Puenting

Also known as Bungee jumping, or insanity. Strap on a harness and take a leap off a perfectly good bridge and let the rope stop you before you crash into the raging river below? Not for me! Still this crazy feat is enjoyed by many people, enough that almost every touring company in the town offers it. There is a shorter bridge for those who are a bit more timid but still have enough guts to take the jump. This massive boost of adrenaline will cost you about $20 USD. Incidentally, Ecuador uses USD as its official currency.

Tarabita

Perhaps you’re not into flinging yourself hundreds of feet into a river-carved canyon but still find heights exhilarating. This is a metal basket that moves along 2 cables, 1 above and 1 below. It is a fairly stable ride, as in the basket doesn’t rock much, and takes you from one side of a canyon to the other. Most often people combine this with a zip line “ride,” but it is possible to just take the tarabita across and back. The cheapest place I found that offers the above combination is a small place located just up the road from the Ecozoologico San Martin (site is in Spanish). Just follow the signs and arrows. You can take the tarabita across the river and then zip line back for as little as $6 per person. There is a $1 extra charge if you decide to go across in a Superman pose as opposed to being seated.

Mountain biking

There are several trails around Baños including a wonderful waterfall route which takes you past several of the local falls. If it happens to be warm enough, or you’re not afraid of a little hypothermia, you can swim in the waters of the final one. The trail is well marked and is a combination of paved and dirt path. If the altitude doesn’t affect you too much, you can also bike up some of the local mountains for amazing views of the valley and the nearby active volcano Tungurahua.

Volcanoes

There are several trips to volcanoes. Some are as sedate as sipping coffee or hot cocoa from a tree house at night while watching the glow from the crater, or if you’re really lucky she may put on an even better show for you. Others include climbing the volcano for a closer view.

Dune buggies

You can rent mini buggies and take them 4-wheeling. Prices vary widely, and it’s best to try to barter. Note that weekends are the most expensive time of the week for tourist activities as Baños is popular among vacationing Ecuadorians as well, so you’ll find better deals Monday through Thursday.

Finish the day off with something more relaxing: Head to the local thermal pools to soak your body and then afterward grab some delicious food and a locally crafted beer at the Stray Dog Pub (on a corner of the central park plaza). Baños de Agua Santa has a lot to offer, so plan on at least 4-5 days for your visit for the maximum experience.

Have you been to Baños? What was your favorite sight or activity?

Indoors the kids will have the ability to learn more about the inner workings of their bodies and to get physical. They’ll also get to learn about, and play with, various types of technology including digitally controlling their home environment, doing stop action videos of both humans and inanimate objects, solar power, and get to play virtual games that require almost whole body movements. There is also a special exhibit area for children 6 years and younger.

Not wanting to leave things just at the hands-on, plastic and metal level, Parque Explora also has a vivarium with several South American varieties of reptiles and a not-too-shabby aquarium, including some exhibits that allow you to see the underwater world from several different angles.

This park/museum is conveniently located at the Universidad metro station. You’ll find a ramp that takes you from the metro station takes you directly to Parque Explora. This attraction is also conveniently located next to the amusement park Parque Norte, the botanical gardens, and the planetarium.

Admission to the “park” is 20,000 COP (about $7) and includes all the areas of the park including the TV station and 3D lab. Children who are shorter than 1.06 meters (about 3-1/2 feet) get in for free. Even the child or adult with the strongest ADD will need about 3 hours to get through all the attractions available, so plan ahead. Snacks, meals, and beverages are available for purchase. The site is completely handicapped accessible.

Over the years I’ve had the chance to spend a lot of time in children and kid-oriented museums, and Parque Explora has blown them all away by comparison. This is definitely one of the must-dos when visiting the City of Eternal Spring.

Have you been to Medellin? What other kid-friendly activities did you enjoy?

The city is composed of districts, and the district of Miraflores is definitely a shining star. This is the capital’s more wealthy area and is full of chic restaurants, boutiques, and shopping centers that would put many North American counterparts to shame. Also, surprisingly, it houses several Las Vegas-type casinos.

