Let’s skip all the long explanation and go for a shortcut! Yes, Baños Ecuador is definitely a safe place to visit, as well as the rest of the country, as long as you take some basic precautions and, use that sixth sense that we all have, very well needed in most cities of the world, were you will judge for yourself if it is safe or unsafe move.
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Is Baños Ecuador safe?
Baños is the second most visited place in Ecuador after the Galapagos Islands, not only for its adventure sports and waterfalls, but also for its nightlife, hot springs and, devotion to the virgin “Nuestra Señora de Agua Santa” which is claimed to have made many miracles. Ecuador is a town whose main income comes (97%) from tourism, domestic and international tourism from all social status visit Baños all year round, mostly on weekends.
Therefore locals have managed to keep the town as safe as possible with the purpose of attracting more tourists and make them feel and be safe, this way they make sure that everyone has a positive experience and recommends Baños and its activities to other travelers.
Baños Ecuador Crime
According to statistics Baños is the city of Tungurahua with the least amount of robbery and crime in general.
Locals from Baños understand that if a tourist has a good experience, that tourist will bring many more tourists afterwards. Therefore, safety and good service is taken care of as much as possible by the people of Baños. Of course crime exists as in most parts of the world, and Baños Ecuador is not the exception. Altough compared to other cities of Ecuador, crime remains very low, just be aware that, if you leave your stuff unattended you can be sure it will be gone. So the answer about safety, in a scale from 0 to 10, being 0 totally safe and 10 very unsafe, I give it a 2 in terms of crime in Baños Ecuador.
Is Baños Ecuador worth visiting?
Definetly yes, Baños is worth visiting due to its endless activities for all ages with an adventurous soul, nature and outdoors lovers, children, adults and seniors fit well, and also worth for its beautiful landscapes, many alternatives for accommodation, restaurants, also the the warmth of its people is a plus. If you are asking yourself how many days should I spend in Baños, the answer is take at least two days, and good option we put up is to book a “Two day Baños Tour”, good enough to visit and have a good feel of Baños on those two day, it is the least amount of time you should consider visiting this cozy city, if you are considering to take a Quito to Baños dau trip, consider it twice, why? because only the driving time from Quito to Baños is 3h30min therefore if you visit baños in 1 day you will stay without time to enjoy all the activities Baños Ecuador has to offer and will end up exhausted and with a bitter taste from not having been able to enjoy Baños to the fullest.
Is Baños Ecuador in the Amazon?
Baños is known as the doorway to the amazon but it is not in the Amazon region, this might sound confusing for travelers who are not familiar to Ecuadors crazy topography before. Since mountains cross Ecuador from north to south in the central area or highlands (see map), it has so many variations in terms of elevations in most places. So in Ecuadors main land, there are three regions, the coast to the pacific (west) the highlands in the center (high mountains) and the amazon region to the east, then, if you are driving from the Highlands to the Amazon you are descending in terms of elevation; an average elevation of the cities located in the highlands, is 2800m (9000 ft), so Baños (if coming from the highlands) is almost halfway down in terms of elevation 5500 ft and, if you continue descending, you will end in the Amazon Region (jungle) that goes from 300 ft to about 2500 ft of elevation.
Now, once you get to Baños, and if you would like to keep driving, after about one hour drive you will get to the first city of the Amazon region of Ecuador, called Puyo. This is the reason Baños is known as the doorway to the Amazon.
Then, if you are visiting Baños and, would like to extend your visit and continue going to the jungle it can be a great opportunity to visit the Amazon region of Ecuador. So to answer your question Baños is located in the highlands and next to the Amazon, although it does not belong to the Amazon region.
Where is Baños Ecuador located on the Map?
Geographically, Baños is located on the Highlands of Ecuador, to the east of Tungurahua Province, the closest biggest city is Ambato with a population of 178.538 people and the closest Airport to Baños is the Quito Airport “Aeropuerto Mariscal Sucre”
How long is the driving time from Quito to Baños?
The driving time from Quito to Baños is a 3hour45minute drive.
How Far is Baños from Quito?
The distance from Quito to Baños is 210 km (130.5 miles).
How to get to Baños Ecuador from Quito?
Getting to Baños can be a long way from Quito, fortunately as always there are two options the easy way and the long and difficult way. The easy ways:
Option1
Quito Airport to Baños
If you are located at the Quito airport and need to go straight to Baños we can take you there, just book a private transportation, by avoiding all the bus transfers you will have more time to enjoy Baños and its different activities.
