Baños

Baños is a lovely, relaxing, gringo-friendly town where visitors always end up staying longer than they had planned. It's nestled in a beautiful valley with a view of a waterfall, has warm t-shirt and shorts weather during the day, and many of its restaurants serve delicious, healthy and inexpensive food. Baños is named for the thermal baths located around the city. These baths are a great place to relax.

Chiva Waterfall Tour

We went on a chiva bus tour of the nearby waterfalls. It was a really fun and easy way to see the area around Baños.

At the first stop we rode a cable car that stopped in the middle of a deep canyon to get an up close look at a waterfall.


Next we stopped at a bridge where people could bungee jump off. Minh wanted to do it, but I insisted that he not do the jump since we had not done any research on the bungee operator to ensure that they are reputable company and take all of the necessary precautions.

After the bridge we visited the Manto de la Novia (Bride’s Veil) waterfall. Here we took a cable car down to the bottom of the canyon then crossed a suspension bridge that led us right to the bottom of the waterfall. The view from the bottom was very impressive, but also very wet.


As we drove between stops, the guide pointed out lots of other waterfalls along each side. At one point the road led us right under a waterfall. At our final stop we hiked down a canyon for about 20 minutes and came to the bottom of the Manchay waterfall where a large rainbow forms every afternoon. After we hiked back up, we had some delicious fresh grilled trout for lunch.



El Pailon del Diablo

El Pailon del Diablo (the Devil's Caldron) is the most famous, and perhaps the most spectacular waterfall in the area. It is by a town called Rio Verde, located a 20 minute drive from Baños. To reach it we hiked down a beautiful canyon for about 20 minutes before arriving at a serious of platforms from where you can view the waterfall. Photos can’t capture how powerful the waterfall is. The water thunders down with such force that it jumps back up and you get drenched on the platforms.

The highest platform is reached via a narrow, cramped path in a crack of the canyon, called the Grieta del Cielo. We had to crawl through most of the path, but once we reached the platform we were able to stand behind the waterfall. This view was very impressive and the roar of the waterfall was deafening.


Near the platforms there is a small suspension bridge from where we also got a nice view of the waterfall and the surrounding canyon.



Statue of the Virgin

We spent about an hour one morning hiking up to the statue of the Virgin that overlooks the town. The hike was not too bad in that the path is well marked and a large portion of it consists of stairs. However, the entire hike is very vertical, so we stopped a lot to catch our breath. The statue itself is nothing to write home about, but the views of Baños and the Tungurahua volcano are spectacular!

More Photos of Baños

Baños de la Virgen

We spent an afternoon relaxing at the Baños de la Virgen thermal baths, located at the eastern end of the town. The water was nice and warm, and there is a great view of the Manto de la Virgen waterfall from the baths.

Where we ate

Café Blah Blah: Great sandwiches, fruit salads, and natural fruit juices.

Casa Hood: The menu of this restaurant is quite eclectic, offering Latin American, Asian and vegetarian dishes. But the food is very tasty, and the atmosphere is artsy and cozy. I had a falafel platter that came with some delicious hummus, and Minh ate a Chinese chicken and noodles dish that was seasoned with a tasty soy and ginger sauce.

Swiss Bistro: This is the number one rated restaurant in Baños on Trip Advisor, and the credit is well deserved. The food is delicious and authentic (the owner is Swiss). We shared a roesti (traditional swiss dish that tastes a lot like hash browns) prepared with gruyere cheese, sausage and onions. The restaurant also had a good house white wine.

Café Hood: Same owners as Casa Hood. This restaurant also has an eclectic menu, but the food is delicious. At dinner I had tacos with ground beef and Minh had a Pad Thai. We decided to go back for lunch another day, and I had a chicken curry sandwich and Minh had a hamburger served on a baguette.

Pizzería El Napolitano: Great pizza.


Where we stayed

Hostal Chiminea: We highly recommend this hostal! It was quiet, very clean, and the bed was comfortable. Our room had a small balcony with a view of the Manto de la Virgen waterfall. The hostal has a roof top terrace that provides great views of Baños. The terrace also has a café where you can get a delicious breakfast for about USD $2. The hostal is run by a family and they were very attentive. There is free wi-fi in the lobby and three computers where guests can check email. We paid USD $17 per night for a room with a double bed, private bathroom and hot water.