Baños de Agua Santa

This little city is a very important touristic spot and it´s located right next to Tungurahua volcano in a valley full of waterfalls and springwaters.

From Quito take the Panamericana Sur, which shows us cities such as Latacunga (2800m S 00°56.101´ W 78°37.184´), Salcedo (2685m S 01°01.856´ W 78°35.431´) and Ambato (1848m S 01°13.897´ W 78°36.601´). To save some time take the by pass to avoid the traffic in this city.

In few kilometers we find Pelileo (2662m S 01°19.959´ W 78°33.316´) whose main feature is the textile industry, here you can buy a pair of jeans in USD$ 10.

Baños de Agua Santa (1845m S 01°23.692´ W 78°25.493´) has an average temperature of 20°C, you can practice many adventure sports such as rafting, kayaking, canyoning, rock climbing, bungee jumping, horse riding, ecological hiking, mountain bike, andinism, camping, among others. The "melcochas" are the typical dessert and the cane juice is the typical beverage.

There are more than 30 waterfalls, but the most visited are "El manto de la novia" (1482m S 01°24.248´ W 78°20.097´) and "Pailón del diablo" (1527m S 01°24.116´ W 78°17.816´). To get there take the Puyo road, which is a nice way because of the landscapes. You don´t need a guide for going to most of the waterfalls because there are easy-to-hike paths.

Rafting has many options depending on the complexity level, for example: Patate River 2-3 class, Pastaza river 3- 4, Topo river and Verde river 5, 6 and 7 class. Canyoing is done in Chamana, San Jorge, Río Blanco and Cashaurco waterfalls.

The accomodation in Baños is flexible, there are USD $5 hotels and also luxurious ones. There are lots of restaurants with international and typical food. Nigh life starts with a "chiva" tour to watch the Tungurahua volcano with the traditional "canelazo" which is sweet alcoholic drink, then you can go to one of the many bars and discos. In the Basilica there is the Fray Enrique Mideros museum, very peculiar ´cause it has objects related with the devotion for Agua Santa Virgin.

To relax there is no better way to visit the springwaters, the options are: El Salado, La Virgen (attending even at night), Santa Ana, Santa Clara and Las Modernas.

More pictures from Baños in thisgallery.