Papallacta is a beautiful village nestled in the Andes Mountains. It’s famous for its hot springs and especially for the popular Papallacta Hot Springs Resort (also known as Termas de Papallacta). However, there’s more to do in Papallacta than just soaking in hot springs. It’s also home to Cayambe-Coca National Park and its many hiking trails, making the village a great destination for hikers as well.

The problem is that getting to the hot springs is not easy. So, in this guide, I’m going to share with you EXACTLY how to get to Papallacta and what it’s like staying at the resort.

Since Papallacta is only 2 hours from Quito, you can visit the hot springs as a day trip from Quito or stay overnight at the resort. I’ll tell you how you can do both.

So grab a cup of tea (or a glass of wine) and let’s get started!

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How to Get to Papallacta

There are three ways to get to Papallacta.

• Organized Tour – Many Quito tours will go to Papallacta. You can visit the hot springs by doing this organized tour or this tour that goes to both Papallacta AND Cotopaxi. There’s also this private tour that gets rave reviews. A tour from Quito is an excellent choice if you’re short on time and can’t stay overnight in Papallacta.
• Take an Uber or taxi – Lots of people recommended that I get to Papallacta by taxi. I was quoted several prices from US$40 (one-way) to $90 (round-trip).
• Go by public bus – There’s not much information about taking the public bus to Papallacta. This is by far the cheapest—US$3.60US – $4.50 for the bus one way and US$2 for the taxi. But it’ll take you the longest—3 to 4 hours if you include getting to the bus station and waiting for the bus.

The first two are pretty self-explanatory, but the third one is the trickiest. But it’s doable, and it’s the way I got to the hot springs. So, in the rest of this post, I’m going to share with you how to get to Papallacta by bus.

How to Get to Papallacta by Bus

There are two ways to get to Papallacta by bus.

• A bus from Rio Coca Station – This is a good way if you’re staying in La Carolina or La Mariscal area of Quito. But you’ll need to transfer to another bus in Cumbaya.
• A bus from Quitumbe Station – The best way if you’re staying in Quito’s historic center or San Blas or even La Mariscal.

Rio Coca Station

From Bus Terminal Rio Coca in Quito (Google Maps), take a green bus going to Cumbayà. Get off at the Scala Shopping Mall bus stop in Cumbayà, and take a second bus heading to Coca, Lago Agrio, or Tena. The bus drops you off at a covered bus stop on the edge of Papallacta. Take a taxi for US$2 to the hot springs lodge or wherever you’re staying.

Quitumbe Station

From Quitumbe Station in Quito (Google Maps), get a bus heading to Coca, Lago Agrio, or Tena. Quitumbe is the main bus terminal in Quito and it’s also called Bus Terminal Quito Sur. The bus drops you off at a bus stop on the edge of Papallacta. You can then take a taxi to the hot springs lodge or wherever you’re staying for US$2.

In this post, I’ll share with you how to get to Papallacta using the second method from Quitumbe. It should take 2 – 2.5 hours from Quitumbe Station to the hot springs. However, the Bus Terminal is in the southernmost part of Quito, and getting there might take you at least an hour.

For me, it took almost 5 hours to get from my hotel in Quito to Papallacta because my bus stopped for 1 hour and 15 minutes for repairs. I left at 7:00 am and arrived at the hot springs at 11:45 am.

Step #1: Research Bus Schedules for Papallacta

The good news is that there are over 40 departure times leaving Quitumbe for Papallacta.

Why so many?

Because Papallacta is on the way to three major destinations in the Amazon: Tena, Coca, and Lago Agrio. Buses to these three cities will drop off and pick up passengers in Papallacta.

