Page 3 of 4 Hot Springs in Banos, Ecuador
Below the waterfall on the east end
of town are the hot springs, which are fed by the picturesque falls cascading off
the mountain. There are a couple other springs in the area, but this one is the
closest to the center of town and is the hottest. The admission is .75 USD per person,
with higher rates (1 USD) during the evening hours, including a basket check for
your belongings. With the exception of a few hours during the day when the pools
are cleaned, the facility is generally open all day.
Customers are asked to shower first
in one of a couple different outside showers. The springs themselves are porcelain
tiled pools where hot spring water is mixed with the cold waterfall water. The water
is green and murky but didn’t have a sulphur smell like most hot springs. I
expected the water to be very hot, but it was actually quite mild. For a real refresher,
stand under the stone water spouts that funnel the chilly water from the falls into
a shower.
Hiking an Active
Volcano in Baños, Ecuador
Steep mountainside farming, note the shack in the lower left corner for scale
The mountains surrounding Baños are lush and green, soaring up into the clouds to unbelievable heights. While it is very popular to take a guided expedition up the encircling volcanoes, day hiking on your own is easily accomplished. Buy a map at one of the tourist shops on the main street. A hike around Baños provides breathtaking views of the countryside and a look into the lives of the farmers who live on the steep hillsides. Six blocks south of the bus terminal on PV Maldonado is a trailhead that leads up the mountainside to a beautiful vista point called Bellavista an hour up the slope. A little further (perhaps one half-hour hike) past Bellavista (pretty view) is the resort of Luna Rúntun.
View of Baños from Bellavista in the misty air
It was overcast and a mist filled the
air, as it began to rain slowly and then harder, against the wooden roofs of the
cabanas and bar area of the Luna Runtún resort. The menu was outrageously
expensive for Ecuador. The beers were 1.75 USD and the entrees averaged 6 USD. The
service was excellent and the beer was served with a large green leaf as a coaster.
The bathroom was the nicest I encountered in Ecuador, with running water, marble
counters and brass fixtures. While we were there, a Dutch couple stopped on their
way jogging up the mountainside in preparation for an ascend on Cotopaxi, one of
the highest volcanoes in the Andes.
The small village of Runtún (the literal translation is fortress, because
of the easily defendable position on the mountainside) was our next destination.
A muddy trail scrambled up the slope, almost vertical in mainly places, but quickly
diverged into many different directions. Staying on the path that looked the most
worn, we soon realized we should have already arrived in the village. Fortunately
we met a farmer tending to his small plot of land.