ATTRACTIONS

Baņos offers so many possibilities that it would take too much time to list them completely. However, we can mention a few of the most interesting spots, such as:

Tungurahua Volcano
The city of Baņos has over 500 years of civilization. Most of the city's history has been marked by the eruptions of the "Tungurahua" volcano, which have occurred 16 times since Baņos was founded. Tungurahua means "tongue of fire" in Quechua, the native language.

Since its recent eruption in September 1999, the Tungurahua has become Ecuador's most beautiful and imposing tourist attraction, and perhaps the greatest in all Latin America.

The volcano's crater is over 400 meters in diameter, or five times the size it was before the 1999 eruption.

The main winds are from east to west, from the Amazon basin to Riobamba. That is why the volcano's ashes do not descend in Baņos and its environs, but rather in and around Riobamba.

The Tungurahua's eruptions are considered to be of the "Stromboli" type. In this type of eruption, the volcano almost always gives away gases and steam. Explosive eruptions are thus prevented by this constant release of energy.

Baņos city offers many very interesting spots to visit, of which we detail a few:

The Basilica and Virgin of the Holy Water
The "Basilica of the Holy Water" is sited in the main square, and inside it holds a collection of murals depicting the local miracles attributed to the Virgin of the Holy Water, Patron Saint of the city. An annual festival in her honor takes place in October, with much drinking and merrymaking, music and dancing in the streets, and a procession led by the image of the Virgin.

The Zoo
On the outskirts of the city you will find the "Baņos Zoo", which we are sure will interest you; major enclosures have been built on the right slope of the Tungurahua. It keeps eagles, jaguars, capybaras (the largest rodents in the world) and spectacled bears (the only native bear in South America). It also has a large number of monkeys on display.