Swing at the End of the World: Casa de Arbol // Banos, Ecuador

Before we take a trip, I like to  pop on Pinterest and search a few of the destinations we are traveling to. When I typed in "Ecuador", over and over and over again, an image of people swinging out over a steep canyon kept coming up. I was intrigued, and slightly mortified. It's called the "Swing at the End of the World" which kind of sounds to me like impending doom…like swinging over Mordor or a boiling volcano of lava. Thankfully…it's just a swing… OVER A CLIFF! 

High atop a mountain in Banos, is a funky little place called Casa de Arbol. You pay an entrance fee of a few dollars, and then have access to the "swing at the end of the world" {see above sentiments}, and a mini ghetto zip line. Oh yeah, and a strange little cafe that sells boiled corn. So random. 

I digress. Corn gets me off track. 

Anyway, the swing was ONCE IN A LIFETIME! I mean really, when are you going to dangle your feet over a thousand foot canyon? Um…I don't know…NEVER! With adrenaline pumping, I was addicted to this swing. I rode it 3 times, and each time had to wipe the silly grin off my face after disembarking. I'm mean, come on…swinging on a swing-set at a local park is fun in it's own right. But add a tree house, and a CLIFF, and oh, I don't know…8,000+ feet of elevation and mountains and fog and that's what you get. Pure. Unadulterated. Awesomeness. 

From Banos, take a cab up to Casa de Arbol. It's about a 15-20 ride, and did I mention it's gorgeous? We were driven up with bikes so that we could ride down the mountain…but that's another story for another time. One that includes a lot of pain. Oh…but stay tuned for that exciting story:) 

PS- If you like my headband, you can purchase them here from the talented Christina!