Best things to do in Banos, Ecuador

Banos is known for many things, among them for being the gateway to the Amazon. For us Banos was one of our favorite stops in Ecuador, and here is why

Pailon del Diablo

One of the most impressive (and fun!) waterfalls we have seen in Ecuador, it is 80 meters high and 20 meters deep and you can get VERY close to it. The waterfall is located on a private land (someone actually owns a waterfall!), and therefore there is an entrance fee, but if you ask us it is definitely worth it. You can reach the waterfall by taking a bus from Banos, or by renting a bicycle and going down the "waterfall road" - a road that has multiple waterfalls to see and visit. Do not worry if you are afraid of cycling there, the bus stops at all of them - Pailon being the biggest one.

For the beer lovers, there is a special bonus - a brewpub with an amazing view just on the entrance to the waterfall - Shaman cerveza artesanal

Mirador Indichuris

A short bus ride from Banos you will find a town named Puyo, from where you can take a driver to go to Indichuris - an amazonian village with a touristic attraction of some tunnels you can walk through and an amazing viewpoint watching the river. You can also take a tour there from Banos, but we preferred getting there ourselves. So buy a beer before you climb to the view point and just enjoy!

Rafting

As you already understood, Banos is surrounded by a lot of water. So of course one of the best things you can do there is white water rafting. The river is fast and there are a lot of rocks, therefore the water is white. The tour company we went with has been closed since so I can't really recommend it anymore, but there should be plenty of them in town.

A note for people that can't swim and afraid of water (like me!). It is very doable, and will get you A LOT of adrenaline! As long as you follow the instructions of the guides you should be fine

Thermal waters

There are a few places to enjoy thermal waters in town, and a lot of them around. We opted in to visit Termas de la Virgen, that is located at the edge of town, and they have their own (VERY cold) waterfall! They have a few pools with different temperatures, including a very small pool in which you can be just for a few minutes at a time. The place gets crowded so ask a local when is the best time to go (we would recommend the evenings, but it has been time since we visited)

Beer

Surprisingly, for such a small town, they have a lot of places serving craft beer. Our favorites were:

• Stray Dog Brewpub (which I discovered had closed since our visit)

• Cherusker Cerveceria Artesanal Alemana - A big brewpub that also shows sports on a big screen

• Nunna Chill Garden - A place with a very nice vibe and even better beers

Final Thoughts

We were rushing through Ecuador because we lost a week being stuck in Peru, so we were able to enjoy Banos only for a short time. I hope this post shows at least the tip of the iceberg of this amazing place and the things it can offer. There is plenty of additional things to do in and around Banos, and it is on our list of places to come back to.