Baños Ecuador Travel Guide (+ Map)
TL;DR
Baños travel guide: Ecuador’s adventure capital with waterfalls, hot springs, and adrenaline activities – absolutely worth a stop on your itinerary.
When travellers plan a trip to Ecuador, they often think of the Galápagos Islands or Quito, while Baños quietly sits in the middle of the country as a hub for adventure and nature.
The problem? It’s hard to know what to expect. Some say it’s too touristy, others call it the adventure capital of Ecuador. We wanted to find out if Baños was really worth the hype.
With our backpacks and curiosity, we spent several days exploring waterfalls, hopping on local buses, testing the hot springs, and yes – also flying high on swings and ziplines.
This guide is written for travellers who crave a mix of adrenaline and relaxation, whether you’re a budget backpacker, an adventurer, or simply curious about what makes Baños special.
We’ll share the practical tips we wish we had – how to get there, the best things to do, what to eat, and where to stay – sprinkled with our own experiences to help you feel like you’re exploring alongside us.
Baños Ecuador Travel Guide
Baños Ecuador Map
Is Baños Worth Visiting?
For us, the answer is a big yes. Baños quickly became one of our favourite stops in Ecuador. Between biking the Ruta de las Cascadas, swinging at the End of the World, soaking in hot springs, and rafting the Pastaza River, we never ran out of adventures.
The town itself felt safe and welcoming, and it is easy to explore on foot – and our stay at Hostal La Casa Amarilla City made it even better with its views and amazing hospitality. The food scene wasn’t the highlight for us, but the waterfalls, activities, and relaxed atmosphere more than made up for it.
If you love nature and adventure, Baños is absolutely worth a spot on your Ecuador itinerary.
Where We Stayed in Baños
We stayed at Hostal La Casa Amarilla City, which was our favourite accommodation in all of Ecuador. The hospitality is simply amazing! They serve a great included breakfast on the rooftop terrace, there’s a kitchen and free drinking water, and they sort you out with affordable bikes and tours.
After checkout, we could store our luggage, use the common areas for the whole day, and even take a shower before our night bus.
Additionally, we loved our room with views of Cascada de la Virgen as well as the rooftop terrace with its cosy hammocks.
How to Get to Baños
Baños is a touristy destination and hence well-connected to destinations like
- Quito. 4h. Buses leave regularly throughout the day from Terminal Terrestre Quitumbe.
- Cuenca. 7h. There’s one day bus and one night bus.
In addition to direct buses, you can also hop on a bus to Ambato, from where regular buses head to Baños (1h). That’s what we did – our bus driver told us where to get off in Ambato, and locals helped us to flag down the bus to Baños.
How to Get Around Baños
The centre of Baños is small and very walkable.
If you want to venture further, you can
- Rent a bike
- Grab a taxi
- Take a local bus. We took the local bus to La Casa del Arbol, and it worked like a charm.
Things to Do in Baños
1. Ruta de las Cascadas
The Ruta de las Cascadas or Waterfall Route is the roughly 25 km (15 mi) stretch of road east of Baños. Like the name suggests, it is filled with many amazing waterfalls. These are the highlights in geographical order:
- The waterfalls in Ulba
- Las 7 Cascadas, where you can climb up the seven stages of the waterfall with ropes.
- El Silencio – one of only two waterfalls along the road where you can swim. We had it all to ourselves.
- Ulba waterfall from a distance.
- Agoyán waterfall, where you can zipline and/or take a cable car across the waterfall.
- Manto de la Novia waterfall, where you can either cross a hanging bridge or take a cable car across.
- El Paílón del Diablo, or The Devil’s Cauldron, is the most famous waterfall in Baños. There are two entrances: one to the lower part and one to the upper part. If you only plan to pay once, we recommend the lower part.
- Rocío de Machay waterfall – the second waterfall along the Waterfall Route, where you can swim, as well as the furthest point on the route.
How to get there: We opted to rent a bicycle. If that’s not not thing, you can also rent quad or go on a guided tour.
