Appropriately in a tourist town named after a…bath (or bathroom)…in Baños, you. will. get. wet. With a generally rainy climate (at least in mid-May), steamy thermal waters and pummeling waterfalls and rivers by the dozens, this village of 15,000 residents is legendary for being the adventure and hot springs capital of Ecuador. This we absolutely love. We would also like to argue that it appears to be the most family-friendly and kitschy destination we’ve been to in a very long time which we don’t admire quite so much. That said, it still managed to keep enough authenticity, culture and charm and for all this, Baños was definitely a winner in our books and undeniably worth the week we spent here.
Getting to Baños
Firstly, this is what packing day looks like for us! It’s the first time in five years we’ve ever taken such a photo.
Secondly, by the way, you have to pay $.10 to exit the station in Cuenca. This isn’t easy to figure out. 🤣
Ecuador is lush…green…and GORGEOUS! And we experienced a lot of its Andean mountainous middle on the day we took our bus venture from Cuenca to Baños. ($28/two tickets.) On this day, we logically expected to go straight up the main highway, which according to Google takes about seven hours. Instead, we got a bonus of five extra hours and two extra Fast & the Furious movies (en español, claro) thanks to a deslizamiento de tierra (landslide) on the main road. Dios Mío. And yes, this bus had…baños.
But at least the scenery was seriously so beautiful.
And the locals are so endearing going about their day in one of the many villages we passed by.
We were disappointed when the clouds rolled in. No chance of seeing Mt. Chimborazo that day. Chimborazo is a mountain of 20,500+ feet (6200+ meters.)
Fortunately for us, en route from Baños to Latacunga, we saw just the…base? About the size of Alaska’s Denali, it’s not even that “big” compared to other world mountains. Yet, it’s notable for a couple reasons….
Of course everyone knows that the tallest mountain above sea level is Mt. Everest. However, due to the Earth’s slight bulge at the equator, Chimborazo is the world’s peak which is the closest to the sun. It’s also the point on earth’s surface furthest from the center. Interesting.
Fruit for sale. And, it’s always $1.
Our one and only stop was at “El Chinito.” They did not sell Chinese food but that is indeed a graphic of a slanted-eyed man. It takes awhile for some to catch up…
The direct route from Cuenca to Baños is highlighted. Instead we took the one that shot us west to Guayaquil. Ah well. Better safe than sorry.
Speaking of which, we did have a small earthquake in Cuenca a couple days before we left, but apparently this particular landslide was from two months ago. Oh we were indeed in the Ring of Fire!!!
Our Accommodation
Arriving to our new apartment in Baños, which was a small Airbnb studio for $23/night. Baños is a huge tourist town, but surprisingly we didn’t find a lot of apartment options in our budget, only hotels/hostels.
So we happily settled for this guy. Always just happy to have a kitchen and our own space. We even had a waterfall out our window. If you can find it through all the other clutter, you get a cookie!
Exploring the Town of Baños
One sweet traditional treat that can be found dangling on wooden pegs in front of candy stores throughout Baños is called Melcocha. Melcocha, made by melcocheros, looks like a hunk of bubble gum but is actually a sugar cane taffy. It looks like a serious workout to create and must be stretched, pulled, twisted, pounded whacked. The amazing thing is, this is the only way it’s made and has never been taken into a factory. We sadly chose not to try it, because it’s also known as a tooth breaker and we don’t feel like dropping in the dentist chair for a two-second sugar rush. This is ironic considering the dental news Mandy would receive in Quito.
Another thing we won’t be trying in Ecuador is cuy. Yes, like the Peruvians, Ecuadorians eat roasted guinea pigs. The common guinea pig, packed with more protein than chicken, beef, lamb or pork was actually first domesticated as a means of a food source as early as 5000 BC by tribes in the Andean region of South America. Although we’d personally never eat it, we can appreciate the environmental implications are much better than raising cattle. It supposedly tastes like a cross between a duck and rabbit.
Another popular food in Baños is helado con queso. Yes, ice cream with cheese, (and cream.) We did try this one. The salt of the cheese surprisingly combined quite nicely with the sweetness of the ice cream.
