We only stay in Banos for 2 days and the Amazon Jungle tour was our second-day tour! The travel agency came to pick us up at 9 am at our hotel and made one stop to collect rain boots before starting the tour.

We booked the tour from a local agency (the town is full of the travel agencies). Our Amazon Jungle tour was a full day tour (it lasted 11 hours) and cost 35 USD each, and included the lunch.

The Jungle Tour included visiting an indigenous family, an adventure canoe ride, lunch at a jungle house, a rainforest hike, a crazy tree-top swing, bird watching, and swimming in under a waterfall.  I was really scared and excited about the tree-top crazy swing. It was amazing to swing out and be above the Amazon rainforest!

 

We started the tour in Banos and headed to Puyo.  This ride took about 2 hours. The sights along the drive to Puyo was beautiful – Amazonia. First stop, we visited the indigenous family before the canoe adventure activities. The indigenous family welcomed us while they played traditional instruments. They then explained their culture while their young daughters served us the traditional beverage – CHICA. Their Chica tasted different than the Chica I had tasted in Colombia.  The Ecuadorian Chica did not have as much alcohol inside.

I also enjoyed having the little girls paint my face. That made me feel like I am one of their tribe. The colour she used is the natural paint, from the Achiote tree. Besides that, we also practised the blow gun and a traditional dance.

 

It was a nice experience to learn about this indigenous culture of Ecuador. They also have pet monkeys, parrots, and a python snake.  Other people were comfortable taking pictures with the monkey, parrot, and python snake. But, I only took a picture with the parrot because it was a more calm animal. Lol.  

 

After a time with the indigenous people, we headed for the paddle canoe ride. The ride in the Puyo river is quite rough.  The water was cold and the canoe was not stable. It felt like we would fall into the river, at any moment. The 30-minute canoe ride made me feel nervous the whole time because we didn’t bring our swimsuits. (The tour agency didn’t tell us to bring a bathing suit.) It would suck to fall into the Puyo river with all your clothes on.

 

I kept praying the canoe would bring me back to safety the whole time. I still have 7 hours to go on the jungle tour, and I didn’t want to be wet. Finally, we made it back to land and only got a little wet from people splashing us, and water splashing over the side.  

After the exhausting canoe ride, it was time to feed my hungry stomach. The road to the jungle lunch home was very rough.  It was like a roller coaster ride for 15 minutes. Besides that, we had to walk across the river on top of a fallen tree to get to the jungle cabin where lunch was served. The river rapids water sounds and the fresh breezes made the whole experience worthwhile. It is always nice to be in nature.

 

You cannot walk through the water because it was too deep. It would cover your boots. So, this was the only way to cross the river if you wanted lunch.  We learned to balance our body.

 

The jungle cabin was so cool. The tables and chairs were made from trees. The chairs were all different sizes. In addition to tables and chairs, they had a bar, a hammock, and a pool table. This cabin is also a place for guests to sleep if they stay for 2-3 day jungle tours. I would love to join the longer tours if I knew about it earlier.   I could stay in the rainforest jungle, shower in the Puyo river, live like Tarzan & Jane.

 

We continued our hike into the rainforest after our delicious lunch. During the hike, the naturalist guide explained the rainforest, the flora & the fauna. (He speaks English.) The hike was not easy as this is the wild natural jungle.  You might want to grab the tree if you start to fall, but you need to be careful. The trees and bushes have thorns, ants, bugs, spiders, and snakes. I don’t like spiders and snakes, and that ain’t what it takes to love me.

After about 40 mins, we arrived at Mirador Columpio (The swing point). I was shocked when I saw the Swing. The Swing is basically just a rope tied to the top of a tree next to a cliff.  There was a wood branch tied at the end of the rope to sit upon. There was no other safety rope or belt.  My legs were shaking when I saw the height and my mind went shilly-shally at the time.

 

The guide showed us how to ride the swing and how to stop the swing.  He said it was safe. I was like hmm… No way! What if I faint while hanging over that cliff?  I will forever stay in the Amazon rainforest. Dan was game. He was the first one who tried the swing.  He didn’t hesitate for a second while others stood standing still. Check the video of Dan, see how amazing his swing was! Lol

 

After a few people played on the swing, the guide is encouraged me. I was thinking, will I regret it if I skip it? I need to overcome my fear.  So I finally decided to swing! Yes, I screamed all the way to keep myself awake, don’t faint because no one can save me. The guide didn’t help to stop me when I went over the cliff.  When I swung back to safety, he said, “One more time!” But he lied. He pushed me back out several times.

 

The crazy swing is really scary. You can almost touch the rainforest treetops.  You can’t imagine how close you get to the higher trees. You can enjoy the spectacular view.  A view of the union of the Puyo river with the Pastaza river and a beautiful landscape of the Amazon. Especially for those who are brave to open their eyes while they swing.

 

I was screaming the whole time, and most of the time, with my eyes closed. Lol

The guide also laughed at me when he came to stop my swing. The pictures may not seem so scary, but trust me, it is.  Come experience this yourself.

After the crazy swing, we continued to hike for another 30 minutes to the secret waterfalls. The hike to waterfalls is easier and 70 percent flat. You definitely will enjoy the beautiful waterfalls after the hike and the swing. It is a good time to enjoy the cool water in the tranquillity of the rainforest.

After we cooled off our bodies we still needed to hike another 20 minutes to get back to the jungle cabin. It was almost 6 pm when we arrived back at the cabin.

The tour wasn’t finished yet. We still had to visit a fish farm to watch the Big Fish, Arapaima. It is on the way back to Banos. They gave us a chicken cube to feed to the Arapaima, so we would be very close to the big fish. The fish know you are feeding them.  They line up waiting for you to give them raw chicken. Watch out! Don’t fall in because they are predatory.

My body was falling apart and tired when I arrived back at the hotel.  But, I really enjoy the jungle tour, especially the swing.

 

I hope you enjoy the Jungle Tour in Banos as well after this post besides The Famous Swing at the End of World.

You can read more about The Famous Swing in Banos with below link!

http://hoboventures.com/swing-at-the-end-of-the-world-ecuador/