We spent five leisurely days in the town of Baños de Agua Santa. It’s the first area that starts to feel a little more like the jungle (which they refer to as El Oriente here in Ecuador) as you head east into the Amazon.
We were completely spoiled. Months ago I spotted this amazing hacienda on HomeExchange, surrounded by an orchard and sitting up on the high bank of a river. I sent a request as a long shot, and the family accepted.
After an action-packed week before getting to Baños, and being in such beautiful accommodations, we took it pretty easy most of the time. We did make a day trip down to a really intense waterfall called Pailon de Diablo (the Devil’s Cauldron).