January 16th, 2015
I spent a few days trying to figure out the best way to get to this little escape from city life cheaply and effectively. Truth be told I got lucky, as unless you have a car this place can be a little frustrating to get to. Still it would be worth the frustrations. If going independently you’d need to Go to Marin Terminal in the center of Quito and find a bus headed for Sangolqui, where you will need to change buses and hop on one bound for Cashapamba. there you will need to hire a truck (I’m told about 10-15 dollars) to take you to the trailhead.
Admission to the falls is 2 dollars and you can also buy a one way cable car ride to cut down the walk for an additional dollar. For those who like adventure You can do a zip line above the cable car for slightly more money. There’s also a lovely looking Hospedaje near the trailhead where you could easily spend a day or two exploring the area where there are many more waterfalls.
Now… into the adventure.
While I was inquiring on how to pull this off as an independent day trip at the front desk of hostal Minka my lovely Spanish teacher walked by and suggested a better alternative, an outing together with another student or two on the coming Friday. And that’s how I found myself climbing into her car just before 9 on Friday morning.
The group consists of me, Robert an Australian man also learning Spanish, my Spanish teacher Martha, and an Ecuadorian girl Gabi.
We drive up and out of the valley of Quito through distant neighbourhoods where we learn just how quickly Quito is growing. We drive past a massive shopping centre and learn that just a few years ago the urban sprawl surrounding us was more far land than anything else.
We make a few wrong turns but that;s never a worry in Ecuador as stopping to ask for directions is a normal part of getting anywhere, and people are more or less always happy to help.
As we drive up through town we make another wrong turn and find ourselves in a huge mining operation before turning around and instead of taking the left fork to the mine, this time we take the right fork which looks like a driveway and continue into a little town where A guide meets us and sells us tickets (3 dollars including cable car) before we continue along down a narrow winding cobblestoned road for about 20 more minutes.
We find the trailhead and continue to the hotel nearby to park only to find they won’t allow it so we drive back to the trailhead an park alongside the road. Then we walk up the trail towards the hotel again before going right, following a horse and a few dogs. We’re offered a wagon ride to the start of the real trail and horseback riding is also an option but we choose to walk.
The forest shines un the unfiltered sunlight and even without the falls this place is a great place for a walk. After about 20 minutes we reach a farm house set dramatically in a meadow under a sheer cliff. Here we get shown a map and introduced to the area by a friendly old man who also runs the cable car. We also meet a new friend, one of the friendliest cats I’ve met in a long while.
There’s 8 people in all here at the house and so we wait a minute for our cable car ride towards the still hidden falls. Once were on the tarabita the old man is nice enough to stop us in the middle a few times to marvel at the view and take some photos. He’s also kind enough to enhance the adventurous aspect of the ride by violently jerking the car into motion again to the point that we almost fall out of the carriage.
We reach the other side glad to be alive and descend some stairs before taking a left and heading towards the falls which make this place so special.
The trail itself is a winding and uneven affair of mud and rock, beautifully nestled into the dense forest all around us. Bird calls echo from nooks and crannies, branches and trunks, though it’s tough to spot more than the occasional glimpse of the various birds.
The path eventually descends down to the fast moving glacial river, it’s roots coming from the Cotopaxi glacier meltwaters.
After maybe half an hour more walking we come to La Ninas waterfall. A small but very beautiful set of cascades flowing down into the main river. I turn to the group and ask if they’d rather I explore it now or later, since we’re unsure if the trail takes us back the same way, I drop off my bags, take of my shoes and climb in.
Somewhere along the road I’ve forgotten the water was glacial and so am shocked by the intense cold as it sprays over me. Still climbing up the cascades is a lot of fun, and as my body at least begins to adjust to the cold I grin from ear to ear and pose for a few pictures before climbing down, shaking off some of the water, and continuing along the way, knowing we’re only 800 meters from the main attraction.
We reach a very precarious seeming bridge and have some fun bouncing up and down before continuing to the other side and getting our first obstructed glimpse of the big falls, if only the top section.
I’m too excited and we race most of the rest of the way before emerging into a huge opening in front of the falls. Cliffs surround us and the mist of the water wafts up into the air, spreading a surprising distance.
As we look on in wonder at 60 meter high turret of water crashing down into the pool below us we watch the 4 Ecuadorians who beat us here performing a cleansing ceremony with plants and the frozen waters. Their reactions as cups of it are dumped over the heads beats any ice bucket challenge video I’ve encountered
Once they’ve cleared the way I foolishly peel my shirt off and enter the pool with Robert who does damn well for an Australian. This water is colder than most in Canada. A little colder than the Atlantic ocean and barely warmer than the glacial lakes in Banff.
As I try to get close to the cascades I realize my mistake as the spray cuts into my skin quite painfully and so I retreat, and grab my shirt before rushing back into the frozen wanters chanting a mantra of “Fire in my veins, fire in my veins, I’m so hot blood turns to fire in my veins” .
I’m not convinced it helped but I make it in behind the falls and emerge out the other side. The wild lack of control under the cascades, water pulling me this way and that and moving through the space blinded by the cascading water is the ultimate rush. My quickly freezing muscles only add to it.
With some difficulty I emerge from the other side of the cascades and let the current whisk me away down stream before climbing out. I’m frozen, my muscles aren’t working like normal, and yet 5 minutes of running on the spot and doing jumping jacks sees me do it all again, this time actually braving the heart of the cascades. The rush undeniable and I struggle not to drown. Robert came with me this time though he was wise enough to stay out of the falls and instead hung out on the slopes behind them.
Here’s some videos, the first is the best, though too long so feel free to skip through. watching only sections, and trust me when I say the rush is worth the hypothermia.
As I emerge again the other Ecuadorian group just shake their heads at me, surprised at the crazy gringo. I’m frozen, the kind that burns your skin as you thaw. I’m also endlessly glad I brought a sweatshirt as I peel off my drenched shirt, and relish the relative warmth of dry garments while snapping a final few photos of the falls.
We head back past some of the smaller falls that to some might seem insignificant after spending time near the big ones. For me though all waterfalls are beautiful. Always.
We decide to skip the tarabita walking instead. We encounter some lovely graffiti on both rocks and alls as well as a truly restless donkey before the rain arrives. Blue skies turned to thunderstorms in just a handful of minutes and the last stretch of walking back to the car is done as quickly as possible.
We drive back into Quito and Robert and I both thank our lovely Spanish teacher for what was a truly unforgettable day. It’s also served as my last full day in Quito, and I’m writing from Banos, recovering from a cold, which may or may not have been aided by the glacial waters of Rio Pita. Still, I maintain, that the truly incredible feeling of being under waterfalls is worth almost any price. Except death, but that’s only because I’ve got no guarantees I could go under more waterfalls once I’m dead. Hell or heaven I can’t find any scripture on waterfalls. It worries me.
I’m now back to travelling like a normal person moving more quickly than is Ideal as I have a month and a half to get from Banos to Santiago, Chile. The good news is there should be lots of adventures to come in quick succession as I try to squeeze in as much of Southern Ecuador as I can, while hitting some highlights of Peru on my way down to Chile’s modern capital.
