Helpful links for Visiting Ecuador

Bars and Nightlife in Guayaquil
Icaro Air Flight Schedule
Rafting in Ecuador
Getting to the Galapagos Islands from Ecuador

Bus it to Banos! (Baños)

Photo title: Ayuntamiento de guayaquil
Link to flickr.

Banos (or properly, Baños) lies in the heart of Ecuador, close to the rainforest and surrounded by majestic mountains. On the three-hour drive from Quito, you can admire the magnificent and famous Avenue of the Volcanoes, with Cotopaxi, a perfect cone of eternal snow. Chimborazo, the furthest peak away from the earth's center and Tungurahua, probably the easiest volcano to climb in Ecuador.

Baños is a place for relaxing while enjoying the therapeutic hot springs, unspoiled green surroundings and breathtaking waterfalls. The town's exceptional location offers a combination of colors and light that has inspired painters and poets alike. It is with good reason that artists such as Montalvo, Leon Vieira and Oscar Efren Reyes have been living in this pretty resort town for years. Today, several galleries offer painting and sculptures by talented local artists.

Baños' night life is among Ecuador's most exciting: cinema, cafe theater, bars, clubs, street music, etc...

Melcocha, Ecuador's most famous candy, also originates in Baños. Made from sugar cane, hung from a hook and beaten against the door frame, this taffy is an integral part of the Baños landscape, and something of which the locals are proud.

Baños's basilica Santuario de Baños, dominating the main square, was built with volcanic rock in the 1920s. It was constructed in the gothic style and contains illustrations of the miracles of the Virgin - a reflection of popular art. Since the Pope canonized the Virgin of the Holy Water in 1959, Baños has attracted visitors from all over Ecuador.