Baños de Agua Santa. It´s one of the most prominent tourist destinations in all of Ecuador. I knew it was a popular spot but I didn’t realize how big it was amongst foreigners. I thought it was just gonna be a beautiful little mountain town, which it is, but I wasn´t expecting to see so many foreigners walking the streets and the number of bars and restaurants catered to tourists.
I’m not really one for super touristy places. Baños toes that line for me where the tourism nearly overtakes the authenticity of the town. It’s close, but it falls just on the right side of that line for me.
The drive coming into Baños from Quito is quite something. Second in all of my Ecuador bus rides only to the Cuenca–Guayaquil route. Baños is one of the regular stops on the backpacker trail that includes Quito, Cuenca, and the Galapagos Islands.
The peaks become higher and the valleys lower as you approach Baños. Somehow, agriculture thrives on the sides of these steep mountains. I would easily be sent sliding down the side of the mountain, never to be heard from again if I took up farming here. The locals that work these slopes though, climb up and down tending to their crops like they have a magnetic attraction to them – it’s unbelievable. I was in awe as I witnessed these scenes out the bus windows as we cruised into town.
As you get closer to arriving in Baños, provided that you have a clear day, Volcán Tungurahua will appear with its majestic snow-capped peak. It’s an amazing sight. Take pictures from the bus while you have the chance. I wrongly assumed that the views of the mountain would be better from town. Truth be told, the last time I saw that volcano was on the bus.
From Baños you can’t see the volcano. You can do a hike (#3) where the volcano will reveal itself, but this only holds true if the clouds allow. I must’ve angered the cloud gods at some point because they denied me a view of the majestic peak.
All was not lost though because Baños has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to beautiful landscape views. Here are my top 6 things to do in Baños.
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1. La Ruta de las Cascadas
This was incredible. The Route of Waterfalls takes you along a winding road that gives you sight of 7 waterfalls along the way, ending with the massively impressive Pailon del Diablo. You can take a bus there and back. But don’t do that.
Rent a bicycle from any of the tourist agencies in town for about $6-7 and make your way on your own down the road. The majority of the route is downhill so you don’t have to work too hard and can catch a truck back for $2.50.
If you have legs of steel, you can try to bike back but the bike you rent is probably gonna be a couple hundred kilometres away from falling apart. Also, even if you get a good bike, well, you’ll see for yourself on the way out there how difficult the return trip would be and decide for yourself when it’s time to cross that bridge.
Aside from a bit of exercise, you’re going to enjoy killer views and can stop whenever you want to take in the scenery and snap a few photos. Including all the stops I made to take pictures, it must’ve taken me somewhere in the neighbourhood of 1.5-2 hours to reach the final waterfall. You’ll have to pay $2 I think to enter the pathway down to the waterfall, but it is well beyond worth it.
Take your time, enjoy some lunch in the town, and when you’re ready head to one of the trucks to take you back to town. You’ll see them lined up on the main road just past the entrance to Pailon del Diablo. There’ll probably be a couple other cyclists waiting there for the truck to leave.
If you do nothing else in Baños, take in La Ruta de las Cascadas.
2. Choose Your Own Adventure
Whitewater rafting, canyoning, ziplining, paragliding, and rock climbing can all be done in Baños. Without doubt this is the adventure capital of Ecuador, and you’d have to be a fool to come here and not partake in one of the adventure activities on offer. Yeah, I’m a fool.
There are countless tour agencies that can hook you up with one or more of these activities to get your adrenaline pumping. Talk to your accommodation as well who can likely help you organize a tour or at least give you an idea of what prices you should be paying. All of the prices I heard were extremely reasonable. Again, you’re a fool if you don’t take advantage of this opportunity. Woops.
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3. Mirador La Virgen
This is not such a difficult hike. It’s very well marked – you’re going up stairs for most of it until you hit the lookout point. The staircase itself is interesting. You almost feel like you’re on the stairway to heaven as it winds around the hills.
The lookout itself offers you a beautiful view of Baños. The little town surrounded by mountains looks awesome from above.
I was staying at Hostal La Casa del Molino Blanco. It’s the perfect place to stay for doing this hike. Head out the front door, turn right, and then bam, the staircase that starts the hike is right there at the end of the street.
Aside from its location, the hostel is run by a lovely family. We’d spend the evenings playing cards with the children. Keep an eye on them though they like to cheat! I’m just playing, it was all in good fun. It was awesome staying here and joking around with the kids. Added to that, the breakfast is fantastic and included in your nightly rate. It’s a bit outside the center of town but a lovely spot. All the electricity is run by solar power.
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4. Swing Off a Cliff
This feels like the national pastime of Ecuador. Almost everywhere you go you’ll find an opportunity to swing off a cliff. La Casa del Arbol is the most iconic swing in this area. You can take a bus or taxi directly up there, or you can find it by continuing on from Mirador La Virgen.
Your hike doesn’t have to end at the Virgen. It’ll take you somewhere under an hour to reach the lookout, but you can continue on further to reach the top of the mountain. Just past the lookout you’ll find a sign that points you either further upward, or on a path that continues to the left.
I didn’t know which way I was supposed to go. I was trying to get to La Casa del Arbol where you’ll find that swing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the town. I took the path that went straight up, and it’ll suffice to say that I never found what I was looking for.
I did, however, find a different swing that goes off the backside of the mountain, which would have provided an astonishing view of Volcán Tungurahua if the clouds weren’t in the way. It would’ve made that above picture look so much better.
As well as that swing, I found an adrenaline-pumping gigantic swing that launches you off a cliff overlooking Baños. This swing will cost $10, but it was worth it. They strap you in with a harness and a helmet and send you flying off the cliff. It looks a tad sketchy but the guy operating the swing assured us that it was safer than marriage. That wasn’t incredibly reassuring to me. It’s called the Columpio Fantasias De Volar if you want to check it out.
I guess I did get in an adrenaline-pumping adventure after all.
5. Relax in the Thermal Baths
And for what I imagine is the reason why Baños is called such, you can relax in thermal pools very close to the centre of town. Termas de la Virgen has two different locations right next to each other. They have the original thermal baths, and then a more modern version as well. Pick whichever you fancy.
You can go at night as well when the pools are lit with coloured lights. They are next to the waterfall that you can see from town. A pretty chill place to relax in the evening after one of your epic adventures during the day.
6. Kick Back With a Couple Drinks on Eloy Alfaro
As I mentioned, Baños is pretty well catered to tourists. That also means there is decent nightlife here, the heart of which can be found on Calle Eloy Alfaro. If you’re still wired after your day activities, then you might want to hit the bar scene instead of the thermal baths.
The town has a smattering of excellent restaurants as well. They’re a little higher priced than what you might be used to in Ecuador, but they also offer a change of pace from what you might be used to in Ecuador. I find Ecuadorian food to be okay, but very repetitive. Expanded options are a welcome change.
Conclusion
Baños de Agua Santa.One of the marquee destinations in Ecuador. You’ll be taken aback by the landscape and then lose your breath again on one of the many adventure activities on offer. You could easily pass a week here without running out of things to do. And don’t forget to take a picture of the volcano on your way into town! You may not see it again.
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