Baños

Exploring Baños: A Guide to Waterfalls

Baños is one of Ecuador’s most touristy destinations, yet it lives up to the hype. Make sure you try the local cane sugar drinks and try munching on the canes themselves.

Getting to Baños from Latacunga

There is one direct bus per day from Latacunga to Baños at 12:00 PM. It’s best to arrive at the bus terminal a bit earlier to buy your ticket.

• Cost: $3 per person
• Duration: Longer than expected, it passes through Ambato first
• Tip: If you miss the direct bus, you can: take a bus to Ambato and transfer to a Baños-bound bus or (not recommended) stand by the highway and flag down a passing Quito–Baños bus.

Once in Baños, finding accommodation is easy, as there are tons of budget-friendly hostels and hotels. We found a guesthouse Montano Camping and Hostel near the center with a kitchen for $10 per person. It was so worth it staying there, it has a cute garden with hammocks looking out on the Tungurahua volcano.

How to Visit the Devil’s Cauldron Waterfall (Pailón del Diablo)

The Devil’s Cauldron is the most famous waterfall in Baños. Getting there:

• Option 1: Taxi: More expensive, but convenient
• Option 2: Public Bus to Puyo: The budget option

I would not recommend hiking there as it is a busy road and it passes several tunnels where it can be very dangerous to walk!

Taking the Bus from Baños to Pailón del Diablo:

Buses to Puyo leave every 15-30 minutes from the main bus terminal. You can: buy a ticket in advance (check which company has the next departure time) or pay directly on the bus. Just let the driver know you’re going to the waterfall or the nearby town Río Verde and they will drop you off.

• Cost: $1 per person
• Duration: Around 40 minutes

Which Entrance to Choose?

Pailón del Diablo has two entrances, and both are worth visiting.

1. Upper Viewing Platform. Gives you an amazing aerial view of the falls.

• Follow the arrows in the village – they lead to the entrance.
• Entrance fee: $3 per person

2. Old main Entrance. Where you can stand underneath the falls.

• How to find it: Walk towards the river, then turn left onto the street with the bridge.
• Entrance fee: $3 per person

Cascada Machay: Where You Can Swim

If you want to actually swim in a waterfall, head to Cascada Machay, which is a short 10–15 minute walk from Pailón del Diablo.

• Entrance Fee: $2 per person
• Trail Difficulty: The stairs going down are very long and steap, and getting back up is tiring.
• Why Visit? It’s the only waterfall in the area where you can swim, and it’s far less crowded than Pailón del Diablo.

Getting Back to Baños

After visiting both waterfalls, you don’t need to return to the bus stop. Simply flag down any bus heading back to Baños, all buses going in that direction will stop there.

• Cost: $1.25 per person (from Cascada Machay)
• Duration: Around 40 minutes

Nature

We were a bit disappointed we weren't able to see many animals during our stay, except I got insanely lucky seeing an Andean Condor fly by! How can you separate Condors vs. Turkey Vultures: the white and black pattern underneath the wings are quite different, Turkey Vultures flap their wings more often and their flying patterns vary with Vultures having a wobbly pattern vs. Condors flying very straight.

Animals you might be able to spot:

• Hummingbirds
• Toucans
• Agoutis
• Frogs
• Many butterfly species

Final Thoughts

Baños is touristy, but for a good reason. The waterfalls are definitely worth visiting and we highly recommend doing both waterfalls. Wildlife-wise we were a bit disappointed as there aren't many animals to see.