Baños and the Ecuadorian Carnival

From Mindo, we continued south to Baños via Quito. Baños is known for its many outdoor activities. The small town is very touristy with many restaurants, bars, and cafes, and is also a popular vacation destination for Ecuadorians.

On the first day, we arrived and watched the Super Bowl in the evening. The next day, we went on our first excursion, which was mainly for relaxation. Since Baños is located at the foot of the active Tungurahua volcano, there are many pools with hot springs. We visited the El Salado hot spring. There are different pools, ranging from ice-cold to so hot that you can't stay in for long. The hot pools don't look very appetizing as the water is brown due to minerals, but it is really relaxing. However, it seems that it's not so good for the hair, as wearing a bathing cap is mandatory.

The next day, things got more active. We rented mountain bikes to ride along the Ruta de las Cascadas, a route with several spectacular waterfalls. It's almost all downhill for about 17 kilometers. At the last waterfall, you can take a truck back up to Baños. It's definitely recommended, and since it's mostly downhill, it's easy to do. The only thing that was a bit annoying was the rain, but oh well, we were there during the rainy season.

The next day was even more spectacular. We booked a paragliding tour. It was really fun to try it out, but we weren't so lucky with the weather. It was a bit rainy, cold, and cloudy, so the view wasn't that great. But it was good to get a feel for paragliding. We're definitely interested in doing it again later in the trip, hopefully with better weather. It was really interesting how relaxed and comfortable we felt sitting in the harness.

On Thursday, we took it easy. We took a bus up to Casa del Arbol, where the "Swing at the End of the World" is located. Technically, there are 4 swings that make it look like you're swinging over the abyss. The swings themselves were nice and definitely a great photo spot. But the landscape was really beautiful. We had bright sunshine and a wonderful view of the mountains.

On Friday, we booked a tour to Chimborazo, the highest mountain in Ecuador and the point on Earth closest to the sun. While the mountain is not easily accessible from Baños, we wanted to conquer at least one 5000-meter peak in Ecuador since we didn't climb Cotopaxi. So we drove three hours there and another three hours back. We spent a lot of time in the car, but it was definitely worth it. We could drive up to 4800 meters to the first refuge. From there, we hiked to the second refuge at nearly 5100 meters, which was a short but challenging hike. It's really intense how tiring it is at such high altitude. After just three steps uphill, my heart rate was already at 150. When we reached the top, it briefly cleared up, and we had a great view of the summit. It's also possible to climb the summit (6300 meters), but it's not an easy feat. There is a cemetery at the top where people who didn't survive the climb are buried.

Afterwards, we rode mountain bikes down for about 30 minutes from the first refuge to the park entrance. It was a bumpy ride, but a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the weather changed and it started snowing lightly, so the view wasn't really good. Overall, the trip was totally worth it, and we were glad we did it.