Ecuador Trip. Part 2. Baños. March 2025

We had already explored the main attractions of Ecuador’s capital, and now it was time for some active adventures. After all, many people come to Ecuador specifically for this.

We would drive along scenic routes, stay in an eco-lodge in the mountains, see powerful waterfalls, walk through the Amazon jungle, swing on the famous “swing at the edge of the world”, and even take part in a few rituals with real Indigenous communities...

Day 3

Scared by frightening stories about how luggage can be stolen on intercity buses, we hired a private taxi driver and set off toward the town of Baños. Looking ahead, I can say that we were completely wrong to worry — on the way back to the capital, we took a bus and saved at least half the cost of the trip.

So, a 3.5-hour drive south, with stunning views along the way. We booked an eco-lodge, La Casa Verde, in the mountains, about 10 minutes outside Baños. We were drawn in by the excellent reviews, and we didn’t regret it at all

As I mentioned in my previous post, very few people in Ecuador speak English. We wanted to book a few tours, but we didn’t want to overpay by arranging everything from Canada. The owner of the eco-lodge — a young man who spoke fluent English — promised to organize any tours for us locally. We decided not to postpone our plans for the next day and to start our cultural program right after arriving :)

But first, we needed lunch. The owner kindly suggested we eat at a small family-run restaurant nearby if we wanted to experience authentic, non-touristy local food. We stepped out onto a rural road and saw a simple tent-like structure. We had a homemade Ecuadorian lunch there.

In fact, Ecuadorian cuisine is quite simple: rice, meat or seafood, beans, plantain, and — what I especially liked — always a fresh vegetable salad. Freshly squeezed juice is always served with meals as well

And outside our lodge, our driver was already waiting for us. With him, we drove along the famous Route of Waterfalls (Ruta de las Cascadas). We stopped at the first waterfall along the way. There were a lot of dogs around. We continued to see many different dogs everywhere — purebred and mixed, pets and street dogs.

The waterfalls were powerful. We took a small cable car and raced toward the waterfall

Then, along a winding mountain road, we passed several smaller waterfalls and arrived at the main destination of our trip — the Pailón del Diablo waterfall, or as locals call it, the “Devil’s Cauldron.” The walk to the waterfall takes about 15 minutes 

And here is the most famous staircase leading down to the base of the waterfall 

We walk across a suspension bridge and then head back. On the way, we grab some fruit to refuel. Fruit cups are sold everywhere for the same price — $1 

We return to our little village. Anyone for some dried fish? And we were expected :) 

Day 4

In the morning, a delicious and beautiful breakfast was waiting for us

Then our driver picked us up to take us to the meeting point for our Amazon tour. The tour company was Alexander Tour. We switched to a bus and set off toward new adventures. The first stop was a photo stop 

The next stop was the jungle. Those who wanted it received a “beauty treatment” in the form of a mud mask 

We continued onward toward our final destination — the waterfall 

Next, we floated along the river in traditional Indigenous boats, and eventually arrived at a delicious lunch 

Then we visited an Indigenous family. In reality, this Indigenous family are quite skilled business people — they host several tourist groups a day and earn good tips from it.

To begin with, this charming girl offered everyone a traditional drink to try. Then, anyone who wanted could have their skin painted with the juice of this plant

Then there were different games — for example, we had to shoot at a target with what was almost curare poison :)

After that, we were invited to change into traditional clothing and even dance traditional Indigenous dances.

And at the very end, they brought out parrots, a snake, and even a small monkey. The parrot was beautiful :)

Now we are heading to a beautiful spot, where we’ll hike through the tropical forest and climb a mountain with an extraordinary view 

And then, to raise the adrenaline level :) 

Then we went to a cacao farm. As I mentioned in my previous post, Ecuador is one of the largest cocoa producers in the world. This is what cacao pods look like growing so beautifully on the trees 

We took part in making cocoa. The seeds are dried, then roasted, and then peeled. They are ground many times until they turn into a paste. The paste is later dried, turning into cocoa powder 

It was a very intense and unforgettable day!

Day 5

In the morning, we planned to visit two beautiful places. Our driver picked us up again. We drove past a viewpoint of Tungurahua volcano, but unfortunately the volcano was covered in clouds. This is quite common, since Ecuador is located high in the mountains.

We arrived at the most Instagrammable place in the country — a small and very pleasant park on a mountain. The highlight is the famous “Swing at the End of the World” (La Casa del Árbol). It was cloudy, but the clouds were slowly starting to clear

Not far from the park, there is another iconic spot — “Hands of Pachamama” (Manos de la Pachamama). It is one of the most popular viewpoints in the area. The place is famous for its giant stone hands that “hold” a platform, offering a breathtaking view of the mountains, waterfalls, and dense tropical forests 

While walking around the platform, we noticed a group of local police officers who, as it seemed to us, were watching us. When they started heading in our direction, we all tensed up a bit…

It turned out they simply liked taking photos with tourists :)

The driver took us to a bus stop, where we switched to a bus back to Ecuador’s capital, Quito. As I mentioned earlier, we had worried completely unnecessarily about traveling by bus. It was very comfortable, the suitcases were securely stored and only returned with ticket checks. And most importantly, pleasant surprises were waiting for us along the way.

The bus made several stops. At each stop, vendors would jump on board selling something tasty, offering their goods for $1

Part 1 of the trip ( Quito) can be found here