Banos - Ecuador

Banos, one of the best cities to visit for adventure in Ecuador. They've got it all here rafting, mountain biking, climbing, trekking, horseback riding, bungee jumping, paragliding, and motorcycling. After a hard day of outdoor sports you can ease your pains in the famous thermal baths for which the town is named.

The active Volcan Tungurahua towering over Banos.
wanted to take some paragliding classes while I was in Banos. After taking a couple tandem flights I realized that it takes a long time to learn the skills required to safely glide solo (its also one of the most expensive sports I've encountered), and figured I'd wait till I some more free time and money.

La Piscina de La Virgen, the most famous baths in Banos.
Taking a box-steam bath with my friend Melainey (Swiss)

I went biking for a day and headed out to this river crossing - $1 gets you a ride in this cart.

Rafting down the Rio Patate with class IV and one class V rapid is a wild experience, especially after its been raining for the last week. I wish I'd brought my underwater camera case so I could have taken some photos of the massive rapids we hit.