El Agua y La Vida (From La Virgen to Las Termas de Papallacta)

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I had persuaded Edith, a local friend, to come along on this trek. Obviously Edith did not know that the four hours (which I had been told by various guides) would turn into eight hours. Well, it wasn't really my fault. First, one had to add one hour to get up from the Virgen to the Antennas, and then we got lost twice because of the unclear signposting and the fog. And we were probably slower than average due to all the mud. So it was Edith's first (and last?) eight hour hike. Anyway, it surely was an adventure and we both thoroughly enjoyed the bath in Papallacta's hotsprings afterwards.

The hike itself is also beautiful, as it goes through remote Paramo areas and along a number of stunning lakes. It was just a shame that it was so foggy. For Ecuador, the trail also has exceptionally good signposting. It's just that there are a couple of places where it isn't really clear...

We reached the other park quarters (Guardiania Banos) just when it got dark, and were lucky that just in that moment a car with guides and park staff came along who took us down the 5 km to the Termas.

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