Banos is the adventure town of Ecuador. Very similar to Queenstown in New Zeeland. We loved our time here. Its a small touristy town that felt very safe. Its located close to the Amazon basin but unfortunately trips to the Amazon were too expensive for us. We made the most of the cheap activities and went zip lining, white water rafting and mountain biked to a beautiful waterfall. Mark even completed a swing jump which is very similar to a bungy jumps.

We also visited a famous swing that has been named the swing at the end of the world. You are strapped in to the seat and then swung out over a canyon. On a good day you can even see the beautiful Mt. Tungurahua.

Unfortunately it was also a national holiday in Ecuador for 4 of the 7 days we were in Banes, locals from Quito and Guayaquil also came to Banos to celebrate the day of the dead. This added a cool festival atmosphere to the town but it also meant that everything was extremely busy and because of this the night we went to enjoy the hot springs they were completely booked up.

A local delicacy is grilled guinea pig. I couldn't bring myself to eating it but of course Mark didn't have a problem. He said it tasted like greasy chicken and was very tough to eat, I don't think he will be eating it again in Peru.