The very well-known Parque Kennedy is also known as cat park for its rather sizable population of stray felines, many of which are not shy about getting in your lap to get some attention. They are quick to beg for scraps of food, even though plenty of cat food is set out for them. It’s a great place to relax and to grab a taste of local culture, even if you aren’t interested in playing with its furry denizens.

Parque del Amor is a nice little park with some interesting sculptures.

Meandering along the very long malecón offers great views of the ocean, and if you’re looking for a little adrenaline boost you can get a nice fix by paragliding. A 10-minute tandem ride (you’re attached to an expert) costs 150 PEN or just under $45 USD.

The upscale Larcomar complex offers restaurants with spectacular ocean views and stores that can often be hard to find outside North America and Europe.

In the city’s historic center are a plethora of old churches and former palaces, the latter all serving as government buildings now. A good place to start is in the Plaza de Armas, also known as the Plaza Mayor.

Take a short walk from this main square to gaze at the beautiful Palacio de Gobierno, the residence and office of Peru’s president. Monday through Saturday at 1 PM you can witness the changing of the guard, and free tours are offered on Saturday mornings (call 3113908 for a reservation, but you’ll need to schedule it by the Thursday before your planned visit).

Nearby is the San Francisco monastery which also serves as a museum. If you’ve spent a lot of time in Latin America you may be yawning at the prospect of visiting yet another church, but this particular edifice is also the site of Lima’s catacombs which are interesting to view, as is the interior of the former monastery itself.

Unfortunately, they do not allow photos or video (with our without flash) and there are nearly a hundred signs spread throughout the building reminding you of this fact. Admission to the monastery, which includes a guided tour (bilingual guides are available for English speakers), when we went were 7 PEN for adults (about $2) and 1 PEN for children/senior citizens.

If you are traveling with children, it’s worth coming to the plaza (which is free) just to watch them feed and/or chase the large flocks of pigeons that congregate here. Don’t be surprised if several school-age children ask to have their picture taken with you or for your photograph if you look like you’re a gringo. They seem to derive great pleasure from this, and it’s harmless fun.

Parque de las Leyendas (site is in Spanish) is a fairly unique complex run by the municipality. It consists of a zoo, museum, botanical garden, a lagoon, and also is the site of many pre-Incan ruins. The park is open seven days a week, including during local holidays, from 9 AM to 6 PM. Admission is fairly reasonable at 14 PEN (about $4) for adults, and children ages 3-12 are 8 PEN.

Lima is a coastal town, and its beaches are popular year round, especially with surfers. Known as the Costa Verde it is not only highly walkable but also a great bike ride as the circuito de las playas transverses four different districts. While the waves probably can’t be classified as world class, it’s still a beautiful spot to surf, swim, or just to enjoy the fresh salty air. During the non-summer months, you’ll definitely want to wear a wetsuit as the water is quite chilly.

Another thing to remember is that Lima is one of the gastronomy hotspots of the world, and there are certainly enough diverse places to please even the most selective of foodie palates.

Tierra Santa has great Middle Eastern food, and Manolo has wonderful churros. Friends highly enjoy Wasabi for their all-you-can-eat sushi, which has some very unique twists.

If you’ve already been here, what are your favorite things to do in Lima?

One of the places I enjoyed the most has been Montevideo, the capital as well as the most populated city in Uruguay. I only spent a few days there, but they were all packed with activities that kept me well entertained. Here is what I did to make sure I had a great time there.

Walk around the centre of town

I love the contrasts I can experience in the centre of Montevideo, where right next to the modern offices of downtown there are the old buildings of the historic centre. I particularly like walking through the Puerta de la Ciutadela – one of the few remnants of the colonial city which has been demolished in 1833 – and then sitting around Plaza Indipendencia, and from there admire the Mausoleo de Artigas, Uruguay’s independence hero, and Palacio Estévez, which used to be the government building until 1985.

