Baños, Ecuador: Why a little research goes a long way

Baños, Ecuador: Why a little research goes a long way

There is a certain romance associated with the “just show up and see” style of travel. It adheres to the carefree, let-me-wander, Alexander Supertramp way of seeing the world; the journey touted by inspirational posters and idealized Instagram accounts, surfboard in one arm, slim woman in the other.

Just “showing up and looking” doesn’t always work so well in reality. On the streets of Baños, Ecuador, we ran into a group of five friends with whom we had shared some meals in Cotopaxi. We asked if they were on their way to the hot springs, a series of baths heated by the nearby Tungurahua volcano (Baños means “baths”).

Anja wrinkled her nose. "No. Someone from our hostel visited yesterday and said the water was dirty." She looked around furtively and lowered her voice: “As in dirty yellow.”

Peter and I shared a look. The water in the baths is indeed yellow, but not because of dirt or trash, but because of natural minerals in the water (trust us, we checked). When we told them so, they just nodded politely and began to slowly back away. I wanted to hand them a guidebook, but instead we politely nodded back and wished them well on their trip. We found it amusing that this group had traveled to Baños and didn't want to try the town's main attraction because someone at their hostel told them the water was dirty.

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A little research would have encouraged her to visit one of the city's six thermal baths, the most charming of which is Las Piscinas de la Virgen. Located next to a cascading waterfall, these baths consist of three separate pools: one warm, one practically burning, and one ice-cold. The idea is to wallow in the warm and then alternate between the very cold and very hot. Peter bravely tried all three while I stuck with the warm ones. Of course there was a lot of silliness.

The pools have a fun, sociable atmosphere and are populated mostly by locals. (Probably a significant number of gringos are put off by the dirt...) Apart from the baths, the town of Baños itself is unfortunately rather disappointing. Filled with pedestrian architecture and a plethora of tour operators offering local excursions, it feels a bit soulless. There is beautiful scenery in the area and a number of interesting excursions (mountain biking, hiking and rafting), but our advice is to travel through with no more than two nights. Of course, if you don't want to try the baths, there's little reason to come at all.

The essentials

What: A stay in Banos, Ecuador.

Where: Baños is located in the Andean highlands of Ecuador in the shadow of the Tungurahua volcano. We stayed at the Santa Cruz Backpackers Hostel but had the worst night's sleep of the trip, thanks to a particularly obnoxious American and a common area that stays open well past the advertised time. Instead, try Hostel Chimenea, which has excellent reviews all around.

When: In the highlands, the dry season runs from June to September and returns at Christmas.

How: There are frequent services to Baños from Quito (4 hours, $4), Riobamba (2 hours, $2) and Guayaquil (5.5 hours, $7.00) - check Andes Transit for the latest times. The bus station in Baños is just a few minutes walk from the center and most hostels. A taxi should cost around $1. The city itself can be visited on foot.

It is useful to be aware of some logistics at Las Piscinas de la Virgen:

• Optional kannst du oben deine Badesachen anziehen, da die Kabinen dort sauberer und besser ausgestattet sind.
• Sie müssen eine Badekappe tragen. Diese sind nicht im Eintrittspreis von 3,50 USD enthalten, können aber vor Ort gemietet werden (0,50 USD, wird bei Rückgabe der Kappe zurückerstattet).
• Versuchen Sie, alles aufzubewahren, was Sie haben, da es keine Möglichkeit gibt, Dinge am Pool zu lassen. Sie können Gegenstände in Kisten im Obergeschoss aufbewahren, die Sie gegen eine Gebühr (1 USD) an einem Schalter abgeben.
• Stellen Sie schließlich sicher, dass Sie vor und nach dem Einsteigen duschen.

For more information about visiting Baños, check out the Lonely Planet Guide to Ecuador.

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