IMAGES: GETTY; ALAMY
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Try extreme sports BEST FOR: INTREPID TRAVELLERS
Not all travellers will jump at the opportunity to fling themselves off the edge of an Amazonian waterfall, but those who do should head to Baños. Located on the outskirts of the rainforest, this pretty city is the gateway to the Ruta de las Cascadas (Waterfall Route), which takes in several thundering cascades. Intrepid visitors can join one of the area’s popular canyoning tours, navigating the mountain streams that flow through local gorges, accompanied by local guides. Slide along gentle chutes and abseil down higher drops, supported by a rope wrapped around the river-battered rocks, before swimming in the natural pools below. Alternatively, try paragliding or zip-lining at high speed above the Amazonian treeline. Once back in Baños, reward yourself with a dip in one of the town’s mineral-rich hot springs.
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Explore the cloud forests BEST FOR: WILDLIFE SPOTTERS
All around Mindo, in the north of the country, white clouds wrap around a patch of jungle elevated by the Andes. This small town is set high in Ecuador’s cloud forest — sections of rainforest found at altitudes above 3,000ft. Mindo’s rare vantage point makes it one of the best spots in the rainforest for birdwatching, with the canopy home to species including rare golden-headed quetzals, colourful tanagers and long-billed toucans. Keep an eye out for the striking scarlet mohawks of the cocks-of-the-rock. These birds are famous for more than their distinctive name: with elaborate mating displays and voluminous plumes, they put on one of the Amazon’s most compelling shows. The males’ dance, designed to demonstrate their masculinity, lasts for around 20 minutes and is most often spotted in the early morning.
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Discover Huaorani territory BEST FOR: THE CULTURALLY CURIOUS
Learn about one of the oldest surviving Amazonian cultures by heading deep into Huaorani territory, a small stretch of the Ecuadorian rainforest between the Curaray and Napo rivers. The Indigenous Huaorani tribe is one of the world’s most isolated, having had virtually no contact with the outside world until recent decades. Accompanied and guided by some of the more modern members of the tribe, travellers can participate in Huaorani customs and daily rituals, including preparing their traditional cuisine. There’s even the chance to take a quick course in fashioning sharpened darts dipped in paralysing curare poison. The darts are then shot through blowguns, a skill travellers can observe at hunting parties or on outings while tracking monkeys, birds and tapirs.
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