One of the top things to do in Baños, Ecuador is go to one of the numerous hot springs. A couple are in town but my favorite is Balneario El Salado Hot Springs which is a little ways up in the mountains. Here you’ll see photo directions on how to get to Balneario El Salado Hot Springs
From anywhere in town, take avenue Ambato and head north. Continue to the top of the hill. Once you crest the hill, cross the bridge and follow the road to the right.
Continue until you see a sign for El Salado. It was pretty obvious. Turn left. It should take about 10 minutes from the main plaza.
From this point you have a 15 minute walk to the hot spring. If you are lucky Tungurahua volcano will be in view straight ahead. We were not as lucky this day and only saw a small glimpse though the clouds.
Continue up the hill until the road ends.
Bathing caps are mandatory so if you don’t have one, you can pick one up here for a dollar.
El Salado Hot Springs
Proceed down to the ticket window. Tickets are $3.00.
Once inside, grab a blue bin, put your things in it and bring it to the window for storage.
You will will receive a tag.
Head toward the pools. Take a shower on the left; the water is nice and warm. Now you are ready to head to the pools.
My first impression was that this looks like a sewage treatment plant.
Fortunately it only looks that way at first. Take in the picturesque surroundings and you will feel better.
You will note a number of different pools. The ones with clear water are cold. The ones with brown water are “hot”. Note that all but one of the “hot” springs is actually only luke warm. The only one that is hot is the large rectangular pool on your right when you first enter.
The highlight of this hot spring is its location nestled in the hills.
It was worth the hike to experience these hot springs in the beautiful surroundings.
You can also take a bus for $0.25 from the corner of Eloy Alfarao and Luis Martinez drives, or take a taxi for about $3, but where is the adventure in that?
Hours of operation at Balneario El Salado Hot Springs
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Adventure with Scott 
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