When the Pastaza River descends from the Andes on the steep slopes that go deep into the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, its flow acquires an enormous force, enters a narrow passage that gives it even more speed and ends up plunging into the void with a 61-meter jump. That abyss, which we show you in the photo today, is the Agoyán waterfall, the highest in Ecuador and one of the most furious in existence. Maybe that’s why the boiler at the bottom is called the Pailón del Diablo.
It is part of the Ruta de las Cascadas, a popular circuit that runs through more than 60 waterfalls around Baños de Agua Santa. This Andean town is located in the shadow of Tungurahua, one of the most active volcanoes in all of South America. In fact, in the last fifteen years it has erupted six times, with strong explosions, pyroclastic flows and the occasional lava flow that fortunately has not caused any damage.
Tungurahua is over 5,000 meters high and its name literally means "the throat of fire". It is also known as the "Black Giant" and, according to indigenous mythology, is the lover of Chimborazo, the highest volcano in Ecuador and the furthest point from the center of the Earth, since, as you know, our planet is not perfectly spherical, but is flattened at the poles.
