San Rafael Falls


The San Rafael Falls were until 2 February 2020, the tallest falls in Ecuador. The high falls were located on the Coca River in Cayambe Coca Ecological Reserve until a collapse of the river bed upstream of the falls caused the river's flow to be diverted underneath the band of hard rock which had originally formed the lip of the waterfall. The river has carved out a steep sided gorge through the softer rock immediately upstream of the original falls, flowing out under a large rock arch which used to form the lip of the falls. The falls were a significant tourist attraction with a recorded 30,000 visitors during 2019.
There has been discussion as to whether the riverbed collapse and subsequent disappearance of the falls is connected with the operation of a hydroelectric plant some 20 km upstream. There are concerns too about how the altered hydrology of the river may affect its ecology.

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