Ecuador · Baños Canton
Pailón del Diablo
Pailón del Diablo is one of the most famous waterfalls in Ecuador, located near the town of Río Verde in the Tungurahua Province. It remains as Ecuador’s largest waterfall as of the 2020s, after the San Rafael Falls disappeared.
Facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia, compiled September 2026; season and access are our estimate, not a visit report. How we build these pages.
Pailón del Diablo drops over a series of steps. It is a cascade-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Río Verde, Ecuador. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).
As a cascade waterfall, water tumbles down a series of rock steps rather than falling free.
What you can do here
A walk-in-and-look waterfall
No commercial adventures run at Pailón del Diablo itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Río Verde are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forHikingPhotography
When to go
Tropical wet season fed: the rains bring the volume, the first dry months bring the clear skies and full falls together.
Getting there
- Base town Río Verde, Ecuador
- Country Ecuador
- Region Baños Canton, Andes & Amazon, South America
- Access Moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail
How it compares
This waterfall
Pailón del Diablo
Ecuador
Height—Width—
Most similar
Yutaje Falls
Venezuela
Height715 mWidth—
Also a cascade waterfall and in Venezuela
Largest curtain
Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe · Zambia
Height108 mWidth1,708 m
Largest single sheet of falling water
Tallest on earth
Angel Falls
Venezuela
Height979 mWidth—
Widest on earth
Khone Phapheng Falls
Laos
Height21 mWidth10,783 m
Measured across the whole multi-channel system
We don't have a reliable crest width for Pailón del Diablo yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
On the map
-1.40426, -78.29702
Quick answers
Where is Pailón del Diablo?
Pailón del Diablo is in Ecuador (Baños Canton). The nearest base is Río Verde, Ecuador. Its coordinates are -1.4043, -78.2970.
When is the best time to visit Pailón del Diablo?
Peak flow is January to May. Tropical wet season fed: the rains bring the volume, the first dry months bring the clear skies and full falls together.
What can you do at Pailón del Diablo?
Beyond the viewpoints: hiking and photography. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail.
How do you get to Pailón del Diablo?
The usual base is Río Verde, Ecuador. A real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail from there.
Nearby
Closest to Pailón del Diablo
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One of the five tallest waterfalls in the world
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