Where We Be
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| Gorgeous setting of Las Piscinas de la Virgen, the best-known hot springs in Baños |
| Baños, Ecuador |
We liked the feel of Baños straight off. It's
smaller than most of the places we visited in
mainland Ecuador (other than Vilcabamba) and
has a quiet vibe overall with lots of restaurants
and fun activities. The thermal baths are what
give Baños its name: the best known is Las
Piscinas de la Virgen (shown left), with a lovely
waterfall cascading down behind it.
At the other end of town is a short but steep
hike to a statue of the Virgin Mary. From here
you get fine views of Baños below and active
Volcano Tungurahua above. On the day we
hiked to the statue, the volcano erupted mildly.
Another highlight is the "Ruta de las Cascadas"
or "Highway of the Waterfalls" which you can
do by bike, motorized buggy, or "chiva" (an
open-air truck). Besides beautiful waterfall
views, it offers opportunities to either
swing-bungy or zipline across a canyon like
Superman. I tried the zipline and loved it!
smaller than most of the places we visited in
mainland Ecuador (other than Vilcabamba) and
has a quiet vibe overall with lots of restaurants
and fun activities. The thermal baths are what
give Baños its name: the best known is Las
Piscinas de la Virgen (shown left), with a lovely
waterfall cascading down behind it.
At the other end of town is a short but steep
hike to a statue of the Virgin Mary. From here
you get fine views of Baños below and active
Volcano Tungurahua above. On the day we
hiked to the statue, the volcano erupted mildly.
Another highlight is the "Ruta de las Cascadas"
or "Highway of the Waterfalls" which you can
do by bike, motorized buggy, or "chiva" (an
open-air truck). Besides beautiful waterfall
views, it offers opportunities to either
swing-bungy or zipline across a canyon like
Superman. I tried the zipline and loved it!
| We spent about an hour at the Bellavista overlook where a brightly lit cross stands at the top of a steep hill. Baños lay spread out below us, but the volcano remained stubbornly hidden behind mist and clouds. |
| When my time came, I got into “Superman” position and they “roped” me to the posts (one for the arms and one for the legs). Then they pushed me partway out over the abyss, pulled me back over the lip of the platform, then gave a good shove and I was off! |
| This is the Virgin of the Pools who is said to have dipped her toe into the waters here |
| These were the first waterfalls we visited. We took a ride in a suspended cable car for a closer view of the falls ($1.50 each). |
| We explored the Ruta de las Cascadas (Highway of the Waterfalls) by chiva, an open-air truck painted in bright colors ($5 each) |
| At the same falls I decided to do a zipline across the canyon ($12). It was a little unsettling watching the preparation as there was no permanent attachment to the cable, only cords wrapped several times around both handles of a two-pronged metal post. A grooved wheel rode atop the wire. |
| Superman returns via cable car! |
| I enjoyed a beautiful ride across the canyon. At the far end I came in fast and would have collided into a rock wall if it hadn't been for the guy whose sole job is to catch you and slow you down with a hooked pole. |
| We had such a good time during our chiva ride! |
| The chiva ride continued past these twin waterfalls and along a one-lane cobbled road |
| We missed seeing the biggest falls, Pailon del Diablo, because of a tunnel closure, so instead we visited Machay Falls ($1), which required a steep fifteen-minute descent through cloud forest |
| At the bottom we got a great view of the falls |
| We decided to do a volcano tour that same night starting at 9 pm ($3 each). Once again we boarded a chiva -- this one complete with flashing disco lights! We met these young Ecuadorian teens clearly out to have a good time. |
| Hey, when you can't beat 'em, join 'em! The only volcano we saw that night was "Volcan" nightclub where the chivas took us at the end of the tour. |
| A raised wooden platform allows you to get close to the Cascada de la Virgen del Agua Santa (Waterfall of the Virgin of the Sacred Water) |
| The main cathedral in town |
| The flower-filled central plaza in Baños offers a wonderful place to relax |
| On three different days we climbed the stairs for a look at the volcano but the weather in that direction was always cloudy. The left-hand photo shows our best view (not very good) of the top of Tungurahua peeking out of the clouds; the right-hand photo shows a dark column of ash rising above the clouds. |
| We hiked up a steep set of stairs to a statue of the Virgin Mary to get a glimpse of Volcano Tungurahua -- and to look back down on Baños itself |
| Baños has many fine restaurants for a town of its size -- we particularly enjoyed Posada del Arte (shown above) and Le Petite Auberge |
| Volcano Tungurahua isn't directly visible from town so the fastest way to get a glimpse of it is to hike up these stairs (halfway up gets you your first view) |
| This is the view of Volcano Tungurahua we would have liked to have had! [NOT MY PHOTO] |
| The statue of the Virgin is said to protect the inhabitants of Baños from the ravages of Volcano Tungurahua |
| Wispy waterfall located just behind Las Piscinas de la Virgen |
| You can also explore Ruta de las Cascadas by motorized buggy |