According to the Ecua Buses website, there are also 6 bus companies (called Cooperativas in Ecuador) that can take you to Papallacta:

1. Baños – most departures – I took this company’s bus to Papallacta
2. Putumayo – many departures – I took this company’s bus back to Quito
3. Trans Esmeralda
4. Amazon
5. Flota Pelileo
6. Loja International

You can search for bus times on these 4 websites:

• Ecua Buses – I like this website because it’s really easy to use
• Cooperativa Baños – To search for bus times, you need a WhatsApp number but using a U.S. number has never worked for me.
• Viaja Bus – This website says it takes 5 hours to get to Papallacta, which is wrong. It only takes 2 hours. Not sure how trustworthy the information is on this website.
• Quitumbe Bus Terminal – This website isn’t that easy to use but it does have bus schedules. You can’t search specifically for Papallacta; you’ll need to search for buses to Tena, Coca, or Lago Agrio.

It’s easy to use the Ecua Buses website. Just enter:

• Quito (Quitumbe) for your place of departure and
• Papallacta for your destination.
• Leave the Cooperative blank—Cooperative means bus company.
• The time you want to depart. If you want to leave at 7:00 am, enter 6:59 am and the website will pull up 5 pages worth of times leaving AFTER 6:59.

You can see that there are 3 bus companies (Cooperatives) leaving Quitumbe Station at 7:00 am and arriving in Papallacta at 8:56 am. Click on one of the numbers 1-5 at the bottom of the page to get more departure times.

Step #2: Get to Quitumbe Station

The next step in getting to Papallacta is going to Quitumbe Bus Terminal. Unfortunately, this terminal is in the southernmost part of the city, and getting to it is time-consuming, especially during rush hour.

Expect to take at least 1 hour to get to Quitumbe from the historic center or La Mariscal neighborhood. It took me 50 minutes.

4 ways to get to Quitumbe Station:

• Taxi – Make sure your taxi is an official one – official taxis have orange license plates. Better yet ask your hotel or hostel to call one for you. (US$10 – $20)
• Uber – Uber is technically illegal in Ecuador and if you get in one and the police stop your car, your driver is in big trouble. Always sit in the front to avoid looking like you’re taking an Uber. Your driver might not say anything if you sit in the back, but he or she will be angry. (US$10 – $20)
• Trolebus C4 – This is a type of bus in Quito that travels in its own lane, making it sometimes faster than a taxi or Uber. (35 cents)
• Metro – The subway system finally opened in Quito in December 2023. The Metro can take you from hotels in Quito’s historic center to Quitumbe Station. If you’re staying in La Mariscal, you’ll need to walk 10 to 15 minutes to the Metro Station. For those staying in La Carolina, there are 3 Metro stations.

How I got to Quitumbe Station

I was staying in the La Mariscal neighborhood, which is north of the historic center and very far from the station. At 7:00 I left my hotel (coliving/coworking space) which is Hostal Alacala, to walk to the La Colon bus stop for trolebus C4.

La Colon is the beginning of the C4 line, which means you’re more likely going to get a seat and not stand than if you got on in the middle of the route. Quito buses are notorious for pickpockets and having a seat makes it easier to keep your things secure. The C4 goes through the historic center, so if you’re staying there, you can also take it to the bus terminal.

Quitumbe Station is the last stop on the C4 line.

If you’re not too keen on the idea of buses because they’re usually slow, you’re going to love the trolebus.

First of all, the trolebus line runs in its own special lane in the middle of the street, so it doesn’t have to jockey with other vehicles on the road. This means it can get you to your destination faster than a taxi.

Second, each trolebus stop is more like an above-ground subway station than a traditional bus stop. There’s a bus clerk in a little booth who gives change, a turnstile, a security guard or police officer, and a covered raised platform that people wait on as the bus pulls up to it.

Third, the trolebus stop is less than 1 minute from the entrance to Quitumbe Station.  You don’t need to cross any busy streets.

It took me 50 minutes to get to Quitumbe (7:20 – 8:10 am).

Step #3: Buy Your Bus Ticket at Quitumbe Station

Next, you’ll need to buy your bus ticket.

Quitumbe Station is modern, clean, bright, and well-organized. I felt completely safe and had no problem navigating around the station.

