Day trip to Rio Negro

This is Mike...
We decided to do a day trip to Rio Negro area along carretera 30, just east of Banos. The valleys are amazing with lots of water features, land slides (a portion of the highway collapsed), and outdoor activities for the thrill seekers. We are adventurous, but we were leery of the steep slopes so we did not try crossing the huge 400 foot ravines on rusty cables. I am sure it would have been fine, but the middle aged father in me still has visions of walking my daughters down the isle one day. For those of you looking at visiting Banos, many of these activities are easily accessible by renting a bicycle in town and going it alone. There are plenty of eateries along the road so only water would be necessary for the bike trip.
We did stop to have a picnic at Parque Provincial de la Familia Banos de Agua Santa which is a nice municipal park situated near the hydroelectric dam. The cost of admission to the park is $1 per vehicle and the restrooms were fantastic! My wife is "so over" disgusting, sub standard, inoperable restrooms in Latin America that its painful, so this was an unexpected treat. We would highly rate the park especially if you come prepared for a picnic like we did.

Rio Pastaza

One of the many waterfalls that flow into the river (you can see the size of the waterfall by looking at the homes just above the falls)

There are plenty signs of landslides along the way

Some of the slopes are eerie with only moss growing on them

A room with a view

The smallest trout here would have been 5 pounds, they were huge fish.

Everything grows so well here

The highway was for the most part in very good shape except for the washed out section.

Using bamboo for a small aqueduct

Busted - Zoe tried getting the last of the Nutella out of the jar prior to throwing it away.