The gorge
Baños day trip from Quito
A Baños day trip from Quito is a long drop off the plateau, into a warmer valley under Tungurahua, and back before midnight. These are listings we could open. The price is on the partner’s page.
Photograph by Ronan.js, CC0.
Listings
Ways to book
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GetYourGuide
Pailón and the swing
A private day that names the gorge and the Casa del Árbol.
Private transport, pickup and drop-off inside Quito’s urban area (the listing says up to 7 km), a local guide, entrance fees, and a snack. The stops it names are Pailón del Diablo and the swing at the Casa del Árbol.
See prices -
Viator
Waterfalls, private car
A car of your own, with lunch and the famous stops already named.
The listing includes a bilingual guide, private transport, breakfast, and lunch, and it names the Casa del Árbol, Manto de la Novia, and Pailón del Diablo. Pickup is in Quito.
Photograph by Rinaldo Wurglitsch, CC BY 2.0.
See prices -
Viator
Town and the pools
A small-group day that spends time in Baños itself.
A guide, hotel pickup when that option is selected, and entrance to the Huillacuna museum. The overview also names the thermal pools, the church, and the waterfalls. Offered in English and Spanish.
Photograph by Medios Públicos EP, CC BY-SA 2.0.
See prices
Buttons above are paid partner links. How that works.
On the ground
Trip tips
- Quito
- Avenue of the Volcanoes
- Baños
- Río Verde
- Pailón del Diablo
The town sits in the Pastaza gorge, under Tungurahua, where the sierra starts to fall toward the Amazon. Pailón del Diablo is the famous fall at Río Verde, east of town along the waterfall road.
When
Book a morning start. The Viator private day we opened lists a 7:00 a.m. start. You are back in Quito the same night, which is why the day is long.
Weather
The valley is warmer and wetter than Quito. The swing and the volcano disappear in cloud. The path into Pailón is slick after rain.
Stops
Pailón del Diablo, Manto de la Novia on one listing, the Casa del Árbol swing, and the thermal pools in town if the day names them. Rafting and canopy rides are a different purchase.
Altitude and what to bring
The day drops off the plateau. That is the opposite of a refuge problem. Bring a light rain jacket, shoes that can handle a wet path, and a layer for the ride home, which climbs again.
Sources: Wikipedia, Pailón del Diablo · GetYourGuide, Baños and Pailón day · Viator, private Baños day . Rewritten here. Fees, hours, and roads change.
Before you go
Good to know
- Pailón del Diablo is at Río Verde, east of town. The path is slick. The Baños chapter is the longer note on the waterfall road.
- The Casa del Árbol swing is a photograph. Clouds decide the view of Tungurahua.
- These days are long. The two Viator listings say 8–10 hours and 10 hours. The GetYourGuide day calls itself a full day.
Landing at Mariscal Sucre and would rather not start in a city taxi? UIO Transfers is a private car from the airport. It is the owner’s company, not a third-party ad.
Also on this site: Hot springs · The Amazon chapter · Quilotoa .
Questions
Before you click
Can you do Baños as a day trip from Quito?
Yes. The listings here start in Quito and return the same day. One private day is 8–10 hours. A small-group day lists 10 hours. A third calls itself a full day and does not print a number of hours.
What do the Baños tours from Quito include?
The GetYourGuide day names private transport, a guide, entrance fees, and a snack, with stops at Pailón del Diablo and the swing. One Viator day adds lunch and names Manto de la Novia as well. The 10-hour day names the Huillacuna museum and the thermal pools.
Is Baños the Amazon?
No. It is the last comfortable town before the road drops toward Puyo. The Amazon chapter starts where this gorge ends. A lodge week is a different booking.
Should you go the morning you land?
Quito is about 2,850 m, and the day is mostly a descent, which is easier than Cotopaxi. It is still a full day on the road. Give yourself a night in the city first if the flight was long.