Our driver in Chugchilán, Anthony, was hired to drive us to our next destination, Baños. We sped by patchwork farms, through villages where the locals only spoke Quichua, and past snow-capped volcanos poking up through clouds, and through the edge of the city of Ambato.

Baños de Agua Santa is known for stupendous waterfalls. We stayed just outside of the town proper at Hosteria Finca Chamanapamba, a place that reminded me of the old Disney film Swiss Family Robinson.

Chamanapamba sits next to an impressive series of seven falls, with more just around the corner. You have to pay, something like $4, to access some of those trails. The hotel has their own trail (which they failed to mention – I spotted the gate and asked) that goes up the hill for a closer look at the upper falls, giving you a really nice perspective of how high these things are.

The hotel has some lovely gardens. Avocado trees sport huge air plants, towering over a variety of flowers. The place is run by a very friendly German family, some of whom are quite accomplished cooks. We had a couple of Hungarian dishes and a trout that were so good we were tempted to eat dinner there again the next night.

From the town of Baños, you can hop on public or private busses to see the many waterfalls. We opted for the more adventurous option and rented bikes. The route is almost entirely downhill (we barely pedaled), and then load the bike into a truck to haul you back. Sounds idyllic, but remember what I said about Ecuadoran drivers? Add tunnels to the equation.

Some of the tunnels have mini-waterfalls of their own flowing from the ceiling. Often you can’t avoid these without steering into the path of a bus or a propane truck. The bike tires kick up mud from below, so keep your glasses on so you’re only partially blind. Despite this, I recommend it. The terror adds to the feeling of accomplishment as you reach each waterfall with your organs still intact.

And each fall would be its own state or national park here in the U.S. They’re amazing. At many of them, you can ride a rickety cable car across the river for a closer look, zip line right over them, or hike below them.

Many of the falls have little snack shacks and bars perched atop the cliffs. At one stall, we tried chocho beans – the ones produced by the purple flowers we saw everywhere in the Andes. The bean itself is a lot like a navy bean, mildly flavored but highly nutritious. Topped with salsa and dried plantains, they made for a tasty snack.

El Pailón del Diablo features a park with cafés, bridges and balconies. Walking down into the gorge, we passed a lot of people coming up the trail huffing and puffing, covered in sweat, sometimes muttering complaints. It made us wonder if the hike would be worth it.

There are two routes from the bottom of the gorge up the falls. We ended up on the more difficult one requiring crawling through some very tight tunnels. This route didn’t even reach the top. Afterward, it didn’t seem worth it to go back down and find the other route to climb all the way.

There was yet another big falls down the road, but it would’ve required biking uphill back to El Pailón del Diablo to catch a ride to Baños. Various guides gave Diablo the highest rating, so we paid a few bucks to load our bikes into a truck and ride back.

We only spent half a day in the small town of Baños itself, but found it charming. As in many places in Ecuador, there are a chocolate shops in place of cafés where you can get multiple kinds of chocolate beverages and confections. JJ had her hot chocolate spiced with pepper flakes. I embellished mine with a shot of rum.

We found the central market and enjoyed lunch at the food court, picking one of the many booths at random. The meal (roast pork, slaw, beans, plantains) was good and cheap. Then we wandered the town a bit. One of several parks, in front of the basilica, has a dense row of trinket shops hidden under the edge.

The basilica itself was being renovated, with much of the walls hidden behind black plastic. Even so, it was worth ducking in to admire the ceiling and altar. Later, we’d swing by at night and enjoy its dramatic lighting.

For JJ’s birthday dinner, we had a recommendation for a Swiss restaurant, only to find it closed for the day. Our driver recommended a fancy hotel restaurant, La Floresta, which turned out to be excellent. We started with a delicious ceviche, followed by a tasty roast, and a trio of guinea pig confit tacos that were so flavorful that one was enough. For desert, a pineapple and apple strudel with wine sauce flavored with sambuca, anise, and pear, and topped with coconut ice cream.

I could’ve used another day in Baños. We missed a small amusement park atop the ridge overlooking the town (it was socked in by fog and rain the evening we considered it.) Though many of the shops stay open late, we barely stepped foot in them, and there were a ton of restaurants and bars recommended by various guides.

Alas, time is the most limited resource, so we got that Fast and Furious ride to the volcano of Cotopaxi.

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