A Day In Banos, Ecuador

By alantvuong on July 7, 2020

As part of our South American trip with 3 friends in the summer of 2015, after spending 5 days in Quito, we were in Banos, Ecuador. Even though we were staying in Erupcion Art Hotel and this hostel was anything but wheelchair accessible, we did not let that put a damper on our trip. We had a full day in Banos, and here is how we spent it.

Getting There

The 4 of us left Quito quite early in the morning cause my friends wanted to get to Banos at a reasonable time. My 2 young buddies organized everything as this trip was to be like a backpacker trip and no concrete plans were made for anything. We got a van and a couple drove us the over 3 hour drive from Quito to Banos. To fit all our luggage and have 6 people in the van, my bathroom commode chair had to be tied on the roof of the van.

over 3 hours drive from Quito to Banos…. can’t forget my commode

About Banos

Banos is the second most populous city in Eastern Tungurahua province of Ecuador. Banos is located on the Northern foothills of Tungurahua volcano and is also known as the “Gateway to the Amazon.” It is a popular tourist spot for outdoor enthusiasts since there are over 60 waterfalls and adventure sports like rafting, kayaking, hiking, biking and more. The 4 of went to visit 2 of the town’s biggest landmarks.

leaving our hostel to chase some waterfalls

Cascada de la Virgen Waterfall

can only make it to the bottom of the waterfall

Cascada de la Virgin Waterfall means Cascade of the Virgin waterfall. It is the only waterfalls that is right in the heart of the city and was less than a 10 minute walk/stroll from our hostel. I thought the day was a little cool and had my jacket on and was prepared to go to as close to the waterfalls as I could.

up the stairway to get some photos

At the bottom of the waterfall, there is a small park that contains the virgin carved in a rock. It really was amazing to see this natural beauty with the surrounding greens and the sounds of the waterfall. There was a old stairway that my buddies went up to explore and to take some beautiful pictures. There was also an area where people come to wash their laundry.

people do their laundry here

Casa del Arbol Swing

on the bus to see the treehouse

My buddies wanted to check out Casa del Arbol Swing which is the most famous treehouse in the world. It required us to take a 30 minute bus ride to get to and my buddies had to carry me inside the small bus. When we arrived, I had to get both my buddies to push my wheelchair up a muddy, rocky and non accessible pathway to get to the treehouse.

a bit tough to get to the top

Once we made it up the hill, my buddies were like kids again. Tickets to ride the swing at the treehouse were about $9 USD per person. It is also known as The Swing at the End of the World. Riders get a breath taking view of the city and Tungurahua volcano as they swing themselves over the edge. I wasn’t able to do this but still had fun watching everyone enjoy themselves.

the swing

There are also some cows on the hill, along with a cafe and a zip line for people to use. I wasn’t able to use the zip line either but still enjoyed my visit here with my buddies. It wasn’t too busy up here and it was mostly flat grassy grounds. Accessibility was better once we were on top for sure.

zip line

All 4 of us really enjoyed our day at this small little town called Banos. Even though the waterfall and the swing was not the most wheelchair friendly thing to do, I don’t regret visiting at all. I had 2 really strong friends to help me experience this and am not sure if I would be able to do this if I only traveled with one buddy. Thanks guys. (click here to see how I made it to Machu Picchu.)