The Traveling Teacher

All the world is a classroom

Quito | Baños de Aguas Santas | Misahuallí | Ahuano | Amazon Jungle

Adventure on the Equator

Out of everywhere I’ve been, Ecuador may be my favorite. I made a loop through the center of the small nation with my husband and three kids in 2023. Confession: We actually went first in 2022, but riots and an attempted uprising, which caused frantic calls the the embassy and a perilous drive to the airport at daybreak past burning tires and illegal barricades, derailed our initial attempt; we flew back to Costa Rica instead. However, after two weeks, it was clear. So we went back a year later and had a grand adventure.

If you go, be sure to start in Quito (the capital), but prepare for the 12,000 ft elevation! Once acclimated, visit the equator and the historic city center. You can visit the Equatorial Monument (not placed on the actual equator, which they learned thanks to GPS) and the Intiñán Museum (site of the ACTUAL equator) to try balancing an egg on the head of a nail. You’ll even weigh less at the equator!

Then, drive to Baños de Aguas Santas (Baths of the Holy Water), the gateway to the Amazon, as well as the adventure capital of Ecuador and much of South America. There, you can zipline, kayak, go whitewater rafting, paraglide off a mountain, take a cable car over the Manto de la Novia (Bride’s Veil) waterfall, and hike or bike the Ruta de las Cascadas (route of the waterfalls; be sure to visit Pailón del Diablo, or the Devil’s Cauldron).

Next, go to the Amazon! After a visit to the monkey beach in Misahuallí (warning: if the monkeys are awake, they might drop down on you or take your stuff), we stayed in an ecolodge past where the roads actually ended in Ahuano. Our guides took us trekking the primary forest to see the Amazon river monster, wooly monkeys, caimans, and piranhas. We also met some of the Kichwa tribe and participated in some tribal dances, after which we made chocolate and chicha (local juice that can ferment into alcohol). We also met some of the Guaraní tribe near the animal sanctuary.

Basílica del Voto Nacional

Quito

Basílica del Voto Nacional

Quito

Pailón del Diablo

Baños de Aguas Santas

Paragliding!

We did this in Baños de Aguas Santas; it was the best experience ever. We jumped of Mt. Nitón at 11,000 feet elevation. Of course, I’m a novice, so I stayed strapped to a certified pilot.

Wooly Monkey

With the help of our Kich’wa guide Juan Carlos, we explored the Amazon Jungle. We crossed piranha infested waters, evaded the Amazon river monster, and saw scorpion spiders. There were also Caimans and much more!

Rafting the Pastaza

Another near-death experience for us…thanks to a torrential downpour the night before, Class II and III became Class IV and V. We ended up flipped and all over the river, while the rescue kayaker had to find my husband Jeff.