Giron Waterfall

El Chorro de Giron falls in three stages down a wooded valley in the Bosque Protector south-west of Cuenca, the first drop of about seventy metres reached in a short walk from the entrance, the second by a steeper climb of an hour or so through cloud forest, and the third rarely attempted. The valley is green and dense, with hummingbirds, bromeliads and moss, and the trail is properly built with steps and rails on the lower section. The town of Giron below has a place in Ecuadorian history as the site where a Peruvian army surrendered in 1829, commemorated in a house museum on its plaza. The area is cool and often wet.

The landscape

• A seventy-metre first drop - the fall reached on the short walk.
• The climb to the second tier - an hour up through cloud forest.
• Bromeliads and hummingbirds - the wet forest along the trail.
• The 1829 surrender house in Giron - the museum on the town plaza.

When to go

Year round; the falls are strongest in the wetter months and cloud is common. Half a day. The upper trail is slippery and needs proper shoes.

Good to know

The upper trail is steep, muddy and tiring, and many turn back. Cloud often obscures the drops. Facilities are minimal beyond the entrance. Weekends bring Cuenca day trippers.

Nearby

Cuenca is north-east; Loja lies south.