While doing the research for our land travel in Ecuador, the one place that kept popping up as a “must-see” was Baños de Agua Santos (Baths of Sainted Water) or simply Baños. Named for the hydrothermal springs in the area, Baños is THE destination for adventure seekers. It offers everything from bungee jumping to waterfall repelling. Having gotten all the adventure we needed in Tena, it was the dramatic scenery of Baños that was the draw for us. Baños, a town of 18,000, sits at the edge of the Pastaza River Gorge on the northern foothills of the currently active Tungurahau Volcano.
Tungurahua is the largest volcano in Ecuador. Its peak is 16,500 feet high and when it is not shrouded by clouds, which is most of the time, it makes quite an impression.
The best place to observe Tungurahau is at Casa del Arbol, The Treehouse. In addition to being a very cool look-out, it is a seismic monitoring station.
We happened to be in Baños over Easter Weekend. As I have mentioned before, Ecuador is a predominantly Catholic country and Easter is a very big Catholic holiday. Unbeknownst to us, Baños isn’t just a tourist destination; it is an important religious center for Ecuadorians. The same weekend we were there, so were hundreds of Ecuadorians who had come on a pilgrimage to visit the Virgen de Agua Santa.
There were so many lit candles you could barely see through the smoke.
The statue is in memory of the appearance of the Virgin Mary at a nearby waterfall. It is believed that the Virgin is the reason that the town has not been destroyed by the volcano. The faithful come to pray for safety from disasters.
In the center of town, built from volcanic rock is the church, Inglesia de Nuestra Señora de Agua Santa, also named for the Virgin.
Baños is not all about volcanoes and religious pilgrimages it is also about waterfalls.
There are over 60 waterfalls around Baños. The most famous of which is La Cascada Cabellera de la Virgen (Virgin’s Hair Waterfall). It is visible from anywhere in town.
These are a few of the others:
Remember that adventure seeking I was talking about….there are several of these cable cars throughout Baños, not all of them are to take tourists for a ride. For families that live on the other side of the river it is their means of getting back and forth to the main road.
All of this water flows into the Pastaza River.
In this spot the river has carved through the walls of the canyon.
Just outside of town all of this water is damned up to provide hydroelectricity for Ecuador.
We spent most of our time in Baños hiking and exploring the surrounding areas. At an elevation of 6000 feet, the weather in Baños is ideal for enjoying the outdoors. The mornings and evenings are typically cool, while during the day it is just the right temperature to go for a hike and not break a sweat.
A local suggested that we climb to see the Virgin. After making sure that it wasn’t too advanced (ever since our
little waterfall hike in San Rafael we have learned to ask) we set off to find what we thought was the Virgin waterfall. After 654 steps we realized that he meant the very large statue of the Virgin Mary that presides over the town, not the waterfall.
Although, it was not really necessary to climb that many steps to see the very visible statue, it was nice to take in the views and we can always use the exercise.
At the base of the steps up to the Virgin Statue is the town cemetery. It is the most unique cemetery I have ever seen. From a distance it looks like a town complete with street lamps. Up close it is actually small scale and the “buildings” are really crypts. Creepy!
Just above Baños, on the other side of town, is Luna Runtun Resort.
The beautifully manicured grounds were another great spot to take in the views.
Baños did not disappoint and we definitely agree it is a “must-see”. It is a quaint town nestled between spectacular mountain ranges with water at its feet. What more could you ask for?