Baños, Ecuador

Baños, Ecuador is easily one of my absolute favorite spots in Ecuador. We initially were only gonna stay one or two nights but extended our trip an extra day and I am so glad we did. I could’ve stayed several extra days if time had allowed it.

The town of Baños is really small, you can walk casually from one end to the other in under an hour. There is a small street with some artisanal booths and plenty of restaurants to choose from. It’s a very cozy little town that can be explored in a day or so and is often used for an entry point for jungle adventures!

Baños is placed on the edge of the Amazon rainforest and offers a wide variety of day trips and overnight trips into the jungle along with several different half day excursions to visit the waterfalls around and of course, plenty of shorter and longer hikes. There are also some hot springs bordering the edge of town that were so nice, relaxing and worth visiting.

We arrived by bus to Baños from Quito. It was about 4-4.5 hours and less than $5. We arrived early enough in the day that we made our way to the hot springs (entry was just a few dollars)  for a few hours before dinner. While the elevation in Baños is only around 1,800 meters after spending some time in the hot springs can leave you feeling a little lightheaded afterwards.

We also booked a day trip into the jungle through our hostel but even if your hostel or hotel doesn’t have these options you won’t have any trouble finding a tour company in town to arrange something for you. There is one on almost every corner that can offer you a variety of different options.

One of the other things Baños is famous for is Casa del Arbol or the Treehouse with the Swing at the end of the world. We went by bus for $1 each and it took about 40 minutes or so from the center of town. It is similar to a park and would be a great place to bring a book, some snacks and just chill for a while.

If you are only going to check it out and take a ride on the swing, which is what we did, an hour or so is plenty of time provided it isn’t packed with people trying to swing as well.

It has some absolutely stunning views and the swing is a lot of fun!