City Rating: Baños

Population: 15,000

Date of visit: December 2018

Attractions & sights: 3/5
Nightlife: ?/5
Safety: 4/5
Infrastructure: 3/5
Low budget factor: 4/5
Total: 👍 👍 👍/5

The city in a nutshell:

Baños is a cute little town in Central Ecuador and the gateway to the Amazon Basin. It’s mainly a place for adventure seekers but also for people who just want to enjoy a few days in a laid-back and beautiful town.

Where to stay:

Near the main plaza. Baños is really small, but the main plaza is the most “vibrant” area of the town.

The Good:

The town of Baños is super-touristy but that doesn’t come as a surprise. This is one of Ecuador’s most visited places and not only international tourists but also Ecuadorians chose this town as their holiday destination. Getting there is quite easy, as buses from or to Quito cost only 4 Dollars.

Being super-touristy means that the tourist infrastructure is superb. Baños has many hotels (most of them don’t cost more than 20 Dollars per night) and you will find a tour agency or a massage parlor every five meters in the center.

The real attractions of Baños are outside of the town though. The three main attractions are Casa del Arbol with its famous swings, Pailon del Diablo, a gigantic waterfall, and the hot springs. Other things you can do are white water rafting, rock climbing, hiking, canyoning, paragliding et cetera.

Baños is also quite safe for Ecuadorian standards. You can easily walk around after dark in the city center without having the risk of being robbed.

The Bad & The Ugly:

This is a place for outdoor activities and the weather can ruin your stay. However, Baños is usually a sunny town, it seems we just had bad luck…

Seriously, there isn’t much negative to say about the place. It’s a small town though, so don’t expect as much activities within the city as in Quito. However, as I mentioned before, the attractions doesn’t lie within the town borders but outside of it.

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