Attend a futból game at Estadio Centenario

I am not exactly a football fanatic, yet I had the feeling that watching a futból game at Estadio Centenario would be fun, and I was not mistaken. Uruguayans – like pretty much all people in South America – are crazy about football, men and women alike. They can spend hours explaining why a particular action was not offside. I went along with some friends to support Nacional and had a blast. Peñarol supporters were not happy with my choice of team, but hey I don’t really understand much about football anyways!

Eat at Mercado del Puerto

Vegetarians may shriek at this, and the OMS may want to warn me that eating red meat is bad for my health, but I confess that I love it. Eating asado is actually a cultural tradition in Uruguay, and I am all about culture you know. So, I went to the Mercado del Puerto, picked a great parrilla (barbecue) and ate some asado de tira (ribs) and pulpo (fillet), with roasted vegetables, all accompanied with some chimichurri sauce (a garlic, parsley and olive oil sauce).

Drink Tannat

Uruguay actually has some really good wines, which have been produced there for over 250 years. I promise, I only had wine because it taste good when having asado!

Dance tango

Well, I did not dance dance, but I went to see a dance show. Montevideo shares the title of “birthplace of tango” together with Buenos Aires, and both have been given the UNESCO title of intangible cultural heritage for this. There are many milongas with good tango shows.

Join the fun of the Carnaval

I was surprised to find out that Uruguay has the longest Carnaval of South America. It last 40 days! So, I went to see the Desfile de las Llamadas – an all night long parade which is accompanied by the drumming of candombe. This is an instrument that has been brought to Uruguay by the African slaves in the 18th century. There even is a Museo del Carnaval in Montevideo, which has a great collection of costumes and musical instruments and pictures which document the history of the Carnaval of Montevideo.

Walk or bike on the Rambla

Montevideo’s waterfront is the perfect place to spend a relaxing afternoon. I loved biking along it and pretending to be a local, carrying around my thermos of “mate”, a bitter tea made of dried and chopped up yerba leaves.

I can definitely see Uruguay growing as a tourist destination. That is why I think it is better to go as soon as possible!

Have you been to Montevideo or Uruguay? What are your favorite things to do, eat, and/or see?

–Claudia Tavani

Claudia is from Cagliari (Sardinia) and is obsessed with travelling. A former human rights lawyer and academic, after devoting her life to the protection of cultural identity, in November 2013 Claudia decided to give in to her biggest passion and started travelling around Latin America, and she has hardly stopped since. Blogging came as a natural consequence, for Claudia wanted to let her family and friends be updated with her adventures. You can follow Claudia’s adventure on her blog, via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We enjoyed it so much we kept extending our time and were seriously considering renting an apartment for a long-term stay. I was actually looking at opening a business while there. It’s just such a cool town, and it was very safe. I had no qualms about letting Tigger (who was 10 at the time) walk around by himself.

Baños was one of Tigger’s favorite places.

Getting to Baños

This lovely town is very accessible and is only a few hours from Quito. Ecuadorian buses are quite cheap, so you can expect to pay about $4 USD for the trip from Quito.

If you’re planning on visiting Cuenca, this is a great town to help split that journey up.

You will have some beautiful views, so keep your camera handy. The buses usually stop in a mountain village about halfway through the journey so that you can get something to eat and make a bathroom stop.

Be advised that the ticket clerks will tell you there is a bathroom on board, but it’s rare for them to be accessible (unless you’re a woman) or functional. So when they make a bathroom stop, it’s a good idea to avail yourself of that opportunity. Also make sure to bring your own toilet paper. Public bathrooms rarely have them.

If you’re really into leather products, you may want to stop in Ambato first.

Lodging

Upon arrival, we stayed at Flor del Oriente, and it was really not a good experience.

We quickly moved to Hostel Chimenea, which we really enjoyed. We had a very comfortable room with pretty good WiFi and a lovely view. The breakfast is inexpensive and quite good. The juices are made to order (fresh squeezed or blended depending on your choice). The coffee was pretty good, too, which isn’t always something one encounters in Ecuador, unfortunately.

