Ecuador: The Difference between an Extreme Adventure and an Extraordinarily Extreme Adventure

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When practicing extreme sports, the body receives a shot of adrenaline that makes us experience what we call “an intense sensation”. In this world, there are many of these sports that make us have amazing experiences. However, with the passing of time these experiences become monotonous with the daily practice of such sport. To avoid that, Ecuador has profited from its natural environments to maximize the intensity while practicing extreme adventures, providing carefully chosen spots with unique surroundings that make extreme adventures an original experience. Find out below the difference between an extreme adventure and an extraordinarily extreme adventure:

• Hidrospeed at Santo Domingo (The Andes)

In the area of the Andes, there are some of the nature’s most pristine places perfect for the practice of fun sports such as the hidrospeed: a sport that puts you in direct contact with water in which you don’t use any kind of boat, but a small floating sled to go down the river using your legs for propulsion. It is something similar to bodyboard, but done in a river. This sport can be practiced in a province very close to the Ecuadorian coast called Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, in the waters of the Blanco River located inside a natural paradise called Valle Hermoso. Thanks to its geographic location, this route offers different landscapes of exuberant vegetation and contrasting weathers that change drastically as you go down the river.

• Bungee Jumping at the Pastaza River’s bridge (Los Andes - Amazonia)

This sport is practiced inside the city of Baños de Agua Santa, located inside the Tungurahua Province. Tied up to the San Francisco Bridge, you will experience the adventure of jumping off the bridge to the powerful waters of the Pastaza River, directly to the rocks where the water incessantly breaks into, adding to the experience an extra touch of risk. The surroundings of this place make the difference: the beautiful Andean and Amazonian landscapes with shinny waterfalls and the Tungurahua Volcano as its eternal guardian make bungee jumping at the Pastaza River a completely different experience.

• Towing at the Canoa Beach (Ecuadorian Coast)

Experience astonishing emotions by reaching great heights with a sport called Truck Towing. As its name says, Truck Towing consists on a Delta wing which is pulled by an all-terrain vehicle until it gains enough speed to fly up to the sky more than 700m (2296ft). The ideal place for practicing this sport is at the north coast of the Canoa Beach, located inside the Manabí Province. In this place, excellent thermal air currents are originated, making it perfect to set out a trip to the sky and observe from above the endless sea with its deep blue color and its waves braking into the white sand. Once in the air, the villages, the mountains and the forests laying on the horizon can be seen in just a glance.

• Diving at Las Grietas (Galapagos)

Diving is something usual, but in a truly enchanted place like the Galapagos Islands, the most usual things become fascinating. In the Santa Cruz Island (also known as the Indefatigable Island), west of the Academia Bay, is found a fantastic spot called Las Grietas, which is a great crack in the land that forms two perpendicular, high walls at whose bottom lies a channel of crystalline waters. This is the ideal place to take your most original jump to the water from an approximate height of 12m (39ft). You will be amazed by the water’s transparency, which allows you to easily observe the wonderful aquatic life. If you believe that this dive couldn’t get any more surprising, you will be shocked when you realize this channel has freshwater at the top and saltwater at the bottom. Have different and fun experiences in only one dive!

Extreme sports can be practiced all around the world, but Ecuador offers places that seem to have been designed by nature especially for the practice of these sports, making the experience of an extreme adventure even more special.

Photo: helixblue