Ecuador

Hemmed in by luxuriant green peaks, blessed with steaming thermal baths and adorned by a beautiful waterfall, Baños is one of Ecuador's most enticing and popular tourist destinations. Ecuadorians and foreigners alike flock to this idyllic town to hike, volcano-watch or simply party the days away.

Before the 20th century

Towering more than 3km (1.9mi) above its northern base, Volcán Tugurahua is one of Ecuador's most active volcanoes. Three major volcanic edifices have been constructed over a rock base since the mid-Pleistocene era. Following the collapse of the first edifice, Tungurahua II evolved over the next 14,000 years. This collapsed around 3000 years ago, creating a caldera inside which Tungurahua III was constructed.

Around the 1300s, the Puruhá of the central highlands (the area around present-day Baños) became more powerful. The Incas reached Ecuador in the early 15th century and were met with fierce resistance. It was some years before Tupac Yupanqui, the Inca ruler, was able to subdue the Cañari of the south and turn his attention towards the central highlands and beyond. Before long, Tupac Yupanqui fathered a son, Huayna Capac. After succeeding his father, Huayna Capac produced two sons of his own. When he died, however, he left the empire to both of them. Being divided for the first time, the nation soon broke into civil war. Meanwhile, Francisco Pizzaro arrived from Spain into a weakened Ecuador. His advance was rapid and, in 1534, the Spanish conquered Ecuador. Awash with rivers and natural hot springs, Baños, meaning 'baths', was named and quickly became a popular place to live and visit.

In 1873, two German geologists, Alfons Stübel and Wilhelm Reiss, were the first people to ascend Volcán Tungurahua and to study its volcanism at close range.

Baños developed as a Roman Catholic religious center - some believers say that the Virgin Mary appeared at a nearby waterfall, and many believe she has performed miracles (mainly saving people from disasters such as exploding volcanoes, burning hotels and transit accidents) in the area. Consequently, a sculpture of the virgin, La Virgen de Agua Santa, was placed in the church, Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Agua Santa.

Modern history

On December 16, 1944, Baños became the seat of its canton (county/division). Every year on this day (and the preceding days), a fiesta is held to celebrate the anniversary of this event - it's all about drinking, fireworks and dancing.

Volcán Tungurahua's first major eruption of the 20th century occurred between 1916 and 1918, and minor seismic activity continued until 1925. The city's reputation for relaxation suddenly changed in 1998, when increased seismic activity from Tungurahua was detected. The volcano was placed on yellow alert, that is, its activity was being monitored but dangers of a major eruption were not deemed imminent. Seismologists then changed this to an orange alert after an Australian climber and his Ecuadorian guide were burned by a gaseous eruption on October 5, 1999. Over the next two weeks, Tungurahua, which means 'little hell' in Quichua, pumped columns of steam and ash sky-high. At night, streams of glowing lava cascaded down the volcano's flanks. By October 17, authorities had ordered the evacuation of more than 20,000 residents from Baños and nearby villages. With the volcano erupting daily, tour operators in Quito and Ambato began offering trips to see the volcanic wonders from a safe distance. By January 2000, there had still not been an eruption large enough to cause substantial damage to Baños. Residents, desperate to reach their homes, defied government orders and clashed with troops at a military checkpoint; one woman died and many were injured. Soon after, 3000 people were allowed back into Baños. Slowly, tourists trickled in and residents returned to reopen tourism businesses. Baños was kept on orange alert until September 5, 2002, when it was demoted to a yellow alert. While tourism and daily life is entirely back to normal, Tungurahua is still active, happily burping ash, smoke and steam from above.

Recent history

Over the past few years, Volcán Tungurahua has produced nothing but steam from a few insignificant fumaroles - the town is well and truly back to its buzzing best.

A Baños tradition, which is still popular today, is milcocha (taffy) sold by friendly family-run stores. It's made entirely from cane sugar and is worth breaking a molar for.

Top Accommodation

Top Restaurants

At an elevation of 1800m (5906ft), the climate is pleasant year-round with temperatures averaging a cool 7°C (45°F) at night and a comfortable 22°C (72°F) during the day. The dry season is technically June through September, but keep your umbrella handy at all times. The wet season is more often torrential than not.

Average weather

• Temperature
• Rainfall

Transport

Getting around

Westbound buses leave from Rocafuerte, behind the market. Marked 'El Salado', they go to Piscinas El Salado (10min). Eastbound buses that go as far as the dam at Agoyán leave from the corner of Alfaro and Martínez. Cars and jeeps can be rented through Córdova Tours (tel: 274 0923; cnr Espejo and Maldonado).

Getting there and away

Buses from Ambato's bus terminal leave about every 30 minutes for Baños (1hr). To/from Quito and many other towns, it's sometimes quicker to catch a bus to Ambato and change, rather than wait for less frequent direct buses.

The Baños bus terminal (on Amazonas) is within easy walking distance from most hotels. Buses for Quito (3.5hr) leave almost every hour. The road to Riobamba (1hr) via Penipe (30min) recently reopened, so buses no longer need to drive via Ambato. To the Oriente, buses depart regularly for Puyo (2hr), Tena (5hr) and Coca (10hr).

There are also daily buses to Guayaquil (7hr) and Otavalo (5hr).

Health & Legal Requirements

Dangers and annoyances

Volcán Tungurahua is dangerous to climb as eruptions are unpredictable - you don't want to be caught on its flanks when it begins spewing gas, ash and lava. Baños is also in a high danger zone: it sits in a narrow valley with no way of escape in the event of a major eruption. The volcano's steep slopes mean that flows would reach the town within minutes. Eruptions could occur with little warning and travelers should be ready to evacuate at short notice when staying overnight.