Gretchen Stuppy Carlson
Stretching downhill from the town of Baños, the incredible Ruta de las Cascadas (or Banos Waterfall Route) follows the Rio Pastaza downhill as it cuts through the valley in a series of incredible waterfalls. In this short, downhill route, you can will pass many waterfalls including several very large falls.
There are several ways to enjoy the Banos waterfalls and follow the entire waterfall route from Banos. You can take a bus tour, take a tour in an open air truck or if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, rent a bike and take the downhill ride to all the waterfalls. Below you can see some of the tours offered for these different options and if you scroll down you can see more details to help you plan your trip on the Banos waterfall Trail.
What is the Ruta de las Cascadas
The Ruta de las Cascadas, Ecuador is a popular route that starts in Banos and continues along the main highway downhill. The route itself is about 16 km but can be adjusted depending on how far you want to go. Most people who are exploring these waterfalls from Banos book a tour. The route passes several large and incredible waterfalls and a few smaller ones as well.
When we visited, we rented bikes in Baños and spent the day following the route. Below you can see general information on the different ways to see these waterfalls and details on how to bike the Ruta de las Cascades.
How to Travel the Ruta de las Cascadas
Take a Bus
This is the most comfortable way to see the Ruta de las Cascadas. This tour is on a comfortable double decker bus with stops at 7 different waterfalls. The tour offers you the chance to do a canopy tour (for an extra fee) and ends in the massive Pailon del Diablo waterfall.
Take a Open Truck (or chiva)
We saw many of these open air trucks running tours when we bikes along the Ruta de las Cascadas. These trucks stop at many of the waterfalls and you have the option to get out and do some of the adventure activities along the way like zip lining. Like the bus, not all the activities are included in the cost (like entrance to the waterfalls).
These trucks seems like fun party buses and will have loud playing music as they drive from place to place.
Bike the Ruta de las Cascades
The final way (and more adventurous) option for visiting the Ruta de las Cascadas is to rent a bike and follow the route on your own. This is what we chose to do and I’ll go into more details below on how to rent the bike, how to get back to Banos and where to stop along the way. It’s important to note that while this is a fun way to see the waterfalls, much of the route in on the highway with large trucks going past. You should not do this option unless you are a confident biker.
Map of Ruta de las Cascadas
Below is a map of the Waterfall route with some of the most popular waterfalls. You can click on this map and save it to your own google account. You can also get a map or biking directions when you rent your bikes and you will find signs along the way. The route itself is very straightforward as you will simply follow the main road and few smaller bike paths.
The map below shows the top tourist sites in Banos and the start of the Waterfall Route leading to the upper left.
Biking the Ruta de las Cascadas
Renting your Bikes
There are several shops in town that rent bikes – rentals cost about $10. The photo below shows the shop we where we rented bikes and they were all high quality, modern, and well maintained bikes. The bike rental came with a helmet and directions for the best route and we were able to refill our water bottles before heading off.
You can also reserve your bike rental in advance online (see the link here).
Following the Ruta de las Cascadas
Starting in Banos, make your way to the main highway and follow the road east. This is the road you will be biking on for most of the day. After about 3 km you will see signs for the first waterfalls on your right.
Cascada de Silencio and Ulla Waterfall
These waterfalls are a bit off the road. Turn right for about 600 meters to the carpark following the signs. From here Cascada de Silencio is a short distance on your right. This is a pretty and very quiet waterfall with 3 streams of water coming off the top of the falls.
Back at the carpark, follow signs for the Ulla Waterfall and walk about 5-7 minutes to this much bigger and louder waterfall.
Continue on your bike back down the highway and cross the large bridge across the river. Along the rest of the route, you will come to several tunnels. The first tunnel is short and you will need to bike through the tunnel. This can be a little scary if there are a lot of cars and I recommend waiting for a break in the traffic. The rest of the tunnels along this route all have side bike paths that go around the tunnel. Look for these paths and follow them anytime you can to get off the highway.
While biking on the highway was not our favorite, the bike paths are fun and very well maintained.
Cascada de Agoyán
This is the first major waterfall you will come to right along the road. Cascada de Agoyán is a large waterfall with several options for getting up close to see the falls. From the road, you can either zipline across the gorge, or ride in a tarabita (a small, steel cable car). This tarabita looked especially terrifying as it take people out across the the gorge in a tiny open car that shakes about. We chose to just look at the waterfall from a distance.
Manta de la Novia
The next waterfall along the route is Manta de la Novia. This is a pretty and tall waterfall. There are several ways to get a closer look either on foot or in a tarabita that goes out and back across the river. We saw many people at the base of this waterfall with their feet in the water. Like most of the waterfalls along the route, you can also find a small cafe.
El Pailon del Diablo (The Devil’s Cauldron)
This is the most famous and arguably the most beautiful waterfall along the route. Once you get to the town, follow signs for the entrance to the park. You can park your bikes right in the main parking lot, or bike just past the entrance and park your bikes here. You will see number of small artisan sellers at the entrance – walk past there and follow the sign and well maintained trail downhill to the entrance gate.
The walk to get to this waterfall take a while and involves a lot of uphill and downhill climbing. It costs $5 to get into the park to see the waterfall.
See a complete guide about visiting El Pailon del Diablo Waterfall
Cascada El Rocío Machay
If you are up for one final waterfall, continue on to visit the Cascada El Rocio Machay. This is about 25 km outside of Banos and is a beautiful waterfall where you can swim. to get to the waterfall you will need to hike for about 20 minutes down into the forest on a good path with some stair sections.
Getting Back to Banos
Of course you can simply turn around and bike back to Banos but since most of the route was downhill, you will have a much tougher bike back to town. The easiest way to get back to town is to get a ride back in one of the trucks. This is a very easy and popular thing to do and you will find people waiting to give you a ride at the entrance to El Pailon del Diablo. These trucks have a covered back with seats and an area to carry the bikes in the back. The truck easily fit the five of us and two other bikers and cost just a few USD/person.
The truck drops your right in town and you can bike back to the bike shop from here. You can also get trucks back from Cascada El Rocio Machay but there are less frequent and you may need to wait for a little while.
Things to Know about the Ruta de las Cascadas and Baños
When is the best time to visit Baños?
The best time to visit Banos is during the dry season from June-September. Temperatures are fairly consistent through the year and even during the wet season Baños is a great adventure town.
What to Pack for the Ruta de las Cascadas
Whether you are biking or taking a truck or bus to see the Ruta de las Cascadas, you will want to pack a few items. If you are biking, you can carry this items in a small backpack, but make sure to pack your supplies in a waterproof bags. Here are some things to carry with you:
- Snacks (although you can get these along the way)
- Water bottle
- Phone with downloaded map
- Camera
- Raincoat or poncho
- Extra Layer
- First aid kit
Is Banos a Good Town to Visit?
Banos is an incredible town with lots of adventure activities. We loved spending time here and just wished we could have had longer.
Other Top Things to do in Ecuador
Looking for other activities and places to visit in Ecuador? Check out some of our favorite destinations below.
Visit the Amazon
The Amazon covers most of the eastern part of Ecuador and is home to incredible diversity. There are many amazing lodges and tours to get you out into the rainforest.
Papallacta Hot Springs
Nestled in the Andes about 1 hour above the city of Quito, Papallacta makes an incredible day trip or overnight.
Hike the Quilotoa Loop
This incredible 3 day hike takes you through the high Andes and ends at the gorgeous Quilotoa Crater Lagoon. This is a rewarding and challenging trek.