2. Casa del Árbol
To be honest, we thought Casa del Árbol would be super touristy and tacky and debated whether we should even go. In hindsight, we are super happy that we went because we had a great time.
You pay a small fee to access the Casa de Arbol. Once you’re in, all activities are included. Of course, the most famous attraction is the Swing at the End of the World. While it might look serene, it is actually quite adventurous as the guys who push the swing are relentless. On the day of our visit, it was a bit gloomy, so there was no line, so I could even go a second time as soon as it cleared up a bit.
In addition to the swing, you can visit the treehouse that gives Casa del Arbol its name and take pictures at different photo spots. There was also a fun little zipline you could use as often as you wanted.
How to get there: The cheapest option is a 3-hour climb. We took a local bus for 1$ (we marked the bus stop on our map). Of course, you can also take a taxi.
3. Baños Hot Springs
You can’t visit Baños without visiting a hot spring – after all, the full name of Baños is Baños de Agua Santa (Spanish for Baths of Holy Water). The Termas de la Virgen are the main hot springs in town. There are several hot pools on one side of the building and a cold pool on the other side of the building. Indoors, you can find a Jacuzzi and a sauna.
The Termas de la Virgen are the most affordable and local, but not necessarily relaxing in a European spa kind of way. In case that’s more your vibe, we were recommended El Refugio Spa Garden.
How to get there: The Termas de la Virgen are on the outskirts of the centre of Baños, so you can easily walk.
4. Walk Around Baños
Baños itself might be small, but it’s still nice to walk around. The main street connects Central Park and the Parque la Basílica with the Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Agua Santa Church. Along that street, you can also find the Central Market as well as the Pasaje Artesanal, where you can buy souvenirs.
5. White Water Rafting
After an amazing first rafting experience in San Gil, Colombia, we decided to give it another go in Baños. White water rafting on the Pastaza River felt a lot more intense, and we got caught in heavy rain, but it was still mostly fun 😅
How to get there: Your only option is a guided tour:
6. More Adventures
Baños is also called the adventure capital of Ecuador. We didn’t try any of these activities, but you can also find a whole bunch of other adventures like
7. Day Trip to the Amazon
We visited the Amazon in Peru, but in case you only visit Ecuador and you’re a bit short on time, a day trip from Baños to the Amazon rainforest can give you a great taste of what to expect.
The most common base for day trips to the Amazon is Puyopúngo (short Puyo).
Where to Eat in Baños
Overall, we found the food in Baños a bit underwhelming. These are the places we liked:
- Arepas To Go for seriously tasty arepas.
- Mercado Central for local food.
- Honey Coffee & Tea for a coffee break.
- GelatoMix Baños for ice cream.
How Many Days in Baños Do You Need
You need at least two full days in Baños to experience all the highlights. If you’re an adrenaline junkie or you’d like to visit the Amazon rainforest on a day trip, you can easily spend more days without getting bored.
Baños Itinerary
Day 1 – Ruta de las Cascadas, Casa del Arbol & Hot Springs
In the morning, start your journey along the Waterfall Route. Countless waterfalls, ziplines, cable cars, and other adventures are waiting for you!
You can easily visit Casa del Arbol with the famous Swing at the end of the World in the afternoon.
Don’t miss our on going to the hot springs in the evening.
Day 2 – White Water Rafting or Another Adventure Activity
We opted for white water rafting on the Pastaza River but you can also try another adventure activity like canyoning, rock climbing,or paragliding.
Day 3 – Day Trip to the Amazon
We highly recommend that you go on a day trip to the Amazon rainforest.
Baños Tips
ATMs in Baños
Baños is a rather touristy destination, and you can find some ATMs scattered around the centre.
Supermarkets in Baños
There are many small (often overpriced) shops dotted around Baños. The biggest and most affordable supermarket we found was Supermarket 9-9 right behind the central market (let us know in the comments if we missed something).
Internet in Baños
We had great internet both in our accommodation and with our eSIM card.
Is Baños Safe
Baños is a small town with only around 15,000 inhabitants. It is pretty safe and petty crime is rare, but it’s still a good idea to be alert and not flash your valuables.
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