We continued south towards Banos. Banos is wonderful because there are plenty of adventurous activities along with time to relax in the hot springs. Banos is incredibly popular with tourists so there are lots of great restaurants and shopping in town in addition to all the activities. With our private guide we didn't have anything planned in advance and kid of made things up as we went along based on our guides recommendations
When we arrived in Banos, we headed straight to the adventure park. We started with a giant swing, which is one of the most popular attractions in Banos. The swing is 2600 meters above sea level and swings over a steep cliff. The view was breathtaking, and it was an adrenaline-pumping experience. There are several different spots to do a giant swing like this, our wonderful give took us to the least expensive option which also happened to be the least crowded which I appreciated.
Swinging over Banos (Jess Heuermann)
Next, we went to the longest zipline in the country. As you might be able to tell by now, this isn't a great destination for those afraid of heights! My husband stayed back with the camera and my sunglasses while I strapped into the Superman style zipline over the river. It is 1.5 km long and reaches speeds of up to 100 km/h. The experience of following the river on the zipline was a unique one that I won't soon forget.
After that, we went on a hike to Pailón del Diablo waterfall, and we even went around to the backside of the waterfall. You have to crawl/climb to get around the back but it was well worth the extra work (though we did end up completely soaked!) It was a challenging hike, but the view from the back of the waterfall was so worth it!
Climbing behind the waterfall (Jess Heuermann)
The night before our guide had also talked to us about visiting the hot springs. There is a local, free hot spring in town but we decided to take a more relaxed approach and paid for a day pass to one of the resorts up on the hill. The day pass was perfect because there was not another soul on the property between check out and check in (or maybe we just lucked out). We had a few hours to relax in the pools and then enjoyed a massage before lunch, all of which was included in our day pass. It was the perfect way to unwind before our drive back to Quito that afternoon.
Adventure Life is always an excellent choice when planning complicated, extreme, or exotic vacations or expeditions. They provide friendly professional services and advice and are enthusiastic and encouraging in helping us to prepare and thoroughly enjoy our trip. They handle all the details which greatly reduces the stress of planning a difficult trip. I'm very impressed with Adventure Life and definitely recommend them to friends and family.
Scott Trochim
2 days ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
4 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
5 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
