

Quote

The devil made me do it:

Resources


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Location: Banos, Ecuador

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