Baños Day Trip from Quito: Waterfalls and Cloud Forest

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/32

Duration11h–12h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

A cable car across a canyon, then a hike to a waterfall wrapped in mist

A private day trip from Quito to Baños de Agua Santa with a bilingual guide, hotel pickup, and all fees included. You visit four named waterfalls along the Avenue of the Waterfalls, cross the Pastaza River canyon on a cable car, and hike through cloud forest to Bride's Veil waterfall. The route climbs from the Andes into tropical rainforest, passing volcanoes and the Agoyan hydroelectric dam on the drive down. Lunch is your choice to arrange; zip line rides are optional add-ons at checkout.

11h–12h

Step-by-step itinerary

Day trip from Quito to Baños

Pick up from hotel in Quito at 7:30 a.m.
Admire volcanoes en route to Baños
Walk through Baños streets and visit monastery
Drive to avenue of waterfalls and visit hydroelectric dam
Walk to Río Blanco community and cross canyon by cable car
Hike to Manto de la Novia waterfall
Stop at San Jorge waterfall viewpoint
Lunch break
Visit Pailón del Diablo waterfall
Visit Machay waterfall with Amazon vegetation
Return to Quito arriving around 6:45 p.m.

The Experience

Your guide picks you up at 7:30 a.m. from your hotel in Quito and drives south toward Baños, a route that opens onto views of Antisana, Los Ilinizas, Cotopaxi and Tungurahua volcanoes. Once in Baños, you walk through the town's streets to the monastery of the Virgin of Agua Santa, where paintings inside document eruptions of Tungurahua since 2000. The monastery sits at the threshold between the Andes and what comes next.

The real descent starts at the Avenue of the Waterfalls. You stop at the Agoyan hydroelectric dam, then walk into the cloud forest toward Río Blanco, where the air thickens and the vegetation closes in. A cable car carries you 500 meters across the Pastaza River canyon—the river far below—to reach Bride's Veil waterfall. A hike down to the river lets you stand at the base of the fall and see how the local community lives in this steep terrain. You also stop at San Jorge waterfall's viewpoint before lunch, then continue to Pailón del Diablo (Devil's Cauldron), one of the most powerful falls on the route. The day ends at Machay waterfall, where Amazon vegetation is already visible, a sign of how far the landscape has shifted in a single morning and afternoon.

The tour runs about 11 to 12 hours door-to-door. You pass through more than four different microclimates in that span—a fact that shapes what to pack and what to expect from the weather as you drop in elevation. Children from age 1 are welcome; infants can ride in a stroller or sit on an adult's lap. The guide speaks English and Spanish, and all park fees and transportation are included in the price.

What’s included

Private transportation from your Quito hotel.
bilingual guide in English and Spanish.
all park fees and taxes.
cable car ride across the Pastaza River canyon.
access to four waterfalls (Bride's Veil, San Jorge, Pailón del Diablo, and Machay).
and a hike through cloud forest to the river.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Ecuador Best Tours

Is this one for you?The early 7:30 a.m. pickup and 11-hour day mean you start before dawn and return after dark, which is what fits four waterfalls, two microclimates and a cable car crossing into a single trip. If you prefer a shorter outing or a later start, look for a half-day Baños tour instead.