Top 8 Things to Do in Banos Ecuador

Things to Do in Banos Ecuador

At first the thought of traveling to Ecuador was scary, as we didn’t know what to expect.  We’ve now written some posts based on our travels, which will hopefully ease some anxiety for other travelers.

This post focuses on the top things to do in Baños Ecuador, as Baños is supposedly the adventure capital of Ecuador.  Located a 4 hour bus ride from Quito, Baños is easily accessible for those who are looking for adventure.

• Traveling to Ecuador?  What you need to know
• Getting from the Quito Airport to Quito City Center
• Traveling from Quito to Banos, Ecuador
• Top 8 Things to do in Banos, Ecuador
• Bike Ride From Banos to Puyo and the Devil’s Cauldron Waterfall
• Hike from Banos to Casa del Arbol and the Swing of Death
• Amazon Jungle Trek, First Day
• Amazon Jungle Trek, Second Day
• How to get from Quito to Mitad del Mundo – “The Center of the World”

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1. Bike from Baños to Puyo

Before I went to Ecuador, I heard about this and knew I wanted to do it.  You can rent a bike for about $5 at many shops in town.  The first 20k is mostly downhill, passing by numerous waterfalls, culminating with Pailon del Diablo; for an extra $2, don’t miss this.  You can catch a ride from here back to Baños for $1.50 or continue for another 40k to Puyo and get a bus back for $2.00.

Bike Ride from Baños to Puyo, Ecuador

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2. Casa del Arbol

Casa del Arbol Tree Swing

Catch a bus for $1 from the corner of Rocofuerte and Pastaza for a 35 minute journey to Casa del Arbol, a tree swing you will never forget.  Admission to the complex, which also includes a less thrilling tree swing, and a small zipline, is only $1.  You can also hike there from town.

Hike from Baños to Casa del Arbol

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3. Amazon Jungle Tours

Amazon Jungle Tour Waterfall

Many tour companies in town offer Amazon jungle tours ranging from one to four days.  Most people just take a one day tour just to get a feel for the jungle.  Prices range from $30 to $60 per day; ask around.  Note that you can get much better deals if you wait until you get to Baños, instead of booking online.  We did a two day tour, but if you want to do only one day, you would end up doing what we did on the first day of our tour.

Amazon Jungle Tour, First Day

Amazon Jungle Tour, Second Day

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4.  Zip Lining

Zip lining outside of Banos

Zip lining, also known as “canopy” in Ecuador, is very popular in Banos.  You can do a half day zip line tour with one of the local companies or bike to Pailon del Diablo and stop at one of the many places along the way.  Expect to pay about $20 to $30.

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5. Bridge Jumping

Bridge jumping in Baños

I didn’t say these were the top 8 things that I did.   I said top 8 things to do.  There is no way I am jumping off a bridge.  But if you are interested, head down to Puente San Francisco, across from the bus station.  Cost:  I don’t know because it could be free and I still wouldn’t do it.

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6. Canyoning

Canyoning in Banos

What is canyoning? It’s basically rappelling down waterfalls.

We didn’t do this either, but it is because we ran out of time instead of not wanting to do it (which was the case with bridge jumping).  If I go back to Baños, I definitely want to do this.  We were quoted $30 for a half day tour.

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7. Hot Springs

El Salado Hot Springs

There are a couple of hot springs in town, where you can soak in cool or hot thermal pools.  La Virgin is in town and costs only $2.  If you want to get away from town, head out to El Salado for $3.

Baños Ecuador to El Salado Hot Spring

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8. Eating

Eat well and eat often. Cheap food (often $2.50 or less for almuerzos) and large portions in many places around town.

Almeurzos is a “menu of the day” kind of thing and is often about $2.50 at most places.  For your $2.50 you get the soup of the day, a choice of a second which was usually chicken or fish served with rice and beans or potato or salad, and a beverage which was usually some kind of juice.

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