Gruta de Los Tayos, El Chaco

Gruta de Los Tayos: Details

To reach Gruta de Los Tayos you need to take a bus to El Chaco/Las Palmas and probably rent a taxi to get there or an easier way is to go by car:

• Highlights: Walk in a tropical forest, cross the river adventurously, explore Gruta de Los Tayos (Cave dimensions: 60 meters long and 30 meters high), and discover the Tayos birds (Oilbirds).

• Duration:  2-3 hours.

• Price: 5$ USD (7$ with lunch).

• For more information about tourism in El Chaco, please consult the official El Chaco tourism page.

Making the Most of Your Gruta de Los Tayos Adventure

The following sections explain how to get to Gruta de Los Tayos and what you need to know before visiting. You arrange the visit independently, at the entrance of the property.

These are listings from a booking partner of this site, not tours I took. They cover other adventures in the Ecuadorian Amazon:

Gruta de Los Tayos: Curiosities

Gruta de Los Tayos is a cave of about 60 meters in length and up to 30 meters in height, crossed by the Cacapishco River. Sources give different sizes. The tayos that nest here are nocturnal birds. According to local tourism listings, they arrive between January and February, the cave is full of chicks in March and April, and they stay until June, when the young leave.

The tayos carve their nests into the rock with their beaks.

Gruta de Los Tayos is a different cave from the Cueva de Los Tayos in Morona Santiago.

What can i see in Gruta de Los Tayos?

The main attraction of the area is the tayos, nocturnal birds that nest in the cave and are known in English as oilbirds.

What should i bring to Gruta de Los Tayos?

This is a general gear list with partner links. These are suggestions, not products I have tested.

Clothing & Accessories:

• Tshirt: Breathable Tshirt (Tech or Merino), or a Lycra
• Jacket: Waterproof Jacket
• Shorts: Shorts, and Swimming Clothes
• Shoes: Hiking Shoes, and Flip Flops
• Hat: Cap
• Sunglasses
• Dry-fast Towel
• Earth Pak Waterproof Dry Bag
• Change of Clothes

Useful Extras:

• GoPro/Camera: Be careful if your camera isn’t waterproof
• First-Aid Kit
• Mosquito Repellent: This is a tropical area where mosquitoes are common, so it is advisable to have mosquito repellent on hand.
• Sunscreen +50 SPF
• Food / Snacks
• Thermos or Water-filtering Bottle

Check out my complete guide on What’s in My Backpack. It covers photography gear and clothing for hiking, mountaineering, scuba diving, rainforest, and city-street photography.

My Experience on the Gruta de Los Tayos

I was in the company of a group of friends, and after exploring the impressive Cascada Mágica del Río Malo Waterfall, which is likely one of the most powerful and largest waterfalls in Ecuador (if not the largest), we made a detour to visit Gruta de Los Tayos on our way back to Quito.

One of my friends had previously visited the cave and insisted that it was worth the visit, so we thought, why not give it a shot?

The beginning of the Adventure

This was our second adventure of the day in the Ecuadorian Amazon region, and we were completely soaked. The rain, along with the massive cloud of mist from the waterfall, got us drenched, including our boots. We had to change our clothes and put on swim shorts before venturing into the jungle with our soggy boots.

The property owner explained the trail to us at the entrance, and we were joined by a group of tourists. Since the welcome hut was right by the road, it was common to have visitors, so we couldn’t expect to have the cave all to ourselves.

We followed my friend who already knew the way, and there were signs with arrows in case we got lost. When we reached a strong river, we stopped. The owner hurried ahead and called us over to show us how to cross to the other side.

We held hands and crossed the river with her. Afterward, we waited for the other group to pass, and then we continued our journey deep into the jungle.

Exploring the magic of Gruta de Los Tayos

Finally, we arrived at the cave entrance, where another group was already taking pictures. My camera got foggy, probably because of the humidity and water dripping everywhere (the earlier waterfall adventure didn’t help either).

We entered the cave, and sometimes the water inside reached up to our knees. It was a challenge to keep the camera dry.

As I mentioned, we had our boots in the water, and sometimes it felt like even if we had rubber boots it wouldn’t make much of a difference because water still seeped in. If my boots weren’t already soaked, I probably would have gone without them (I had a bad experience in Baños where I slipped while crossing a small river and ended up soaking my backpack and iPhone. Since then, I always cross rivers without shoes to avoid slipping on slippery rocks).

Inside the cave, we saw the famous Tayos birds. Compared to the Kuankus’ Cueva de Los Tayos adventure I had in August 2022, where there were only a few Tayos left because it wasn’t breeding season, here there were so many. Hundreds, at least. We could see them flying around and resting on the rocks. They made a lot of noise, and they were quite big. The guide kept warning us to be careful and avoid them if they flew toward us. It was amusing.

After taking lots of photos and videos and truly enjoying the cave, which felt more like a corridor as it was only 60 meters long and 30 meters high, not like the closed caves we usually imagine, such as Cueva de Los Tayos of Kuankus, we ventured back into the wilderness and prepared for the return journey.

The way back was quick, except for crossing the river again. Finally, we reached the hut at the entrance, where my friends had a tasty-looking lunch, while I ate some pre-cooked food I had brought for the trip.

And that’s it! After lunch, we headed back to Quito. What an adventure! It was my first time driving from Quito to the Amazon, and I thought there would be many landslides on the road, but it turned out to be easier than I expected.

What about you, have you already been to the Gruta de Los Tayos?  Leave me a comment down here if you have and what was your opinion.

Thanks for reading through and I hope you have fun on this adventure. I will drop more of my favorite shots underneath, enjoy!

Photo Gallery

All the Articles About the Galapagos

San Cristobal Island - The easternmost island of the Galápagos, the “Isla Bonita”

Santa Cruz Island - The island with the best tourism infrastructure.

Isabela Island - The most adventurous and less explored island of the main three.