Tungurahua Volcano

Day 7:

We woke up early and headed to Posada del Arte hotel (Casa de la Abuela´s main hotel), which was around the corner for some breakfast (included with the room). This wasn´t your standard continental breakfast but a feast. They have several main entre choices for breakfast served with fresh baked bread (4 different choices), homemade jam, cheese, fresh squeezed juice (8 different choices), and coffee or tea.


After stuffing ourselves on a hearty breakfast we went into town and signed up for a downhill mountain bike tour with GEOTours ($35 each). What they tell you in the office is "part of the downhill mountain biking includes a 3 hr hike up Tungurahua Volcano." Of course we said "COOL!" Little did we know that the hike up to the volcano was more than just your stroll in the park. It was a 90 degree climb starting at the base at 2650 meters to the top at 3820 meters. On the way up you can actually hear the volcano erupting. It sounded like an airplane passing by. It was amazing. Once we reached the top we were exhausted. One of our guides made us lunch as we rested our poor lil´feet and enjoyed the view. While we were up there the volcano erupted a few times spewing ash. It was well worth the climb to see this amazing sight.

It took us 4 hours to reach the refuge camp and only 1 1/2 hours down. We practically ran down in the mud and rain before it started to get dark. We still had our downhill mountain bike ride to do.

Riding the bikes down was fun. We rode on cobble stone roads from the base of the hike to Banos. At the end of the night we were exhausted. We headed to the hot springs for a nice soak. Ahhhhhh...the life!


We ate dinner at a place called Casa Hood. The food was great! We bought an Ecuadorian cookbook to bring home so we can make some of the delicious food we´ve been experiencing.


We really love Banos. The vibe there is very relaxing and the people are very friendly. We can easily see ourselves retiring in Banos, as some Americans do.