Puenting

Also known as Bungee jumping, or insanity. Strap on a harness and take a leap off a perfectly good bridge and let the rope stop you before you crash into the raging river below? Not for me! Still this crazy feat is enjoyed by many people, enough that almost every touring company in the town offers it. There is a shorter bridge for those who are a bit more timid but still have enough guts to take the jump. This massive boost of adrenaline will cost you about $20 USD. Incidentally, Ecuador uses USD as its official currency.

Tarabita

Perhaps you’re not into flinging yourself hundreds of feet into a river-carved canyon but still find heights exhilarating. This is a metal basket that moves along 2 cables, 1 above and 1 below. It is a fairly stable ride, as in the basket doesn’t rock much, and takes you from one side of a canyon to the other. Most often people combine this with a zip line “ride,” but it is possible to just take the tarabita across and back. The cheapest place I found that offers the above combination is a small place located just up the road from the Ecozoologico San Martin (site is in Spanish). Just follow the signs and arrows. You can take the tarabita across the river and then zip line back for as little as $6 per person. There is a $1 extra charge if you decide to go across in a Superman pose as opposed to being seated.

Mountain biking

There are several trails around Baños including a wonderful waterfall route which takes you past several of the local falls. If it happens to be warm enough, or you’re not afraid of a little hypothermia, you can swim in the waters of the final one. The trail is well marked and is a combination of paved and dirt path. If the altitude doesn’t affect you too much, you can also bike up some of the local mountains for amazing views of the valley and the nearby active volcano Tungurahua.

Volcanoes

There are several trips to volcanoes. Some are as sedate as sipping coffee or hot cocoa from a tree house at night while watching the glow from the crater, or if you’re really lucky she may put on an even better show for you. Others include climbing the volcano for a closer view.

Dune buggies

You can rent mini buggies and take them 4-wheeling. Prices vary widely, and it’s best to try to barter. Note that weekends are the most expensive time of the week for tourist activities as Baños is popular among vacationing Ecuadorians as well, so you’ll find better deals Monday through Thursday.

Finish the day off with something more relaxing: Head to the local thermal pools to soak your body and then afterward grab some delicious food and a locally crafted beer at the Stray Dog Pub (on a corner of the central park plaza). Baños de Agua Santa has a lot to offer, so plan on at least 4-5 days for your visit for the maximum experience.

Have you been to Baños? What was your favorite sight or activity?

We enjoyed it so much we kept extending our time and were seriously considering renting an apartment for a long-term stay. I was actually looking at opening a business while there. It’s just such a cool town, and it was very safe. I had no qualms about letting Tigger (who was 10 at the time) walk around by himself.

Baños was one of Tigger’s favorite places.

Getting to Baños

This lovely town is very accessible and is only a few hours from Quito. Ecuadorian buses are quite cheap, so you can expect to pay about $4 USD for the trip from Quito.

If you’re planning on visiting Cuenca, this is a great town to help split that journey up.

You will have some beautiful views, so keep your camera handy. The buses usually stop in a mountain village about halfway through the journey so that you can get something to eat and make a bathroom stop.

Be advised that the ticket clerks will tell you there is a bathroom on board, but it’s rare for them to be accessible (unless you’re a woman) or functional. So when they make a bathroom stop, it’s a good idea to avail yourself of that opportunity. Also make sure to bring your own toilet paper. Public bathrooms rarely have them.

If you’re really into leather products, you may want to stop in Ambato first.

Lodging

Upon arrival, we stayed at Flor del Oriente, and it was really not a good experience.

We quickly moved to Hostel Chimenea, which we really enjoyed. We had a very comfortable room with pretty good WiFi and a lovely view. The breakfast is inexpensive and quite good. The juices are made to order (fresh squeezed or blended depending on your choice). The coffee was pretty good, too, which isn’t always something one encounters in Ecuador, unfortunately.

It is also located close to the church square, the hot springs and public pool. Tigger’s favorite park (Parque Montalvo) was a short walk away.

There is a refrigerator where you can store your supplies, and the kitchen is available for customer use after noon.

Things to do in Baños

There is truly something for everyone here. Tigger really enjoyed the local park which had a small climbing wall and a zip line (which he spent a LOT of time on). They have a few areas that are designed for different age groups which made things even more fun.

The ruta de las cascadas (waterfall route) is a great activity for cyclists. You can rent bicycles in town for quite cheap and do this as a self-guided tour. They are pretty well marked, and a free map is easy to get at the cycle shop. If you aren’t keen on doing it alone, they have several different tours that follow the route.

The city is quite close to the very active volcano Tungurahua. There are many tours that will take you up in the evening so you can watch the glow and occasional show from a relatively safe distance. You may experience some big “belches” even in the town. We once woke up to a fine covering of ash all over. They haven’t experienced a massive eruption in a long time, and the city was spared damage with the last major one.

If you visit the church La iglesia de la Virgen de Santa Agua (the big church near downtown), you can see some of the commemorative artwork related to the last violent eruption. It’s believed that the virgen saved the town and its inhabitants.

Thanks to the regional geothermal activity, there are some lovely hot springs in the small town. They are extremely cheap to visit.

If you wish to get an adrenaline fix, then for about $20 USD you can go puenting (bridge jumping). Most of the businesses in town use body harnesses, which is supposedly better for your body than the other systems. You have your choice of shorter to crazy drops.

