Cotundo Travel Guide

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These caves were historically a sacred site of rituals for the Quichua people who lived in the area before the Spanish conquest in the 1500s. Later on, a Spanish priest claimed to have discovered the caves, though always known to the local indigenous people. However, the caves are formed of lava and volcanic rock (from the nearby Sumaco Volcano which erupted not long ago) as well as ancient stalactites and stalagmites.

The caves are full of water, ponds and waterfalls. Not for the claustrophobic. You go in with a headlamp and helmet, bathing suit and rubber boots. Nothing else! Prepared to get wet, though I really enjoyed the part when we came to this rushing waterfall in the dark caves and got to dip down into this deep, refreshing cenote below the waterfall (a deep hole carved out of the rocks that is narrow and full of water). We also got to a point where we turned off all our lights and listened to the guide's stories in the complete darkness!

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These caves were historically a sacred site of rituals for the Quichua people who lived in the area before the Spanish conquest in the 1500s. Later on, a Spanish priest claimed to have discovered the caves, though always known to the local indigenous people. However, the caves are formed of lava and volcanic rock (from the nearby Sumaco Volcano which erupted not long ago) as well as ancient stalactites and stalagmites.

The caves are full of water, ponds and waterfalls. Not for the claustrophobic. You go in with a headlamp and helmet, bathing suit and rubber boots. Nothing else! Prepared to get wet, though I really enjoyed the part when we came to this rushing waterfall in the dark caves and got to dip down into this deep, refreshing cenote below the waterfall (a deep hole carved out of the rocks that is narrow and full of water). We also got to a point where we turned off all our lights and listened to the guide's stories in the complete darkness!

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This is an easy going afternoon activity. We hadn't originally planned/wanted to do this but our plan to see the Jumandy Caves was cancelled that day because of heavy rains. We enjoyed it nonetheless and is a nice opportunity to see the local wildlife, which is hard to see in this part of the jungle (they keep to themselves). You will be able to see lots of birds (parrots, macaws, toucans), jungle cats (and even lions we saw that were rescued from a circus where they were abused), tapirs, coatis, ostriches (??? yes, but they are funny), crocodiles, tortoises and much more.

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This was one of the included activities- a full day option with a local Quichua guide named Luis. Not for the faint of heart and you need to be in decent shape for this.

Cecilia at Huasquila made sure we had water, beverages, a packed lunch and boots to take with us (she packed double for my very tall brother) and drove us to the foot of the hike.

Luis took us through secondary and primary jungle, going through mud and grass and rocks, over suspension bridges, past lots of rapids, scaling cliff-like, slippery rocks and we finally made it to the Mondayacu Canyon which is filled with water, rapids, waterfalls, dark caves filled with water. We explored the area, went through the caves, climbed up a tiny tree branch through a waterfall and jumped off of a 40 foot cliff! After lunch, we went to another area with a huge waterfall and fought the raging waters to get right up to feel the waterfall's energy before diving into the rapids and letting it shoot us back into a lagoon! We also learned about the plants and their medicinal uses, trying each one. We also learned how to smear lemon ants all over our bodies to act as a natural mosquito repellent. Then we visited a Quichua family on the way back before our hike was over. Amazing!