It is also located close to the church square, the hot springs and public pool. Tigger’s favorite park (Parque Montalvo) was a short walk away.

There is a refrigerator where you can store your supplies, and the kitchen is available for customer use after noon.

Things to do in Baños

There is truly something for everyone here. Tigger really enjoyed the local park which had a small climbing wall and a zip line (which he spent a LOT of time on). They have a few areas that are designed for different age groups which made things even more fun.

The ruta de las cascadas (waterfall route) is a great activity for cyclists. You can rent bicycles in town for quite cheap and do this as a self-guided tour. They are pretty well marked, and a free map is easy to get at the cycle shop. If you aren’t keen on doing it alone, they have several different tours that follow the route.

The city is quite close to the very active volcano Tungurahua. There are many tours that will take you up in the evening so you can watch the glow and occasional show from a relatively safe distance. You may experience some big “belches” even in the town. We once woke up to a fine covering of ash all over. They haven’t experienced a massive eruption in a long time, and the city was spared damage with the last major one.

If you visit the church La iglesia de la Virgen de Santa Agua (the big church near downtown), you can see some of the commemorative artwork related to the last violent eruption. It’s believed that the virgen saved the town and its inhabitants.

Thanks to the regional geothermal activity, there are some lovely hot springs in the small town. They are extremely cheap to visit.

If you wish to get an adrenaline fix, then for about $20 USD you can go puenting (bridge jumping). Most of the businesses in town use body harnesses, which is supposedly better for your body than the other systems. You have your choice of shorter to crazy drops.

Mountain biking aside from the waterfall route is also quite popular as are 4×4 tours in the nearby mountains, and there is a great place for flying across a canyon on the outskirts of town.

If you prefer a little less excitement, it’s easy to find a place for a relaxing massage for about $20. We also really enjoyed walking around the Parque Central which is known as the lover’s park. It’s in the center of town and has lots of flowers and benches for relaxation.

The public pool is also quite nice and only charges $2 for adults ($1 for children). They have a few waterslides which are pretty fun.

The Iglesia de la Virgen de Santa Agua is a beautiful church and worth walking around.

Just outside the town is also a fairly decent zoo (San Martin). Just make sure to wear good shoes/sturdy sandals. You’ll be doing a lot of walking, including some steep uphill pathways.

Food

There is some really great street food located in the square outside the church; however, most of them only set up in the evening around 6 PM.

Many restaurants in this area also have very filling lunches (3-4 courses plus beverage) for about $2 USD.

One place I highly recommend, even though it isn’t typical Ecuadorian fare, is Stray Dog Pub. Their food is quite good as is their selection of micro-brew beer. They are located on a corner by Parque Central.

You can also find a really good selection of local food at the local mercado. If you’ve been itching to try the infamous cuy (guinea pig), you can easily find it being sold here. Cuy tastes like quail to me.

If you’re a bit squeamish about food hygiene, the mercado is where you want to go. The food hygiene standards for vendors here are quite strict.

If you wish to prepare your own food, the supermarket is located by the mercado. They have an ATM machine located inside, but if you’re spending more than about $10-15 you can use a debit/credit card at the cashier (you will need ID or a copy of your passport, and it’s a multistep process). Prices and selection are both quite good.

There are also some shawarma places in town. The chifa (Chinese food places) was decent, but no one specific place stood out more than the others.

You will see lots of vendors selling what looks like and is described as taffy. We tried several while there, and I would NOT recommend getting any. They were all pretty nasty.

I would recommend planning on a stay of at least 3-4 days. There’s really quite a bit to do and see.

Have you been to Baños? What are your favorites there?

First thing you do is exercises on land. My first time surfing I constantly kept falling. My second time it was like I could fly.

You should learn to surf so if you go on vacation and they have surfing you can do it. It’s a really fun sport, and Ecuador is the place to do it because the waves are good for learning.