Baños

Yes — Baños is one of the safer towns in Ecuador and a well-established stop on the backpacker trail. The centre is busy and well-lit at night, hostels are sociable, and street crime is rare compared to Quito or Guayaquil. The bigger risks are adventure-sport accidents, so vet your tour operator and check the gear rather than booking the cheapest sticker price you see.

Three to five nights is the sweet spot. Two full days cover the headline experiences — Casa del Árbol, the Ruta de las Cascadas to Pailón del Diablo, and a thermal soak — and a third or fourth lets you fit in rafting, canyoning or a slower hike up to the Bellavista cross. Most travellers planning two nights end up extending by one.

August and September are the driest months and give you the clearest volcano views and the most reliable trail conditions. June and July are also good but cooler. October through May is rainier, especially in March and April, but afternoons usually clear long enough to bike the waterfall route. Baños is a year-round destination — just expect drizzle outside the peak window.

It's one of the best-value adventure destinations in South America. Hostel dorms start around $10, private doubles from $25, and almuerzo lunches are $3. Adventure activities are the swing factor: rafting, canyoning and the swing-tour vans each cost $15–35. A comfortable mid-range traveller spends about $75 per day all in; a careful backpacker can do it on $35.

Take a long-distance bus from Quito's Quitumbe terminal to Baños — the trip is about 3.5 hours and costs $4–5. Buses leave roughly every half hour from early morning to late evening. A private transfer runs $90–120 each way and is worth it only if you're carrying serious gear or have a tight schedule. There's no commercial airport in Baños.

Three things: the Swing at the End of the World at Casa del Árbol, the Ruta de las Cascadas waterfall route ending at Pailón del Diablo, and the mineral thermal baths heated by the Tungurahua volcano. Underneath all of it sits a small Andean pilgrimage town built around the Virgen del Agua Santa basilica, so adventure tourism and religious tradition share the same streets.

Yes — Casa del Árbol is open daily, roughly 7am to 7pm, and entry is about $1. The original rickety swing has been replaced with sturdier swings fitted with seatbelts, and a few more swings and ziplines have been added around the site. Go early, ideally before 9am, because clouds usually wrap the ridge by late morning and you lose the volcano backdrop.

Mostly cash. Ecuador uses the US dollar, so no exchange needed, but most hostels, market stalls, almuerzo spots, and small tour operators are cash-only or add a card surcharge. Mid-range restaurants and bigger hotels take cards. There are ATMs in the centre but they can run dry on weekends, so withdraw before arriving or top up midweek.

Three good options. Take any Puyo-bound bus from the bus terminal and ask to be dropped at Río Verde — it's about 30 minutes and $1–2. Rent a bike for $5–10 and coast down the Ruta de las Cascadas, throwing the bike on a returning bus at the end. Or take a taxi for $15–20 one way. From Río Verde it's a 20-minute walk down to the falls.

Stay in the central grid for your first visit — everything you'll book, eat, and do is within a 10-minute walk, and prices are competitive. Calle Montalvo and the streets one block off the main strip are quieter without sacrificing access. If you've been before or want views, the lodges along the Runtún road above town give you sunrise over the volcano in exchange for needing a taxi into town.

Most travellers do Pailón del Diablo and the waterfall route as a day trip from town. Beyond that, Puyo (90 minutes east) gives you a taste of the upper Amazon basin with indigenous community visits and animal rescue centres. Riobamba (90 minutes south) opens up Chimborazo volcano. The Quilotoa crater lake is a long day from Baños — better as a multi-day side trip.

They're different trips. Baños is a small adventure town: waterfalls, the swing, rafting, thermal baths, two or three nights. Cuenca is a UNESCO colonial city: architecture, cafés, museums, slower travel, four or five nights. If you have time and you're already doing the Quito–Guayaquil corridor, do both. If you can only pick one, go to Baños for adrenaline and Cuenca for culture.

Yes, on a clear day. Tungurahua sits directly above town and is best viewed from the Runtún road, the Bellavista cross above the centre, and Casa del Árbol. The volcano has been quiet for a few years but is still classified as active, so the town has evacuation routes painted on the streets. Clear-sky viewing is most reliable in August and September.

Yes, although you'll feel slightly out of step with the average traveller. The thermal baths, basilica, cafés along Calle Ambato, the slow walk up to Bellavista, and the waterfall viewpoints on the Ruta de las Cascadas all work without you ever strapping into a harness. Older travellers and families regularly base here and just take taxis to the lookouts rather than biking.