Hiking The Cascada Cóndor Machay Trail in Ecuador
Table of Contents
The famous 80 meter tall Cascada Condor Machay is situated an hour south of Quito in the Rumipamba parish of Rumiñahui running along the Rio Pita. Condor Machay translates to El Nido de Cóndor in Spanish or Condor’s Nest in English as the tall cliff used to serve as a nesting place for condors, but unfortunately you will no longer be able to spot them in this area.
Hiking to Cascada Condor Machay you actually walk past three additional waterfalls and endless green landscapes. The park is open daily from 8:30 AM to 3 PM and plan about 3-4 hours to complete the round trip hike. Entrance into the park and parking are free, you just need to register with the park guard. The park is not pet friendly, so please be respectful and leave your dog at home.
Cascada Condor Machay is a popular day trip from Quito, especially on the weekend and holidays. We recommend visiting during the week when there are significantly fewer visitors, but if you visit during the weekend, arriving earlier is better.
How to get to Cascada Condor Machay
Cascada Condor Machay is located 1 hour and 15 minutes drive south of Quito and 17 km south of Sangolqui in the Canton Rumiñahui. Heading south outside of Sangolqui the road turns to a rock paved road, which can be bumpy, but is possible to drive carefully in any type of car.
When getting directions on Google Maps it is important to search for Reserva ecológica Cóndor Machay which is the public trailhead to Condor Machay with free parking and a small restaurant on the weekends. If you drive directly to the Condor Machay Cascadas point on the map, you will find yourself at a private overlook of the waterfall, which is only open on the weekend.
Hiking to Cascada Condor Machay
Starting from the parking lot at La Caldera, the hike is 8.4KM round trip and takes about 3 hours without stopping and 4 hours at a more leisurely pace. Overall the trail is relatively easy and flat, with a few small hills, it is simply a longer hiking distance.
The cool thing is there are 11 main bridges over the Rio Pita along the trail, each labeled with a number, providing good waypoints along the hike.
After starting the trail and walking for only a few minutes crossing the first bridge, we reached La Caldera, a bowl-like rock formation formed from a previous eruption of Volcan Cotopaxi. On the far right side there are several small falls as the river runs down into the bowl formation.
Continuing on along the well marked and well maintained trail, we zig zagged through the lush vegetation, crossing over 5 more of the bridges spanning Rio Pita before reaching the next waterfall, Cascada Corazón de Piedra, or Heart of Stone Waterfall. From the bottom of the falls it looks like a small but powerful stream rushing out of the heart of the rocks, but as you follow the trail up alongside the falls, you can see how big and powerful the river is cutting through the rock.
Along the trail to the next waterfall, we passed several unnamed falls which were just small streams flowing down along the canon walls. After crossing 3 more bridges we reached Las Gemelas waterfall (the Twins Waterfall). These two waterfalls were just a few feet apart from each other, with a nice shaded bench nearby to sit, rest and enjoy the atmosphere.
In the final stretch of the hike to Condor Machay, we crossed over the final 2 bridges over the Rio Pita before we were met with our first views of the massive waterfall. Here there is a big clearing with benches to rest and enjoy a snack at the bottom of the falls. If you want, you can walk into the water at the bottom of the falls, to feel the full force of the water, just be prepared as the water is freezing! Just to the left of the Condor Machay are a handful of smaller falls coming out of the cliffside that make for a beautiful photo spot.
Looking up along the cliff to the right of the waterfall you can see the overlook of Condor Machay which belongs to the Santa Rita Reserva Ecológica. Entrance to the reserve and overlook is $5 per person and seems to provide an ok view of Condor Machay from above, if you wanted to skip the long hike and other waterfalls.
As we were taking countless photos and videos of Cascada Condor Machay, the bugs started to come out biting at our exposed arms and legs. After a few more minutes, we turned around to head back along the same trail back to the parking lot. Even though it is the same path back, with the sun having moved, we found ourselves retaking some of the photos we had taken on the hike in, as the colors of the flora change with the sunlight.
We arrived back at the parking lot just as the park was closing at 3PM. The entire hike took us 3 hours and 45 minutes with lots of stops and breaks to take photos. Overall it is the perfect length hike for a fun day trip from Quito to enjoy the natural beauty of the region.
Preparing for the Condor Machay Waterfall Hike
The 8.4 kilometers round trip hike to Condor Machay is an easy, non-strenuous hike, along a well maintained path, but it is still important to be prepared for your hike. Comfortable walking or hiking shoes are a must as there are a few tricky and muddy spots along the trail. The trail is partially shaded, but the parts in the sun get warm quickly, so a hat and sunscreen are recommended. Long pants and a long sleeve shirt are ideal to keep the bugs away as well. If you plan on swimming in the pools at the waterfalls, quick drying clothes are ideal.
It is also important to bring a day bag with a minimum of water and some snacks. Being a flat and easy hike we brought 1 liter of water each, however with the strong sun, we easily could have drank twice as much. It is better to have a little extra water than not enough.
We highly recommend visiting Cascada Condor Machay as it is a really beautiful and easy hike not too far from Quito.