To get to the ticket office, look for the sign “Boleteria.” It should point to a ramp going up to the second floor.

At the ticket office, you’ll see 4 aisles of ticket counters organized by region. For buses to Papallacta, you’ll want the Oriente region (the Amazon).

Each counter has a number and the name of the bus company (Cooperativa).

I went to counter #13 for the Baños Cooperativa. This company has several departures a day going to Tena, Coca, and Lago Agrio. You need to take any bus going to these cities. They will all pass by Papallacta.

Baños Cooperativa had a bus leaving in 15 minutes for US$4.50. There were cheaper tickets for US$3.60 with other bus companies, but I didn’t know that at the time.

When you buy your ticket, you should get 2 pieces of paper:

• Bus ticket
• A bar code – you need to scan it to enter the bus platforms

Your bus ticket has some useful information:

• Andén – platform
• Bus number – In Ecuador, buses have a number on their side. That number on the bus should match the number on your ticket. My bus number was 065.
• Asiento – seat number

The entrance to the bus platform is right next to the Boleteria. To enter it, though, you need a ticket with a bar code. Scan the bar code to go through a turnstile.

Finally, look for your platform number.

PRO TIP: When buying bus tickets in Ecuador, you usually need to show your passport because bus companies have to enter into their computer system the names and ID numbers of their passengers. I usually just show a photo on my phone of my passport, and ticket offices have always accepted it.

Step #4: Depart from Quitumbe Station

Step #4 is to find your bus and depart Quito.

I found my bus easily and got on with my luggage. I didn’t need to put it under the bus like I usually do.

The bus left on time at 8:30 am. When we left the station, there were only 4 other passengers on the bus! However, the bus picked up more people along the way.

Things seemed to be going pretty smoothly for me.

But then 8 minutes later…

My bus stopped at this repair shop. Ugh! We were told it would take 15 minutes, but it turned into 70 minutes. Oh well, delays like this are something that you have to just be very zen about when you travel in Latin America.

Finally, at 9:50 am the bus was fixed and we were on our way again.

The ride was smooth the rest of the way and the view outside of the window was stunning! Mountains, mountains, mountains.

It was also cold, rainy, cloudy, and foggy. We were going higher and higher in elevation to a point in which the tops of the mountains were hidden amongst the clouds. Papallacta is above 3,000 meters.

Step #5: Arrive in Papallacta

It should take between 2 to 2.5 hours to get from Quitumbe to Papallacta.

Because my bus stopped for repairs, it took over 3 hours and 15 minutes, and we arrived in Papallacta at 11:45 am.

You’ll need to tell the bus driver to stop when you get close to Papallacta.

The bus didn’t drive into the town. It just dropped me and two other people off at a bus stop on the side of the highway and in front of a roundabout with a road leading into Papallacta. There was also a restaurant, a convenience store, and a juice stand right next to the bus stop.

Step #6 Take a Taxi to Papallacta Hot Springs Resort

After arriving in Papallacta, you’ll need to get to the resort.

It’s possible to walk to the resort, but I think that’s crazy. It’s a long walk uphill along a winding road through the town. It’ll take 45 – 60 minutes. I think it’s better to save your time for walks in the national park than along a busy road.

The best way to get to the Papallacta Hot Springs is by taxi.

How I got to the Papallacta Hot Springs Resort

When I got off the bus, I didn’t see any taxis. I asked the people who got off the bus with me where I could find one, and they pointed to a truck waiting on the other side and across from the roundabout. There was no indication that this truck was a taxi. And it wasn’t. It was probably a local looking to make some money taking travelers to the hot springs. I got in despite all the warnings about the dangers of taking unofficial taxis in Ecuador.

The ride was cheaper than I expected–only US$2 to the Papallacta Hot Springs Resort.

It took 5 minutes to get to the hot springs.

What to Do at Papallacta Hot Springs Resort

There are basically 4 things to do at Papallacta Hot Springs Resort (Termas de Papallacta). Everything can be done as a day trip or as an overnight stay. I recommend the latter.