Another one we tried was a plate of Llapingachos, which included an egg, salad, chorizo bits and pickled beets at the local market for $3. The llapingacho is of pre-Hispanic origin, it consists of potato tortillas, fresh cheese, and fried onion. Its name comes from the Kichwa ‘llapina’ which means to crush and from the Spanish ‘gacha.” It was decently tasty, but certainly not something we’d chow down on regularly.
The town of Baños. Like many Latin American towns, they seem to have a fair number of street dogs. However, most of these dogs seem to be wearing clothes or collars so clearly someone is making sure they’re in style…
One of the many markets and our $4 load.
Pretty much everything costs $1 or less, including these massive soursops.
We never ever get tired of shopping in markets like this!
The main square of Baños
The very kitschy terminal turístico where you can catch a chiva to ride around the area in.
For the record, their version of a chiva is a bit lame compared to the ones in Colombia.
You know it’s a tourist town when there’s a “School of the drunks” advertised by Homer Simpson.
Get your overpriced artesanal goodies!!
It was around here this Wizard lured us (against our will of course) into the Fabrica de Chocolate.
He then threw Greg into a vat of chocolate and forced us to hang out with this incredibly creepy giant bunny.
Even worse, we then had to taste about 8 different types of chocolate!! And chocolate liqueur! Greg enjoyed every minute….
…while Mandy went un poca loca!
We finally escaped the dungeon of chocolate and tumbled our way toward the Bosque Encantado (Enchanted Forest.) This one charged $4 to enter so we bypassed it, but if you have kids, these places look like a great place to kill some time!
Or, if you want more free stuff, head to the giant playground parks! And, for the older kids, all kinds of sports courts are available.
And a virgin waterfall, literally called Cascada de la Virgen, right in the middle of town, which you can also see from the nearby hot springs pools.
There are so many candy shops in Baños. Curiously, most sell sugar-coated penises right next to the Feliz Die de Mama cookies. Ah well, moms need to have fun too.
After you finish your penis candy, you can head to the loveliest church in Baños called Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Agua Santa.
You also know it’s a tourist town when they have directional signs to various international cities and fire breathing dragon cars that bop families around to see the sites.
But still lots of local options like $3.50 Menus del Dia which features a juice, soup, entree and dessert. It was enough to fill us up for two meals!
All across Ecuador we noticed striking flowers bursting with extraordinary colors and design growing in the wild. Pacha Mama’s (Mother Earth’s) art and design of these flowers is utterly astonishing. We use an app called Leaf Snap to identify and learn about them. These have been a few of our favorites…
- The Tiger Iris might be one of the most beautiful flowers we’ve ever seen growing in the wild. It is naturalized in Peru and Ecuador and is widespread across much of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The roasted bulbs are edible and have been used by the American Indians and Indigenous peoples of Mexico. It’s far too spectacular to eat though!
- Fuchsia magellanica, commonly known as the hummingbird fuchsia is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family Onagraceae, native to Patagonia.
- Dragon’s Breath is a species of Abutilon native to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. This was seen growing in a garden.
Greg’s Birthday Spa Splurge
Feliz cumpleaños a Greg! Tiene 45 este año! Thanks in part to a generous gift from a friend, his “old bones” decided they wanted nothing more than a lazy day at the spa. Fortunately, we were in a place ringed with hot thermal waters and world-renowned for just that so for $70/each, we got a 75-minute hot stone couples’ massage, a 45-minute drawer sweat box treatment, a mud mask, and ample time plunging between pools of varying temperatures all in an incredibly beautiful setting at El Refugio Day Spa.
He was clearly having a horrible time already overlooking the luscious views from the main pools, which we had all to ourselves.
In Ecuador, you can get a spa treatment in a box, which here is called Banos de Cajón, or Drawer Baths. Here’s how it works:
You step inside the open box and sit on the seat. If you’re a little short like Mandy, they provide you with a little platform lift. These cute little Ecuadorian ladies we chatted with needed more than one platform.
