Pailon del Diablo, Ecuador, closest town: Banos, 30 minutes away.

Translated into English, Pailon del Diablo means "Devil's Cauldron." A towering waterfall in Ecuador's jungle tumbles down a cliff into a pool, with a series of stone steps that can put you right up close to this violent-but-beautiful scene.

The Pailon del Diablo stairway is well-built, but the stone steps are always a little bit slippery from mist the waterfall emits. The top of the stairway is very intimidating because of an optical illusion: The steps are perpetually in the shade, so they often appear to blend together. This makes it seem like you are actually about to go down a rock slide instead of a stairway. <video>