• Soak in the hot spring pools
• Get a massage or other spa treatment
• Hike in the Cayambe Coca National Park
• Try Ecuadorian food

1.      Soak in the Hot Spring Pools

Papallacta has 3 different types of hot spring pools.

• Balneario –  US$10 for not hotel guests or FREE for hotel guests
• Spa pools – US$23 for not hotel guests or $15 for hotel guests
• Private pools – only for hotel guests

*You must wear a swimming cap when using the Balneario and Spa pools. The resort provides caps for you.

Balneario Pools

PRICE: US$10 (adults); US$5 (Seniors and children); FREE (hotel guests) | OPEN: 9:00 am – 10:30 pm (last entrance at 9:00 pm)

• 10 thermal pools ranging in temps from 35 to 38 degrees Celsius
• 3 cold spring pools
• Restaurant
• Spa treatment services – massages and treatment
• Changing area
• Rent towel for US$1 ($5 deposit)
• Lovely river and waterfall flow through the Balneario grounds
• You could just do the Balneario without visiting the Spa Pools and have a great time

Spa Pools

PRICE FOR ADULTS: US$23; US$15 (Staying at hotel) | PRICE FOR CHILDREN: US$15; $11.50 (staying at hotel) | OPEN: 9:00 am – 9:00 pm (M-Th); 8:00 am – 10:30 (F-Su)

• 5 thermal pools with jets
• 1 polar pool
• Restaurant
• Spa treatment services – massages and treatments
• Changing room with lockers and showers
• Towel and shower cap are included
• Rent a robe for a fee

Private pools

COST: Free with hotel stay | OPEN: They empty to clean them in the late morning

Hotel guests get their own private pools in front of their rooms. Only hotel guests can use these pools They’re nice but the water is not as hot as the spa pools or the Balneario pools.

2.      Get a Spa Treatment

Papallacta has a full range of spa treatments from mud wraps to massages. From my experience doing a full-body massage, the treatments are definitely worth doing.

Check out Papallacta’s website for a list of all the treatments, but here is an idea of the price for some of the treatments. Hotel guests get a 15% discount on all massages and treatments.

• Full Body Massage – PRICE: US$52 | TIME: 45 minutes – I did a full body massage and it was excellent – very professional but I felt it was way too short.
• Deep Body Massage – PRICE: US$59 | TIME: 45 minutes
• Neck and Back Massage – PRICE: US$46 | TIME: 30 minutes
• Back and Feet Massage – PRICE: US$47 | TIME: 45 minutes
• Pressure Jet Massage – massage using thermal jets – US15 – 20 minutes
• Mud Body Wrap – relax your body with a local medicinal mud wrap – US$44 – 45 minutes
• Chocolate Body Wrap – moisturize and tone your skin with a chocolate wrap including exfoliation and 10 minutes of thermal jets – $55.00 – 45 minutes
• Grape Mousse Therapy Body Wrap – tone, hydrate, and rejuvenate your skin with a grape mousse. Includes body exfoliation. – $49.00 – 60 minutes

3.      Go for a Hike in Cayambe Coca National Park

Before even heading to the hot springs or getting a massage, go on a hike in the mountains around Papallacta.

The entrance to Cayambe Coca National Park is on the edge of the Papallacta Hot Springs property, and it’s an excellent place to hike—mountains, volcanos, lakes, waterfalls, a variety of hiking trails, and scenic views.

There’s a variety of trails that range from easy to difficult:

• Island Trail – 1 hour – $3 (FREE for hotel guests)
• River Trail – 3 hours – $10
• Chorrera Trail – 2-3 hours – $10
• Mintala Trail – 5-6 hours – $15
• Pallòn Trail – 8 hours – $20

You can do the Island Trail on your own. But for the other trails listed above, you need a guide, which you can get at the park entrance. The above prices include a guide.