Then you simply wait about ten minutes as the steam envelops you. Every ten minutes, we would get released from the sweat box to a tile tub on the other side of the room where our attendant, Mirian, would douse us with buckets of ice water and order us to drink a cup of our medicinal tea. The contrast was intense, but ultimately felt sensational.
The terrible view from the sweat boxes.
A different plunge pool experience 🤣
Swim caps were provided and required.
Greg doing some self-pampering with the massage jets.
The only issue we had with this spa was the horrible food selection, which was totally contradictory to the detoxing and health-ing we’d done all day. They did provide us with delicious fruit but that wasn’t until six hours in so we were forced to have a lunch of potato chips and a milkshake. No bueno.
The tea we sucked down all day, however, was muy bueno as you can tell from the ingredient list.
After our couple’s massage, one of the best we’ve EVER received, Greg finished beautifying with a mud mask.
After our treatment, we enjoyed walking on the nature and garden paths. The paths were interspersed with quotes and thought-provoking statements.
Time is like a river. You can’t touch the same water two times because the flow that has passed will never return. Enjoy every moment of your life.
What an unbelievably tranquil place. ❤️
The spa garden claims to be a place for complete healing of the mind, body and soul. Minus the potato chip/pizza lunch selection, they did an amazing job. They even had walls of tears, forgiveness and screaming on their nature paths which encourages release and renewal.
Winding our way through a labyrinth. We would have stayed longer but…you know, our stomachs were protesting after a day of chips and fruit.
This is more like it! Greg chose sushi for his birthday and it was divine.
A Cheaper Hot Springs Option
If you don’t feel like splashing out out at expensive spa, there are several other public hot spring pools to visit within Baños. We chose to check out Termas de la Virgen one evening which is conveniently located in town and was dropped afoot a tumbling waterfall. We highly recommend going at dusk/night when you don’t have to worry about sunscreen and can fully enjoy the nip in the air. The facility offers a variety of pools at varying temperatures…some icy cold and one as hot as 42° C (118° F). It cost $4 to enter for an adult and $2 for a child. They have dressing rooms, storage crates and a very friendly and helpful staff, like most places in Ecuador.
And truly, a beautiful setting.
Just outside the thermals, you will find rustic laundries that have been used since the beginning of the 20th century used by the housewives in the lower part of the Cascada de la Virgen. They are still used today.
Canyoning Adventure
There’s no better place in Ecuador for outdoor adventure activities than Baños and since canyoning has been high on our 60 by 60 Lists, and since we’re not getting any younger, it was time to leap off some waterfalls.
For those that aren’t familiar, canyoning is the sport of exploring a canyon by engaging in such activities as rappelling and waterfall jumping. We chose Ivagatours for our three-hour adventure which cost $35/each and included two waterfall repels, one waterfall slide and a final plunge off the 30-meter (98 foot) Cascada del Silencio.
And yes, we dropped plenty of f-bombas. It. Was. Intense. It was also wildly fun, and worth every cent. One of us…(Mandy 🤣)…would do it again in a heartbeat!
Of course, the first step when we arrived was to suit up, which included a wet suit and shoes. Alberto, our guide, then outfitted us with our harnesses. Born in Baños, Alberto has been a guide for 12 years and has spent most of his life doing adventure sports. He was amazing, funny and charismatic. He also spoke slow and clear Spanish which we could perfectly understand.
However, we did ask if he could switch to English while he gave us life-saving safety instructions. Figured it was a good idea. 😅 He happily obliged.
Time for practice! The most common (and necessary!) one-liner you hear from your guide while rappelling is “open your legs.” 🤣 Gotta have a wide stance and lean back or you risk plunging forward. This is even more necessary when dealing with a very forceful waterfall pummeling towards you.
Mandy’s first waterfall repel! This was about a 30 foot cascade.
The water was pretty frigid but fortunately our wetsuits kept us plenty warm. We survived número uno!
As soon as Alberto found out we were bloggers this company flag made quite a few appearances. We’re happy to recommend them though. They did a phenomenal job.
