Tag: views

Itinerary: 3 days in Baños

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Baños de Agua Santa is the un-rivalled adventure capital of Ecuador. Not only is it the gateway to the Ecuadorian Amazon it is packed fill to the brim of exciting, adrenaline filled things to do with some hot springs to rest your weary muscles in once you are done. No wonder its such a popular stop for travellers making their way through Ecuador.

GENERAL INFO

Getting there and away:

Baños is just a short trip away from Quito. Buses take 4 hours and leave from Quitumbe station every 15 minutes before 7pm. To can also get to Baños from Guayaquil in 8 hours via bus (perfect for an overnight bus journey).

Accommodation:

 I recommend Community Hostel in Baños – they have a great vibe, organise lots of activities including bar crawls and serve up a wonderful breakfast! You can book through booking.com.

Food:

The best food we had in Baños was Arepas at ‘Arepas to Go’ – a takeaway joint run by a Venezuelan refugee. These are the BEST arepas I have ever tasted. Hands down.

The other must try dish in Baños is candy! The town is well-known for its Melcocha and there are candy stores all over the town where you can see it being made along with other sweets and treats. I polished off a whole giant rainbow lollipop and felt so sick.

Top Tip:

Baños is a great place to spend New Year (as we did)! Its the perfect mix of away from the hustle and bustle of a big city and the frustrations that come with this but popular and busy enough to be buzzing with New Year spirit and have great nightlife (its a bit of a party town).

Ecuadorian New Year is fascinating. There are two traditions that you have to see to believe: Firstly, on December 31st large dolls that represent the old year are ‘burned’ in bonfires in the middle of the street. This is the cleansing of the old year and represents starting anew for the new year – extra points if you jump over the fire as the dolls are burning. Secondly, related to this is the New Year ‘Vuidas’ (Widows of the old year). These are men dressed up in drag complete with makeup and wigs who dance in the street stopping cars and collecting small change for the new year party. On new year’s eve you can’t drive down any road without getting stopped by one of these ‘tax’ collecting groups.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES

Bike ‘Ruta de Cascadas’

This is a great activity rain or shine as you are going to get wet under the waterfall at the end of this journey anyway! The day we biked along the waterfalls was pretty poor weather but we still had a great time. I suggest getting up early and taking it easy so you can stop for as long as you like along the way and rest or explore (especially if you aren’t really into biking like me). You can hire bikes in Baños for about 15 USD per day including a bikelock etc. When you rent a bike you will be provided with a map of the waterfall route. The Ruta de Cascadas is a 16km ride to the town of Rio Verde but is downhill almost the entire way. Pickup trucks wait at the end and will take you back to Baños for a small fee. There are 4 key spots that you should stop at (but feel free to stop and explore anywhere you like!):

First stop: Cascada Agoyan – There is a zipline here 

Second Stop: El Manto de la Novia – Take the cable car for a bird’s eye view (2 USD, make sure you take the right cable car there are lots along the route).

Third Stop: Rio Verde – Bring bathing suit if its a nice day and you can pop in the water for a swim here.

Fourth Stop: Pailon del Diablo – It’s a strenuous walk to get to this waterfall but its worth it. You can hike (for 2 USD) right up to the falls and climb underneath them (you will get wet). 

Visit La Casa del Arbol

Try to do this on a clear day as you are pretty high up in the mountains here. To get here, take the local bus for 3 USD or a taxi for approx. 15 USD (taxi’s are unmetered so confirm a price beforehand). Once dropped off there is a short 200m steep hike. The top attraction here is called The Swing at the End of the World and its definitely worth trying – my husband braved it even though he is afraid of heights! There are a few other activities and photo spots so its worth a little wander around and you will probably have to queue quite a while for the swing (its pretty popular!)

If you want an even bigger adrenaline rush head down the road another 3 km until you reach El Vuelo del Condor – this is an even bigger swing right out over the valley but you are properly strapped in to this one thankfully! Ask the management here to call a taxi to return to town or walk if feeling up to it (takes 2 hours but beautiful views).  

Piscina de la Virgen

You can soak in the Thermal Baths (USD 2 entrance fee) only 5 minutes walk from the centre of town. These baths have a nice view as they are located next to a waterfall. It’s a great idea to rest your weary muscles after your bike ride, calm your mind after swinging out over the canyons or to sweat out your hangover. Wear jandals as the ground around the pools and the changing rooms can get a bit gross. 

Party in Zona Rosa

Baños is quite a party town so I definitely suggest having a night out here before you leave! There is a sign to the Zona Rosa on Ambato Street. You can Salsa the night away and make sure you have a big sleep in in the morning and a soak in the hot pools to recover from your hangover!

Let me know if your planning to go to Baños and if there’s anything you would add to this list!

Erika xx

Crossing the border into Ecuador from Colombia

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The border from Colombia to Ecuador is known as a relatively dangerous one, however it is also a convenient way to travel between the two countries for those doing a long South America journey. Many people who want to visit both Las Lajas Sanctuary and Otavalo will find that this is much more convenient than flying between the two countries despite the long journey’s involved in travelling overland.

Ipiales is a necessary stop to cross the border, but it is like any other border town – don’t hang around here there is nothing to do and its not safe. Stay overnight if you need to as the border crossing does take a while and you will likely have travelled quite a distance to get to the border. Allow plenty of time to get over the border in either direction.

Top Tip for crossing the border:

Visit Las Lajas Sanctuary (a stunning church surrounded by lush scenery) while you are here. It’s a must-see sight – see my blog post here.

Where to stay:

I don’t have any specific recommendations for places to stay in Ipiales other than I recommend you don’t if you can help it. BUT as always you should be able to find something good on Booking.com as they have a few passable options. I suggest spending a bit more to get a nicer hotel here as you won’t want to leave it while you are in Ipiales and also suggest booking something with a restaurant as there is nowhere nice to eat in Ipiales.

Getting there and away:

Ipiales is a 12 hour bus journey from Cali (the closest city in Colombia of any interest to tourists) or if you are arriving from Ecuador it’s a an approx. 3 hour journey from Otavalo in Ecuador (not including time spent crossing the border).

To get to the border from Ipiales you just need to take a taxi or a colectivo – your hotel can call a taxi for you or let you know where to catch the colectivo from. The border crossing is called Frontera/Rumichaca so you will want one heading in this direction.

Preparation needed:

Before you head to the border spend all your Colombian money – purchase water and snacks for the bus journey into Otavalo. I recommend not buying anything at the border crossing as it is all overpriced.

Also check the exchange rate for COP to US Dollars before you leave for the border so you know what a good rate is as you will likely need to change money at the border (they can sometimes rip you off – make sure you know how much you should receive and count your bills). 

What to expect:

If arriving at the Colombian side of the border, turn left to queue at the Colombian Immigration office to get your exit stamp. Take the right gate to leave the immigration office and head towards the bridge (only a short walk).

On the Ecuadorean side of the bridge turn right and head towards their immigration office. Get in this line to get an entry stamp – you will be asked to leave your big bags outside.Turn right out of the office and follow the road across to a carpark – here a collectivo will take you to Tulcan Terminal (15 min trip from the border).

Allow a few hours for this border crossing process due to queues. Also, there is no fee to enter or exit so do not pay anyone. Buses leave regularly to Otavalo from Tulcan and take 3 hours. There are great mountain views on the road. Also the buses often get stopped by police so be prepared for this. 

Let me know if it all goes smoothly for you and if any of this information is out of date!

Erika xx