If you’re a guest at the hotel, you don’t need to pay for taking the Island Trail (Sendero Isla).

When I did the Island Trail hike the weather was pretty awful—cold and drizzly.

4.      Try Ecuadorian Food

Papallacta Hot Springs is a great place to try Ecuadorian food. There are three restaurants on-site that serve both local and international dishes. I only tried the one in the main hotel. The food was excellent but more expensive than you’d normally pay at a local restaurant in Quito.

If you’re a guest at the hotel, you get 15% off your bill at all 3 restaurants.

Here are the 3 restaurants.

• Sunfo Restaurants – Spa
• Pumamaki Restaurant at the Balneario – serves traditional food from Ecuador
• Sucus Restaurant – serves traditional Ecuadorian dishes and international food

The main restaurant is definitely worth a splurge. A bit pricey for Ecuador, but I thought the food was really good. Get the trout—especially trout with capers! The empanadas and locro de papa were pretty good as well.

If you’re staying at the hotel, breakfast is included, which is a really good buffet with a variety of dishes and drinks.

How to Visit Papallacta

You can visit Papallacta by either:

• Doing a day trip from Quito
• Staying at the hotel for one or two nights (or more)

Day Trip from Quito

Here’s what you can do at Papallacta as a day trip from Quito:

• Balneario – 12 hot springs pools ranging in temperature from 35 to 38 degrees Celsius. It costs US$10 for the day.
• Spa Pools – 5 hot spring pools with jets and 1 cold water pool with temps from 35 to 38 degrees Celsius. It costs US$23.
• Massages and treatments – US$13 – $58
• Restaurants – There are 3 restaurants, 2 of which are the Balneario and Spa, and 1 of which is at the hotel’s main building
• Hiking at the Cayambe Coca National Park – $3 – $20

How to do a day trip from Quito on your own

• Leave Quito so that you arrive between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon
• Have lunch at Papallacta
• Spend the rest of the afternoon at the hot springs – do an hour’s hike, soak in the pools, do a spa treatment
• Have dinner at 5:00 or 6:00 pm
• Leave Papallacta (buses leave Papallacta at 6:45 pm, 7:40 pm, 7:55 pm, and 8:40 pm) Check Ecua Bus website

Another idea is to arrive at Papallacta between 10:00 and 12:00. Spend the afternoon there. Then between 5:00 and 7:00 catch a bus that passes by Papallacta on its way to one of the cities in the Amazon like Tena, Coca, or Lago Agrio.

Stay Overnight at Papallacta Hot Springs Resort

I recommend staying overnight at Papallacta Hot Springs Resort (in Spanish it’s called Termas de Papallacta). In this way, you won’t feel rushed and you’ll get to do more hiking and try more pools.

If you do stay overnight, book your room through Booking.com. Rooms on the hotel website are US$162 for 1 person or $179 for 2 people.

However, on Booking.com,they’re usually cheaper. I paid US$133 (July 2023). For 2 people a room is $147.  Booking.com says that you’ll pay an additional $29 in taxes for a total of $162 (single) or $179 (2 people), but the resort gave me a refund on the tax because I was foreiign tourist. Only residents of Ecuador pay the tax.

In the end, I only paid $133 for one night.

If you stay at the resort, you get these amenities:

• FREE use of the Balneario Pools
• Spa Pools are $15 (a better deal than the $23 that non-guests pay)
• FREE use of private pools in front of your room for hotel guests only
• 15% discount on massages and spa treatments
• 15% discount at the 3 restaurants
• FREE buffet breakfast
• FREE entrance to Cayambe-Coca National Park and FREE use of Island Trail
• Check-out is at 1:00 pm

Your room doesn’t come with free robes. You have to rent them from the Spa.

How many nights should you stay at Papallacta?

I stayed one night. It gave me enough time to try out the spa pools and private pool, get a massage, and go on a short 1-hour hike. I woke up too late to try out the Balneario pools.

If you want to do a longer hike to the lagoon, you might want to stay 2 nights.

