Banos: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Baños de Agua Santa — baths of holy water — sits at about eighteen hundred metres in a gorge where the Andes drop toward the Amazon, beneath the volcano Tungurahua. Its hot springs, waterfalls and adventure sports have made it Ecuador’s backpacker capital. Ecuador uses the US dollar. Half a day; the springs are best early in the morning.

A short history of Banos

Baños, "the baths", takes its name from the hot springs that rise at the foot of the Tungurahua volcano. The town is famous for the Basilica of Our Lady of the Holy Water, visited by pilgrims from all over Ecuador. In October 1999 the volcano awoke, and the townspeople were evacuated for several months; from then until 2016 it erupted again and again. In recent years the town has become a centre for adventure sports and for trips to the Amazon region below it.

The ten best sights in Banos

1
Basilica of Agua Santa
Paintings of the Virgin’s miracles
2
Termas de la Virgen
Hot pools under a waterfall; go early
3
El Salado
Mineral pools by a river
4
Cascada Inés María
A waterfall at the edge of town
5
San Martín bridge
Swings and jumps over the gorge
6
Mirador Bellavista
A cross above town
7
Runtún
A hill village above Baños
8
La Casa del Árbol
The swing at the end of the world
9
Volcán Tungurahua
The throat of fire over the town
10
Ulba
The first village on the waterfall road

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Tours in Banos →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Banos:

Free walking tours in Banos

The town under the volcano

Basilica of Agua Santa · A church of dark volcanic stone dedicated to the Virgin of the Holy Water, whose walls are hung with paintings of her miracles — people saved from eruptions, floods, falling buses and rivers.
Termas de la Virgen · Public hot pools fed by volcanic springs at the foot of a waterfall, the yellow-brown water rich in minerals; locals come at five in the morning, before the crowds.
Mirador Bellavista · A steep climb of about forty-five minutes to a white cross above the town, from which the whole of Baños lies in its green bowl between the cliffs.
La Casa del Árbol · A treehouse that served as a station for watching the volcano, with a rope swing over a steep slope — the swing at the end of the world — facing Tungurahua.
Volcán Tungurahua · Its name means throat of fire in Quechua; over five thousand metres high, it woke in 1999, and the whole town was evacuated for months. It erupted on and off until 2016, and Baños keeps marked evacuation routes.
El Salado · Hot mineral pools on the edge of town beside a river, at several temperatures, in the valley that the volcano’s mudflows have threatened more than once.

The road of waterfalls

East of Baños, the road down the Pastaza gorge toward the Amazon passes dozens of waterfalls. The classic way is to rent a bicycle, ride downhill about eighteen kilometres to Río Verde and return by truck or bus. A day; take rain gear.

Ulba · The first village on the road, where the valley narrows and the river begins its descent from the Andes to the Amazon basin.
Agoyán · A dam on the Pastaza whose power plant supplies part of Ecuador’s electricity, beside a waterfall that once fell freely before the dam was built.
Manto de la Novia · The bride’s veil, a waterfall on the far side of the gorge, reached by a tarabita — an open cable car hung over the abyss.
Río Verde · The village where the bikes are left and the trail starts down to the greatest waterfall of the road.
Pailón del Diablo · The devil’s cauldron, a waterfall of about eighty metres crashing into a rock bowl. A path cut into the rock lets you crawl behind the falling water and be drenched.
Machay · Beyond Río Verde, a trail through cloud forest past a chain of smaller waterfalls and pools where you can swim.

Gorges and the Amazon

Around Baños are gorges for adrenaline sports and, an hour downriver, the edge of the Amazon. A day; choose licensed operators for rafting and canyoning.

San Martín bridge · A bridge over the deep gorge of the Pastaza where people swing out on ropes — puenting — over the river far below.
Cascada Inés María · A waterfall just beside the bridge at the edge of town, where the Ulba stream drops into the gorge.
Runtún · A hill village high above Baños, reached on foot or by bike, with views straight across to the summit of Tungurahua on clear days.
Cascada Chamana · A short walk up a side valley to a forest waterfall, used for canyoning — abseiling down the falls themselves.
Puyo · About an hour down the road, where the mountains give way to rainforest; the capital of Pastaza province, with Indigenous Amazonian communities and a park of jungle on its edge.
Baños bus terminal · In the doorways of the street near the terminal, sellers pull melcocha, sugar-cane taffy, by throwing it again and again over a wooden peg until it turns pale and chewy.

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Getting to Banos and getting around

Baños bus terminal · Buses to Quito, about three and a half hours

Cheap eats in Banos

Baños is famous for melcocha, sugar-cane taffy pulled by hand in shop doorways, and for fresh sugar-cane juice; Ecuador’s highland food includes llapingachos, cheese-stuffed potato cakes, roast pork hornado, and cuy, roast guinea pig, a festive dish. A lunch menu, almuerzo, costs about three or four dollars.

Baños bus terminal · Melcocha and almuerzos
Basilica of Agua Santa · Sugar-cane juice stalls
Río Verde · Trout by the waterfall

Nature and day trips near Banos

A volcano, a gorge of waterfalls, cloud forest and the edge of the Amazon.

Pailón del Diablo · The great waterfall
Volcán Tungurahua · The volcano
Machay · Forest pools

Things to do in Banos with kids

With children: the swing at the end of the world, a cable car over a gorge and hot pools.

La Casa del Árbol · The swing
Manto de la Novia · The cable car
El Salado · Warm pools

Holy places in Banos

A pilgrimage town of the Virgin of the Holy Water.

Basilica of Agua Santa · The miracle paintings
Mirador Bellavista · The cross above town

Nightlife in Banos

Baños has a lively backpacker night on Calle Eloy Alfaro, and evening soaks in the hot springs.

Termas de la Virgen · Evening hot springs
Basilica of Agua Santa · Bars a block away

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Frequently asked questions about Banos

What is there to see in Banos?

The top sights in Banos are Basilica of Agua Santa, Termas de la Virgen and El Salado. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Banos?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Banos without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Banos?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Banos, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The town under the volcano.

How do you get to Banos and get around?

The main ways are Baños bus terminal. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Banos, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Banos that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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