Deep in the Ecuadorian wilderness is a seismic monitoring station known as Casa del Arbol or "The Treehouse" because it is simply a small house built in a tree used for observing Mt. Tungurahua, the active volcano in the near distance.
While the simple wooden room is a sight to behold, the real attraction is the crude swing hanging from one of the tree's skinny branches. With no harness, net, or any other safety feature the swing (itself nothing more than a thick stick suspended by two ropes) arcs riders out into the void over the canyon.
Adventurous visitors are welcome to take a ride on the swinging seat, which may have been updated recently, adding a small, fabric belt to hold you in a bit. My daughter was mildly disappointed in the swing, because you're not actually swinging out over a void, but over a steepish hill, about 100 feet up. Plenty of fun for the family, though, and very beautiful.