Option 2
Book a “Two day One night Baños tour” with a certified guide that will pick you up from your accommodation in Quito on a private transportation, start driving towards Baño while learning about Ecuador along the “Avenue of the Volcanoes”, with a couple stops along the way in certain towns to try snacks and, continue driving straight to Baños avoiding all the hussle and saving time.
Option 3
Travel from Quito to Baños as a local, and go by bus, this is the longest and a bit more difficult way, but not impossible.
So to get to Baños by bus, start as early as possible, ask how to get to the south terminal called “Quitumbe”, you can get there by bus or by taxi, at the bus terminal ask for a bus that will take you to Baños, the bus frequency to Baños is every 45 minutes, therefore if a bus just left you will have to wait approximately 45 minutes for the next bus, sometimes you have the chance to go from Quitumbe straight to Baños, or sometimes at the terminal they only give you the option to get to Ambato only, and from there take another bus to Baños, it will depend basicly on the demand this has. So if you are only given the option to get to Ambato first, no problem you get to the Ambato terminal and from there you buy a ticket to Baños from the same terminal, it will be a longer way but not too complicated.
How many days in Baños?
It is recommended at least two days in Baños, and if you wish to stay longer, you can easily spend a week in Baños with enough activities for every single day.
Where to stay in Baños Ecuador?
Options for accommodation are endless, from camping to luxurious resorts, if we can recommend a standard price hotel relative to its value, close to the heart of baños (3 blocks away) is “La Isla de Baños”
Which is the closest Airport to Baños Ecuador?
The closet airport to Baños, is the Quito Airport “Aeropuerto Mariscal Sucre”, therefore if you need to get to Baños you can book a private transportation or taxi, that will take you straight to Baños in approximately a 3h40min drive from the Quito Airport.
Baños Ecuador latitude and longitude
Latitude -1.39799, Longitude -78.42349
Baños ecuador things to do
Once in Baños, there are endless options to do in terms of activities and attractions and here is a summary of them:
Waterfalls
Pailón del Diablo Waterfall
Bridal Veil Waterfall
Agoyán Waterfall
Ulba waterfalls
Popular Activities
Swing at the end of the world
Visit the Cathedral, “Nuestra Señora de Agua Santa”
Visit the San Martin Zoo
Visit the San Martin Adventure Park
Lookouts
Visit “Las Manos de Dios” lookout
Visit “Mirador La Virgen” lookout
Visit “La Cruz” Lookout
Visit “Café del Cielo” lookout
Swings
Casa del Árbol
El vuelo del Condor
Fantasías de Volar
Columpio Gigante
Hot Springs
Balneario de la Virgen
Termas Santa Clara
Termas de Santa Ana
Eduardo’s Ecología & Aventura
Adventure Sports
- Zipline
- Rafting
- Bungee Jumping or Bridge Jumping
- Canyoning
- Rappel
- Paragliding
Relaxing Massage
Massage shops are a popular to do in Baños, if you have been yearning for the opportunity to get a massage Baños is the place.
Rentals
Rentals are another popular thing in Baños, as:
bike rental, motor bikes, as well as three wheelers and four wheelers, also buggy cars, go karts and small jeeps are available for rental by the hour or for the day.
Baños Ecuador bars?
There are many bars to choose from according to your preference, beer bars, music bars play different types of music, but mainly salsa merengue, bachata, and rock and roll (Spanish or English music) and a trend of music called Regaeton is played all over mostly.
Baños Ecuador climate?
Baños climate can be expected to have small changes as small showers any time of the day as well as sunny beautiful days, so just be prepared with a light rain jacket as well as with a hat and sunscreen. You can expect to have fall and summer on the same day. And don’t let its climate ruin your plans.
Baños Ecuador Covid?
Baños has been constantly descending with COVID cases which did hit Baños badly at first due to the number of people who arrive from different continents on a daily basis.
Baños Ecuador city?
The city of Baños is nestled in a valley located right underneath the Tungurahua Volcano(5023m) Baños population is 15000 people according to the 2020 census, peoples main income is tourism.
Baños Ecuador Candy?
The candy made in Baños if we can compare it, is like a taffy. Sugar cane juice is boiled until it is ready to become a caramel, then this sticky mass is pulled or stretched many times and mixed with fruit flavors and it becomes a chewable candy called “Melcocha”.
So if you got up to this point reading this article, I am sure you know by now “What to do in Baños Ecuador”, “What to see in Baños Ecuador” and “Where to go in Baños Ecuador”.
