Canyoning in Baños, Ecuador was one of the most terrifying yet thrilling experiences we have attempted! It was something neither one of had done before. With no experience what-so-ever, we repelled down two different waterfalls, zip-lined down one, and also flung ourselves off another. Plus, we had the opportunity to swim under fallen trees, rockslide down short waterfalls, and swim beneath large waterfalls. Of course we were terrified, but Angel and Alex explained each activity in detail and made us feel safe throughout the day. By the end, it became second nature to us. If you are ever in Baños, we highly recommend you take a shot at canyoning. Read on for brief summary of our experience with photos and descriptions of what to expect while canyoning!
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One of the first things you will do is get your body wet. You will be asked to lay down in the water and then you will slide backwards down a little waterfall. It doesn’t seem like much, but it was a little nerve racking going blind, backwards down a river.
Next, you will watch your guide as he runs down the waterfall and set up a zip line. The waterfall is about 24 feet high. Our guide Alex held us for a few seconds to get a few photos before releasing us to slide down the rope. Check one of them out below!
After the zip line, we took a little breather as we waited for our guide to take down the ropes. The adrenaline was definitely pumping and we were so ready for the next waterfall. Bring it on!
The next waterfall is 26 feet high and you do not repel or zip line off this one- you just leap off of it. It looks a lot higher when they start counting down the seconds before you jump off. I was a little reluctant after watching Thomas go first. For videos of our jump and others, click here!
The first waterfall you repel down is about 22-24 feet high. It may seem easy, but when it is your first time, you really have to build up your confidence in the rope and know that you will not fall. It is actually quite difficult to repel. If you do not feed rope through your belt, you just sit there. It was a nice work out if you ask me!
The next waterfall is not that different than the first one you repel down. You are a little closer to the waterfall as you descend and it is a little bit higher. After the first, you will have more confidence in yourself and the rope, and it becomes second nature. About 2 meters before reaching the bottom of each waterfall they will ask you to stop and count down before you let go and jump backwards into the water. It was nerve racking at first, but our guides totally made us feel safe.
We spent some time climbing down smaller waterfalls through some raging water. Our guides told us exactly how to maneuver through them as we descend further down the river. We had some time to jump off smaller waterfalls and even swam beneath one. It was intense! Check out videos of the walk through the river and others here!
We ended the day jumping off smaller rocks and swimming in the river. It was a nice way to finish the day and to wind down after all the repelling. Our guides Alex and Angel were awesome! We were the only ones that day, so all the photos and videos are of us. They took so many photos and vides throughout the day and truly made for a great experience canyoning in Baños. We finished the day having some grilled trout for lunch at the restaurant where they parked the van. It was delicious!
When we got back to the office, the owner was having trouble sending us the photos/videos and allowed us to log onto his computer to ensure we received them. He also told us to come back the next day if there was any issues with receiving them. All in all, canyoning with Ivaga Tours was hands down our favorite activity in Baños. Our guides were highly knowledgeable and caring when it came to explaining jumps and repels. They took so many photos and videos off us through out the day. They made us feel safe repelling and gave us the confidence we needed in order to be safe. We couldn’t have been happier with our experience with Ivaga Tours. Check them out when you are in Baños. You will not be disappointed!
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