Ecuador - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 590

THE ROAD FROM BAÑOS TO PUYO
One of Ecuador's most beautiful routes, the road from Baños to Puyo, drops nearly 1000m
following the Río Pastaza down from lush Andean foothills, through cloudforest to the edges
of the tropical jungle. It's best admired from the saddle of a bike, which can be hired from any
agency in Baños for $8/day, including helmet, map and repair kit. A guided tour costs $40.
Leaving Baños you cross the Agoyan hydroelectric project and it's about forty minutes until
the impressive Manto de La Novia (Bride's Veil) waterfall. You can take the cable car ($2)
500m across the river gorge for a closer look. The second waterfall in the same location
was caused by a landslide here in 2010. A 25-minute ride then brings you to the village of
Río Verde, where you can lock your bike and hike 15 minutes downhill to see the even more
spectacular Pailón del Diablo (Devil's Cauldron) waterfall. View it from a rickety suspension
bridge or pay $1.50 to get a closer look from the panoramic balcony. There is also a path cut
into the rock so you can go inside the cave behind the waterfall. Cycling half an hour uphill
from Río Verde, you reach Machay . From here, hike a 2.5km trail into the cloudforest past
eight waterfalls, the most beautiful of which is Manantial del Dorado. Finally, from Machay,
it's downhill to Río Negro where the surroundings begin to feel tropical with bromeliads,
giant tree ferns and colourful orchids. Start early if you want to cover the entire 61km but bear
in mind the route is far more scenic than the end destination of Puyo , an unimpressive jungle
town. Most people hop on a bus back to Baños from Río Verde or Río Negro. Note that in
February 2010 two locals were killed by a landslide in Río Verde, so exercise caution visiting
during the rainy season.

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paintings depicting the Virgin saving
the town and its citizens from various
calamities. Upstairs is a small museum
(daily 8am-4pm; $0.50) with a collection
of the Virgin's processional clothes,
religious art and a bizarre collection of
stuffed animals.

complex was damaged by a landslide
but has since been rebuilt by the local
government, though bear in mind that
this area is vulnerable when there is heavy
rain. It's a twenty-minute walk from
town, or take a taxi for $1.50.

Around Baños
The best way to take in the town's
stunning setting is to walk to Bellavista ,
high above the town. It's a steep
forty-minute climb up a rocky, muddy
path, rewarded with spectacular
panoramic views over Baños and the
Pastaza valley leading down to the
Oriente. There are a couple of cafés at
the top selling light lunches and drinks.
You can continue on the path uphill for
a further hour to the village of Runtun at
2600m, then loop around to the other
side of Baños, passing the statue of
La Virgen del Agua Santa and back to
town. The entire walk takes about four
hours. You can hire horses to see this
route ($12 for 2hr, $22 for 4hr, including
guide). On the edge of town is the San
Martin Zoo (daily 8am-5pm; $1.50),
originally opened as a refuge for sick
animals. It has birds and mammals
including monkeys, pumas and a jaguar.
There is a small aquarium opposite.

Piscinas de la Virgen
The most popular baths are the Piscinas
de la Virgen (daily 5am-4pm & 6-10pm;
$2 daytime, $3 at night) at the foot of
a small waterfall to the eastern end of
Avenida Martínez. The cloudy yellow
waters are high in minerals and make for
a very relaxing soak. Next to the changing
rooms you can see where the boiling
waters emerge from the rock face. There
are three pools - freezing cold, warm and
hot (45°C: just a little too hot to linger
for more than a few minutes). The baths
get very busy at weekends so it's best to
go either early morning or early evening
to avoid the crowds.

Piscinas El Salado
About 2km out of town, Piscinas El
Salado (daily 5am-5pm; $3) has five
pools ranging from 16 to 42°C with
the water visibly bubbling up from
underground. In August 2008 the