Basilica of Baños de Agua Santa (Holy Water's Baths)

The Basilica of the Virgin of Rosario is located at Baños de Agua Santa (Baths of Holly Water). This city is also called "The Gateway of Dorado”, “The little piece of heaven” or simply “Baños”, and it is the touristic city of Ecuador per excellence. Baños has 13.000 inhabitants and because of its important incoming tourism activity the World Wide Fund for Nature or WWF called it “A gift for the Earth”.

The town of Baños lays on the slopes of Tungurahua volcano at 1.820 meters above sea level. It must be noticed that the Tungurahua is an active volcano, which has been in an eruptive process since 1999. The city has a very pleasant weather during the year. It has access to Sangay and Llanganates national parks. It is also recognized as a religious pilgrimage center because of its hot mineral water springs, popularly associated to “miraculous” cures which gives origin to its name “Baños of Holy Water” (Agua Santa). Its hydrological wealth is represented by the rivers Bascún, Ulba and Pastaza.

Some other attractions are: ascending to the Tungurahua volcano, trying the traditional candies called “melcochas”, buying handicrafts made by ivory palm or balsa tree, visiting its entertainment area on the street Eloy Alfaro and more than 80 restaurants with varied national and international gastronomy.

Baños is the perfect city to practice adventure sports as they are: rafting, canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, bungee jumping, horseback riding, ecological walks, canopy and biking. It has 5 municipal spas: of Santa Clara, of the Virgin, of Las Peñas and El Salado.

It is important to list the waterfalls along the "Route of the orchids, waterfalls and guavas", which takes as into the Amazon basin by the Baños-Mera-Puyo road, they are: Inés María, Cabellera de la Vírgen “The Virgin’s Hair”, Ulba, Chamana, Bascún, Agoyán, El Manto de la Novia “The Bride’s Mantle”, San Jorge “Saint George”, El Fantasma y el Placer “The Ghost and the Pleasure”, San Pedro “Saint Peter”, El Corazón “The Heart”, Encañonado del Duende “the Elf’s Canyon” , Río Verde (Río Verde Chico or Devil’s Pot), the 7 of Machay, San Francisco and Gallo de la Peña Refuge, and the 4 of Cashaurco.