Mountain biking aside from the waterfall route is also quite popular as are 4×4 tours in the nearby mountains, and there is a great place for flying across a canyon on the outskirts of town.

If you prefer a little less excitement, it’s easy to find a place for a relaxing massage for about $20. We also really enjoyed walking around the Parque Central which is known as the lover’s park. It’s in the center of town and has lots of flowers and benches for relaxation.

The public pool is also quite nice and only charges $2 for adults ($1 for children). They have a few waterslides which are pretty fun.

The Iglesia de la Virgen de Santa Agua is a beautiful church and worth walking around.

Just outside the town is also a fairly decent zoo (San Martin). Just make sure to wear good shoes/sturdy sandals. You’ll be doing a lot of walking, including some steep uphill pathways.

Food

There is some really great street food located in the square outside the church; however, most of them only set up in the evening around 6 PM.

Many restaurants in this area also have very filling lunches (3-4 courses plus beverage) for about $2 USD.

One place I highly recommend, even though it isn’t typical Ecuadorian fare, is Stray Dog Pub. Their food is quite good as is their selection of micro-brew beer. They are located on a corner by Parque Central.

You can also find a really good selection of local food at the local mercado. If you’ve been itching to try the infamous cuy (guinea pig), you can easily find it being sold here. Cuy tastes like quail to me.

If you’re a bit squeamish about food hygiene, the mercado is where you want to go. The food hygiene standards for vendors here are quite strict.

If you wish to prepare your own food, the supermarket is located by the mercado. They have an ATM machine located inside, but if you’re spending more than about $10-15 you can use a debit/credit card at the cashier (you will need ID or a copy of your passport, and it’s a multistep process). Prices and selection are both quite good.

There are also some shawarma places in town. The chifa (Chinese food places) was decent, but no one specific place stood out more than the others.

You will see lots of vendors selling what looks like and is described as taffy. We tried several while there, and I would NOT recommend getting any. They were all pretty nasty.

I would recommend planning on a stay of at least 3-4 days. There’s really quite a bit to do and see.

Have you been to Baños? What are your favorites there?

First thing you do is exercises on land. My first time surfing I constantly kept falling. My second time it was like I could fly.

You should learn to surf so if you go on vacation and they have surfing you can do it. It’s a really fun sport, and Ecuador is the place to do it because the waves are good for learning.

We began the day with a trip to some Cañari ruins on a small mountain known as Cojitambo.  The Cañari were a pre-Incan civilization that inhabited a large part of this section of Ecuador.  This area provided a great view of the surrounding valleys, including the nearby sacred Pachamama, and thus served as a lookout point for soldiers.  After a picnic breakfast, it was time to move on to Cañar.

The beautiful Ecuadorian countryside alone is worth the few-hour drive.  Away from the cities you are treated to sights of local indigenous life.  Here there is no need for the high, broken glass-lined or electrified walls that protect homes in the more populated towns.

The ruins of Ingapirca (translation: Inca wall or Place of the Incas, depending who you ask) do not receive a lot of attention.  The fee for admission is $6 USD (Ecuador uses the US dollar as its currency) for adults, 50% off for kids and tercera edad or senior citizens, and for the disabled.  Admission includes a bilingual guide, and the tour takes around 1-1/2 hours before you are left on your own to continue to explore the site if you wish.

The site is unusual because it was once a holy place for the Cañari but became the administrative section under Incan rule.  The Cañari worshiped the moon, whereas the Incas were dedicated to the sun.  When the Incas arrived, they converted the site for their own use, which also involved erecting their own temples and other buildings.  One of the fascinating sights at Ingapirca is that you can see the shift in construction techniques practically side by side.  The Cañari used stones they gathered which were then cemented into place with a mortar combining soil, vegetation, and feces; however, the Incas are famous for their perfectly matched cut stones which fit together so precisely that you cannot insert a knife edge or a piece of paper between the stones. And they used no mortar.  The difference is amazingly clear.

The ruins also demonstrate that the Cañari influenced Incan worship.  The sun temple at Ingapirca is the only one discovered so far that was built in an elliptical shape, a form that more closely resembled the moon’s path in the night sky.

After the tour ends and you’ve finished checking out the main site, there are some areas that are worth exploring.  If you take the small path that leads to the very small Cañari village and go up the stairs, you will be able to see the bath that was used before special ceremonies.  Water was drawn from the nearby river below the hill and brought up to the special bath used for the priest and other participants.

At the end of the dirt path, you will find stone steps leading down a small, steep incline.  When you reach the bottom, turn to your left and look for the special feature in the rock.  You can see why this was a special spot for the area’s former inhabitants. (But I’m not going to ruin the surprise by showing a picture.)

There are several little restaurants near the ruins providing comida tipica, Ecuadorian food. I wanted to stop at the incredibly. . . rustic one located near the end of the path, but our group was going elsewhere.

Ingapirca is located a few hours from Cuenca, and there are lots of tour companies that provide trips there for fairly reasonable prices.  If you plan on being in Cuenca for a while, you may want to sign up for the Gringo Tree newsletter. I’m not a big fan of the name, but the newsletter lets you know about many of the cultural activities happening in Cuenca and is really a good resource for people spending two or more weeks in Ecuador’s third largest city.

Have you visited these or other Inca ruins?

In this photo I loved the juxtaposition of the thatched cabañas, the awnings for people enjoying the beach, and the group of local fishermen taking their boat into the water to spend the night fishing.