Firstly getting to Banos is pretty easy, a popular touristic location there are plenty of buses. In Ecuador buses are very cheap, although the standard is very basic so don’t expect too much. Somewhere between 3 and 4 hours we arrived in Banos and headed to Plantas y Blancas hostel. It was one of the best hostels we have stayed at, friendly staff, fantastic rooms and great kitchen facilities, we really can’t fault it. Banos is riddled with Hostels on every street, so even if you don’t opt for Plantas y Blancos, we would suggest searching out a few before you make a final choice.

That evening we decided to head to the raved about hot springs next to the waterfall and just a 5 minute walk from the hostel. We waited in line and for a small fee were let in. Promptly we were told our heads must be covered, at which point we noticed all locals were modelling swimming hats. Much to our amusement we rented two and continued upstairs to the largest pool. It was more like a disappointing shared bath which was lukewarm. A temperature which you would not descend into a relaxing bath, but in fact drain the water and run the hot tap longer. It was a murky colour, and irritatingly had children playing games, splashing like it was a paddling pool. We gave up after 10 minutes and went to test the other two pools downstairs. One is the size of a small jacuzzi and turns out it is a freezing cold plunge pool. Jonny slid into the third pool and scrambled back out at an impressive speed. This final pool is a nice temperature that you would want to drink your tea at, thus is no way pleasurable against our human skin. We were baffled by old local men who were lounging in the pool, chatting as if it was normal. Several tourists took the first step then instinctively would retreat, wincing at their throbbing toes. Hayley’s feet managed a grand total of around 5 seconds, after her third attempt she refused to try again. On the contrary Jonny was fiercely determined to go all the way in. 20 minutes later he had managed up to his chest, although was unable to put his hands in, apparently they’re too sensitive, so he ended up looking like an uncomfortable scarecrow, frowning and waving his arms around. He was out again within 30 seconds. Neither of us are sure of how this can benefit you in anyway, it was more of a stressful task than a relaxing one. Our time at the hot springs totalled no more than 30 minutes and in all honesty was a complete waste of time! We aren’t sure where the hype comes from as we definitely would not recommend them. Did we mention that they also broke our GoPro?! No? Well, they did so for the next week or so we relied on our phones only.

The next morning we had an agenda to achieve; The swing at the end of the world. For those of you who have no idea what we are talking about, we guarantee that once you have read this post you will be itching to book flights and head to Banos solely for this reason. We added this to our never ending bucket list sometime ago, initially it was discovered by Hayley on Instagram, and now frequently it makes appearances on both our feeds. Banos offers many exciting, adrenaline fuelled activities and if anything we felt this one was under rated. You can hike, taxi or rent a form of transportation to take you to the Treehouse, where the swing is located. Considering we had done a trek in high altitude just a few days prior, we opted for a taxi there with the intent of walking back to the town after. We arrived early around 11am, so it was not too busy. Faced with magnificent scenery, mountains gazed at us awash with greenery.

A treehouse that would make any child green with envy, stood proudly facing the picturesque setting, with two swings playfully dangling either side of it. Hayley ran to the one on the left that did not currently have a tenant, grabbing the rope with the gleeful grin of cheeky child. She sat down and paced her feet as far back as possible, unable to withdraw the smile from her face she launched herself off the platform forcefully, kicking her legs out and then rhythmically retracting them at an attempt to swing higher. Jonny papped away, capturing the moment as best as he could determined to get a good shot.

Hayley continued to swing, laughing as she swung her head backwards, almost horizontally, testing her balance and trusting the swing. Her hair swished and fingers clenched the rope excitedly. She was ecstatic to say the least and Jonny was becoming impatient himself. Eventually Hayley gave in and swapped roles, now the photographer she still beamed with delight as Jonny took his turn. Back and forth like a grandfather clock but the pace of a stopwatch, Jonny too could not control his childish grin.

Naturally we wanted to try out both swings and get photos of them too. The experience is much the same, apart from Hayley’s turn on the right swing was rudely interrupted by the largest flying insect we have seen to date, who decided to join her and took a seat on the swing. Fiercely she dug her heels into the sand and shrieked. This was not a moment she wanted to share, particularly with insects. Asides from this which was more entertaining for Jonny, they were pretty much the same and the photographs looked great from both sides.

We ventured up the treehouse to admire the view from above and joined in the graffiti bandwagon, writing our names and leaving an Uncharted stamp at our favourite swing set.

After taking many photos of the spectacular view it was time to say goodbye to the Treehouse and we began our trek down to Banos. As we walked away from the treehouse however we were overcome by our childish sides and took some even more hilarious pictures on the other random apparatus overlooking the valley..

There are no signs, so we began walking along the roadway, hoping we were headed in the right direction, only time would tell. We knew that at some point we had to veer off to the left, it was a local shortcut to Banos so we kept an eye out for any suggestive alternate pathways or openings. Around an hour later we passed some friendly locals and asked them, they pointed to the left although confused we continued straight-there was no pathway there so they must have meant there will be one soon? Wrong. We asked a local farmer a few metres down and he pointed back upwards, to the same indication we were previously given. We backtracked and were able to find a small pathway/dirt track, which we began to follow. For the following hour we would see no one and hear only the faint echoes of our own voices as we trekked downwards on the bumpy mud path tunnelled by trees. It was getting steeper and more challenging terrain, our nikes could not hold grip in unforeseen softer sand, with rocks and tree roots obstructing the course – should of brought our walking boots.. Around another 30 minutes later we arrived at a hotel/café, which was closed but their bench allowed us to rest as well as observe an impressive view of Banos.

Thankfully it didn’t look too far away now! Wrong again. Our descent increased in intensity and simultaneously so did the heat of the sun. It was like the elements were playing against us for their own entertainment on a boring afternoon. Approximately another hour later we were welcomed back into Banos with cemented sidewalks, a luxury for our legs and balance, both of which had been tested this afternoon.

Our tired legs were relieved to be walking in a straight line, and our stomachs churned happily at the knowledge we would soon reward ourselves with food. The photographs really don’t do it justice, but we were thrilled with them all the same and hope they entice you to this mysterious treehouse for a swing you won’t forget. Banos is a lovely town, very touristy and therefore a lot to offer. It is small but has a number of fun bars, nice restaurants and cute cafes which make it all the more appealing. We both agree this is definitely a place to visit in Ecuador, lots of activities to take part in, but with a biased opinion we urge you to let your inner child venture up to the swing. We promise you won’t regret it!!! Just make sure you get directions from locals if you opt to walk down, and take plenty of water.

Our next post will let you know how we moved from Ecuador to Peru and hear about the best bus terminal we’ve ever been to! (Yes this is the sort of thing that excites us when you’ve been backpacking for a while…)

Jonny & Hayley 🙂