Best Time to Visit Papallacta?

According to the staff at Papallacta, the weather is the same all year round–cold, grey, and wet. Occasionally, there’s sun. However, in general, it doesn’t matter which month you visit as you’ll get the same weather.

Papallacta is super popular with Quiteños on the weekend, so it’s best to go on a weekday.

Papallacta Packing List

Papallacta is cold. According to the hotel staff, it’s cold and rainy all year round. Dress warmly and pack clothes that will keep you warm at night.

The hotel rooms are not heated either. However, you can ask the reception desk for a portable heater.

Here are some essential items to bring:

• A fleece
• Long-sleeved shirts and/or sweaters
• Rain jacket or poncho
• Swimsuit
• Sleepwear that will keep you warm if you’re staying overnight
• Sturdy walking shoes or hiking boots if you’re going hiking
• Flip flops (or similar shoes) to wear around the pools and at the spa – it can be slippery
• Bring something to read like a good book – check out this AMAZING list of books on Ecuador for some ideas

The hotel doesn’t offer free robes. You can rent one or bring your own.

How to Get from Papallacta to Quito

The hotel can call a taxi for you to the bus stop in Papallacta. It’ll cost US$2. They can also arrange a taxi for you back to Quito for around US$40.

Getting back to Quito from Papallacta by bus is pretty easy. You have 2 options:

Quitumbe Bus Terminal

Take a taxi to the bus stop (photo above) for $2. Catch any bus passing by on its way to Quito (Quitumbe). Take the bus all the way to the last stop, which will be the Quitumbe Terminal. Finally, take Trolebus C4 to your hotel or get a taxi or Uber. It’s good to take a Trolebus here if you’re staying in La Mariscal or the historic enter because Quitumbe is the start of the C4 line and you’re sure to get a seat.

Rio Coca Terminal

Take a taxi to the bus stop in Papallacta for $2. Catch any bus passing by on its way to Quito (Quitumbe). Get off at the Scala Shopping Mall in Cumbaya. Then catch a green bus going to the Rio Coca Terminal in Quito. The Rio Coca Terminal is in the northern part of the city.

Check the Ecua Bus website for the bus schedule. There should be plenty of buses passing by Papallacta on their way to Quito since buses from three cities in the Amazon do this route. The times on the website are approximate since buses don’t make official stops in Papallacta.

When I took the bus to Quito around 2:00 pm, there were 6 locals also waiting for the same bus. It took 2 hours and 15 minutes to get to Quitumbe Station.

PRO TIP: It’s generally safe to store your big backpack or suitcase under the bus. However, ALWAYS keep your purse and/or small backpack on your lap. Never put it on the shelves above you or on the floor by your legs even if someone tells you to do that. These people are usually thieves. Theft is VERY COMMON on buses in Ecuador. In addition, secure your to you (I keep my purse strap around my shoulder) because if you fall asleep, it’s easy and common for thieves to just grab your bag off your lap as they get off the bus.

Final Thoughts: GEtting to Papallacta

Papallacta makes for the PERFECT stop at the end of your Ecuador itinerary. It’s a great place to soothe your sore muscles and destress after a trip to the Galapagos or a trek in the Highlands.

The resort was a splurge for me and my tight budget, but it was worth it. However, if I ever go again to the hot springs I’d either do it as a day trip from Quito or stay in a cheaper hotel in Papallacta. If you’re intimidated by taking a public bus, do one of the many tours in Quito to Papallacta like this private tour or this one that also includes a visit to Cotopaxi.

If you’re looking for other recommendations besides Papallacta, here are my other favorite places to visit in Ecuador:

• Quito
• Cuenca
• Mindo
• Baños
• The Amazon
• Galapagos

For more travel tips and inspiration for Ecuador check out my Ecuador Travel Guide. As I’m writing this Papallacta post, I’ve been traveling all over the country and working remotely there for over 3 months—having already extended my Ecuador visa for another 90 days.

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