Rappelling Down Waterfalls

Having completed my Spanish course in Quito I’m preparing for the next phase of my trip – whatever that might be. Eager to practice my Spanish skills, as well as to escape the noise and pollution of Quito, I joined some language school friends and headed for the cloud forest town of Mindo, about two hours northwest of Quito by bus.

Mindo is a popular destination for outdoor adventure, particularly river rafting and hiking. For two hours the bus winds through high mountain roads, precarious cliffs only feet from the road, before descending into a charming valley with Mindo at the bottom. We made our way to Casa de Cecilia, a small hostel a bit off the beaten track but well worth the five-minute journey from the center of town. Casa de Cecilia is really less of a hostel than a small jungle lodge nestled along a creek in the cloud forest; it was an absolute paradise compared to the noise and chaos of the city. Hammocks surrounded by tropical plants proved to be the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of the city.

Following some very productive hammock time we ambled into town and hired a guide to go rapelling. For those of you not familiar with rappelling it is a technique used by climbers to make a steep, but controlled descent down a rope. As a climber I have rappelled more times than I can count, but in Mindo we added a twist – rappelling directly down a waterfall.

Outside of town we picked up a trail that crossed cow pastures and farmland, eventually ascending a ridge which gave way to small flowers and amazingly delicious wild strawberries. The trail finally broke clear of the trees and we were treated to spectacular views of cloud forest in every direction. Arriving at the top of the waterfall we donned climbing harnesses and helmets and proceeded to rappel straight down the center of the falls, becoming completely soaked in the process. Walking back to town we were caught in a rainstorm, but as we were already soaked we ignored the rain and stoped for more wild strawberries.


After a lazy Sunday morning and leisurely breakfast (more Nescafé!) we again ventured out of town, this time to ride the tarabita, a mechanical cable car traveling 530m – a third of a mile – across a deep river canyon. Moments after stepping off the concrete platform and into the open steel car we were careening across the canyon, getting a bird’s eye view of the cloud forest canopy and the river cutting through the canyon. It almost appeared two-dimensional until a flock of birds passed beneath us, adding depth to the scene. The operator briefly stopped the car midway across for us to absorb the view, then off we flew to the far side of the canyon.


The tarabita is a hot spot for tourists and locals alike. Not only is it a hoot to ride, but on the opposite side one finds spectacular waterfalls and natural pools that are ideal for a cool swim on a warm day. The more daring are even welcome to cliff dive from above the falls into the deep swimming holes below. One of my buddies, Kevin, decided to try his luck as a wanna-be cliff diver and headed up a steep trail to the top of a waterfall. Handing me his shoes and extracting a promise that I would bring them down with me, he walked to the edge and made a flying leap into space. I had just enough time to snap a photo before he disappeared over the edge. On my way down I met Kevin coming back up the trail barefoot, ready for a second round.

We lazed around for the better part of the afternoon before retracing our route back across the tarabita, watching as afternoon clouds began to creep across the valley, and commenced the long walk back to Mindo. We needed to get back in time to catch the bus to Quito, but none of us would have been that disappointed if we had missed it and had to spend another day in Mindo.