Baños is situated a couple of hours away from Quito by bus; definitely pack some snacks, headphones and some water for the ride. The bus takes about 3.5 hours, costs around 4$USD. Baños sits at the base of an active volcano called Tungurahua. Last eruption was in 2014
Once in Quito, ask your taxi driver to drop you at Terminal Terrestre Quitumbe, the main bus station in the far south of the city. Once there you can walk up to a counter and ask for the next bus to Baños.
Baños, Ecuador is known for three things: naturally heated thermal baths – wide variety of adventure sports – and the famous Swing at the End of the World
I only had the opportunity to spend 3 days & 2 nights in Baños, which was definitely not long enough – Baños is definitely on my must return to list. It has such a quaint, small town feel but just packed with so much to do!
4 must DO’s in Baños
1. Swing At The End of the World — We’ve all seen the iconic picture, flying high above the mountains, defying all gravity. It is definitely an awesome shot, but don’t worry you won’t be the next Houdini, you’re not actually that high off the ground, and getting that picture takes a bit of work to get the angle, but others who had figured it out were kind enough to let us know so it didn’t take us long to get the shot. To get to Casa de Arbol there are two ways. The first way (which we opted for) was a bus that left from the center of town and goes straight to the Casa de Arbol. (2$ entry fee) half the cost of opt 2 and we had as much time as we wanted to spend swinging while being able to avoid the long lines that developed every time one of the shuttle buses pulled up!
But if a guided tour is your thing there are some companies that will offer you a shuttle to and from the Casa de Arbol for as low as $5 each. They leave multiple times a day – just note you may have long lines, limited time, and huge groups of people.
2. Drink Some Dangerously Good Ecuadorian Hot Chocolate
Ecuador is known for its chocolate: grown farm fresh in the coasts and near the Amazon jungle, the chocolate here is local, organic, and indescribably good.
- For Ecuadorian hot chocolate Aromi Chocolate & Coffee is the legit goodness – don’t miss it
It’s so good that hot chocolate is often the preferred drink of Ecuadorians, spurring the usually less-than-stellar coffee options. This is not the case in Baños, Ecuador! Baños is home to both incredible hot chocolate AND delicious coffee.
Aromi Chocolate is THE place to get excellent chocolate in Baños! Their specialty is hot chocolate: choose from a selection of options on the menu, or choose a custom-made cup of hot chocolate created from any chocolate bar in the store! We didn’t eat here but there is also yummy breakfast options.
Aromi has 5 locations around Baños, each specializing in chocolate, coffee, or nuts.
My travel companion loves coffee like to the tenth degree! – so we also stopped at Honey Coffee & Tea. They are know for specializing in roasting and selling specialty coffees from Ecuador. It is a beautifully decorated, Instagram-worthy coffee shop especially for an extended siesta in the middle of the day — or for the virtual workers you can definitely get work done on your computer, and eat all the fine pastries to go with your alternative methods of filtered coffee.. or simply sip on their large selection of teas.
basking in the greatest of WiFi
3. Relax in The Thermal Baths
One the night we visited, Termas de la Virgen a very popular thermal bath with the locals. There is a strong belief that the water around Baños has healing powers. Some attribute it to the rich minerals that are found in the volcanic springs, others believe it has more to do with the virgin Mary. Either way we wanted to try for ourselves, just a short walk from our hostel we came ready with our swimsuits, towel and sandals. Entry at night was $3 for adults and to rent the required bathing cap, and were promptly herded through the entrance, given a basket for our belongings and a very brief tour of the 2 story baths.
There are 3 giant tubs with varying depths and water temperatures (scalding, warm, & ice cold) – shower is required before entry and after
After changing and dropping off our stuff – There is a place where we could store our bags for free while in the pool they just give you a key chain with a number to recover it later on.
Didn’t seem like the cleanest place in the world but we did leave relaxed and had a great time overall.
4. See a waterfall… or seven
In addition to a giant waterfall next to the thermal baths, Baños is also home to the famous Ruta de las Cascadas! The route through the valley passes 7 jaw-dropping waterfalls, plus countless other beautiful views. We opted to cruise Ruta de las Cascadas via bicycles!
We started the morning a little early so we could take our time making as many stops – soaking in the beautiful landscapes. It took us about 2 hours but luckily can complete the downhill route with a $6 mountain bike rental, or on a chiva/open air bus. Either can be booked at one of the many adventure shops in town. One way ride was good enough for us so we opted to take the chiva on the return you ride in the back of the bus with your bikes
One of the highlights on the route is the Pailón del Diablo, the Devil’s Cauldron, a waterfall park complete with an enormous suspension bridge. You can also zip-line or even take a cable car over the gorge!
Of course I wasn’t even able to scratch the surface of Baños, but this destination has so much to offer! A ton of adventure sports, activities, like horseback riding, mountain biking, rock climbing, paragliding, or even multi-day jungle treks.
I hope you are able to see and do more than I did! Is there anything I am missing from the top things to do?
Leave me a comment below I would love to know!
Miss Intl 