The second waterfall got a bit hairy. There was SO much water and it was bending around at some very strange angles. Because of this, Greg slipped a bit in the falls and had to be redirected. Thus, Mandy took the “easy” way down hovering between the rocks and the falls rather than going all in.
At the bottom of our second falls we had rappelled down.
Greg saying, “I can’t believe you talked me into this.”
After a quick waterfall slide, we approached the big 100-foot kahuna from the top and had NO idea what we were getting into because we couldn’t see anything below us at first. When we saw the drop, Mandy looked at Greg with pure excitement. And Greg looked at Mandy with pure terror. Greg isn’t the biggest fan of heights. Alberto made us yell our team name (Explorer Genes, of course) for emphasis.
The moment when your guide tells you to take your hands off the rope. Holy 💩!! Letting go of that rope while standing at the top was 100% the scariest part. Alberto then counted to three and told Mandy to jump back. Never once looking down, she fell freely and then dangled for awhile, swinging in and out of the pounding falls which pummeled over a cliff-face shelf, before she was lowered to the bottom of the canyon and released herself.
Greg’s turn to clutch onto the rope for dear life as he managed a smile. As you saw from the previous video footage, when Alberto told him to put his hands in the air, he simply said “no.”
But it seems peer pressure got the best of him.
Is it over yet?!
Indeed it was. After Greg’s plunge, we nursed our jellied legs for a few minutes and clutched each other before walking up the very steep cliff to find out dry clothes. Muchas gracias for keeping us alive, Alberto!!
Since Alberto, and the Go Pro he was shooting with, stayed safely at the top to collect the ropes, we couldn’t take a photo of the waterfall we had leaped off of. So instead, we snagged a photo of it from the tourist center.
“The Swing at the End of the World”
One reason that Baños became famous was because of its incredibly Instagrammy “swing at the end of the world.” But alas, Greg forgot his flowy green dress in front of the Eiffel Tower so you’ll just have to deal with us in our usual backpacker threads. That said, La Casa del Árbol and surrounding park is very fun, and terrific way to spend an afternoon and $1, but far from the wildly edgy experience that is often portrayed.
To get up there, there are three ways: an overpriced $10+ taxi or tour, the local bus for $1, or hike it…an agonizing 800 meters straight up or equal to meandering up the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper in Dubai. We chose the $1 bus ride and chose to hike (basically roll) down the mountain on some really beautiful trails back towards Baños.
The bus leaves from the corner of Vicente Rocafuerte & Pastaza about six times a day. We went inside the shop on this corner and they had the entire current schedule. Because we were holding out for clearer weather, we mistakenly took the 4 pm bus, which did not give us enough time to hike down before it got dark, but when we arrived the views and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect.
Don’t go on a weekend!! We were pleased at how few people were at the top on this Tuesday and only had to wait a couple minutes to be launched into the heavens. Unlike before 2021, there is fortunately a safety bar that holds you in place but not much more.
So those are our version of the overdone travel photos that make it look like you’re flying into the mountains. Here’s the reality check. The swings are attached to a treehouse and are quite close to the ground. There is a concrete launch ramp where you can pull back onto for a more entertaining flight. Also, a nice local is stationed by to push people as well.
Reality. Greg, also, as seen from the top of the treehouse.
Even if you know the truth, it’s still really really fun! Certainly another selling point for families in Baños.
There’s also a small zip line at the top which is also included with your $1 entrance.
The official sign.
Beginning our hike back down the mountain. Much of the terrain took us into lush Oz-like forests. No lions, tigers and only a small bear. Or maybe it was a squirrel?
The Tungurahua Volcano soars over Baños more than 3 kilometers or 16,480 feet. But, the thing is, you wouldn’t know it because it’s tucked away from sight of little Baños town down in the valley. This strato-volcano is considered one of Ecuador’s most active, and has been steadily flowing hot lava and ash since a big eruption of 1999. Although it didn’t unveil itself from its cloud blanket while we were on the swing, she fortunately showed face while we were heading down.
That’s a LONG way down!! But absolutely worth the effort.
And then it got dark.
