On the Route of the Waterfalls Jan 17, 2021

On the Route of the Waterfalls

Coursing down the steep slopes of the Andes, the Pastaza River meets the edge of the Amazon jungle when it"s forced through a narrow channel that concentrates the river"s power like a firehose. The roiling torrent then shoots over the edge of this mountainside, plunging 200 feet into a cauldron-shaped pool. Agoyán, better known as El Pailón del Diablo (The Devil"s Cauldron), is Ecuador"s tallest and most famous waterfall. It"s a highlight of the Ruta de las Cascadas (Route of the Waterfalls), a popular circuit of the many waterfalls and hot springs near the mountain town of Baños de Agua Santa.

© Laura BC/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jan 17, 2018Train crossing the Tadami River in Japan
Jan 17, 2019A wassailing we go
Jan 17, 2020A seabird gets schooled
Jan 17, 2022Martin Luther King Day
Jan 17, 2023Muniellos Nature Reserve
Jan 17, 2024Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany
Jan 17, 2025Brown pelican, San Diego, California

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jul 26, 2018Exploring the wilder side of New York
Dec 4, 2025International Cheetah Day
May 4, 2018May the Fourth be with you…
Oct 27, 2024Polar Bear Week
Apr 7, 2019Busy building wetlands
Apr 27, 2021Design for Each and All
Mar 4, 2025Happy Fat Tuesday!
Apr 11, 2023Mossy Grotto Falls, Oregon
Sep 8, 2024International Literacy Day
Nov 4, 2020Caribou on the move
Aug 15, 2019It’s surströmming time
Feb 10, 2022The Old City of Bern
May 13, 2024Fish River Canyon, Namibia
Jan 24, 2024Diamond Beach, Iceland
May 12, 2024Happy Mothers Day!
Apr 4, 2024Red lechwe, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Jan 30, 2025La Brecha de Rolando (Rolands Breach), Spain
Feb 16, 2023Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California
Feb 22, 2019A rest stop for the birds
May 14, 2024Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico
Jun 20, 2025Summer solstice
Dec 21, 2018Paper lanterns on the longest night
May 31, 2022World Parrot Day
Jan 29, 2020Staircase of turquoise pools
Dec 26, 2018Boxing Day—a shopper’s delight
Jun 11, 2019Installation art turns heads
May 14, 2023Happy Mothers Day!
Dec 16, 2024Salzburg, Austria
Jun 30, 2023Brown bears in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska
May 19, 2025Mount Hamilton, near San Jose, California