The Andes and Amazon of Ecuador

Reception at the airport and transfer to the hotel.

Overnight at selected hotel in Quito.

The place to start is the ‘Mitad del Mundo’; a site located just 30 minutes north of Quito, where a monument marks the equator at its closest point to the city. Archaeological evidence shows that both pre-Inca and Inca civilizations recognized and celebrated the equinox, the day the sun is directly over the equator.

In the morning we will make a 45-minute journey northwest to the equatorial line, where we will walk the rim of the extinct Pululahua volcanic crater. Later we will visit the “Ciudad Mitad del Mundo” a group of buildings designed to explain the significance of the site, as well as the Ethnographic or Intiñan Museum, located right on the Equator. Here you will have the chance to plant your feet in two hemispheres at the same time.

Back in Quito, after lunch we will visit the city’s impressive colonial center, the reason Quito was the first city to be named a world heritage site by the United Nations.

Overnight at selected hotel.

Included: Breakfast.

Travel to the Amazon watershed, with scenic and biodiverse cloud forests on our minds. On route, you will stop for a look at the majestic, high elevation and windswept at the Cayambe Coca Ecological Reserve - a very tundra-like habitat.

This afternoon you will undertake a “walking safari” along the primary forest trails below the cabins. It is thrilling to see a photo of a puma, tapir, or perhaps an anteater – taken right where you are standing, perhaps even moments before.

We’ll plan to get back to the cabins for some relaxation time before dinner. At dinner you will be officially welcomed with a taste of Ecuador’s most well-known hot toddy, a delicious drink called “guayusa”.

After a magnificent dinner a night hike awaits us, where we will search for owls, strange insects and nocturnal mammals.

Overnight at selected lodge.

Included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

For those interested, you’ll put your birding caps first thing and get out for an early morning activity. While you slept, the lights around the lodge will have collected a mob of moths and other insects, which means one thing: a buffet for insectivorous birds in search of breakfast! You will spend the early morning watching trogons, woodcreepers, flycatchers and tanagers, as they glean all sorts of bugs in a seemingly frantic attempt to satisfy their morning hunger.

You then depart on your journey eastwards towards the Amazon. After a truly spectacular 1 hour drive down the slopes of the dramatic Andes mountains, past waterfalls and alongside rushing white capped rivers, we arrive at the small colonial town of Archidona.

Their “chocolate trail” begins here. In the community of Santa Rita you will see the entire process of cocoa production.

You then drive to Misahualli for your overnight stay. Misahuallí is an attractive small town located on the banks of the impressive Napo River, one of the most important of the Ecuadorian Amazon. One of town’s attractions is the small monkey population that can be seen most days in the local plaza and at the water’s edge.

Overnight at selected lodge.

Included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

After an early breakfast you will leave your lodge to visit Paykawe Lake for birding and wildlife exploration.

After a morning of wildlife exploration, you will travel down river on a motorized canoe to the tranquil Arajuno river - land of the Runa Huasi (people’s home in Quechua) and Amazonico Animal Rehabilitation Center.

After visiting the Center, we will finish the day with a hike through primary rain forest, followed by a float down the tranquil Arajuno River before heading back to Misahualli and the lodge.

Overnight at selected lodge.

Included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

This ecotourism and cultural exchange experience takes visitors to Machacuyaku. The adventure begins with a two-hour hike through primary and secondary rainforest. Along the way, your expert guide will reveal the secrets of the forest, pointing out its unique flora and fauna. On arrival at the Quechua community of Valle Hermoso, you will visit the community center and engage in several cultural experiences, including a blowgun contest and a pottery and handicraft workshop. Visitors can also simply relax on the shores of the Machacuyacu river.

After a traditional meal, guests can choose to take a scenic hike with several look outs (miradores) with panoramic views of the Napo River Valley and its mysterious, unexplored caves, or opt for a short walk to a majestic ceiba tree, one of the forest’s totems. There, we can learn more about the spiritual life and rituals of the Napo people, and how the community makes use of the many medicinal plants found in the forest.

You invite you to spend a day with us here and support this community effort to provide sustainable use for the rain forest and to promote self-determination among the local communities. By midafternoon, it is time to head back to the Andes towards the Cayambe-Coca Reserve. It is a favourite with visitors attracted by its many fascinating features: the high latitude grasslands and hot springs, the wildlife and the area’s multitude of pristine lakes. We will arrive in Papallacta just in time for a relaxing and well deserved natural spring thermal bath right outside your room!.

Overnight at the selected lodge.

Included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Papallacta, located just outside the southern border of the park, is surrounded by some 60 lakes. It also has an abundance of hot springs (whose source is the Antisana volcano), that can be enjoyed after taking one of the many hikes into the Reserve to see waterfalls, birds and other local wildlife.

You have time this morning for a hike along the self-guided trails of the protected area, another nice relaxing bath, or a relaxing massage at Papallacta Spa before heading back to Quito.

Overnight at selected hotel.

Included: Breakfast, lunch.

You start in Quito with a 2-hour drive through the Andes to Cotopaxi. You will see bustling towns and small villages en route, along with beautiful alpine views (weather permitting). As you approach Cotopaxi National Park, you will be able to see the snow-capped summits of both the Cotopaxi and the Antisana volcanoes on a clear day.

You will visit the Cotopaxi Interpretation center to learn about the history of its major eruptions as well as the local flora and fauna. Later, you will go to the windswept Limpiopungo Lake and discover the area by walking around it. Surrounded by beautiful peaks with Cotopaxi looming in the distance, it’s a beautiful setting to begin your discovery of the Andes ecosystem.

Optionally, if you feel like a longer walk, you can drive up the lower slopes of Cotopaxi, then embark on hike to the Jose Ribas mountain refuge (4800m), a small hostel used as a base for climbers preparing to climb to Cotopaxi’s summit. From here you will have spectacular views of Cotopaxi itself and the surrounding volcanoes of the Andes.

Overnight at selected lodge.

Included: Breakfast and dinner.

After breakfast we leave Cotopaxi and continue our route through the Avenue of the Volcanoes.

On the way, you will travel to a traditional indigenous marketplace in the Cotopaxi area. Local markets are part of Ecuadorian traditional culture; the places where indigenous communities buy food and accessories; this is a real contrast to how you shop in our regular supermarkets.

Your drive to Baños will take approximately 3 hours. Your first stop will the Pailon del Diablo (Devil’s Cauldron). Pailon del Diablo is huge waterfall located 30 minutes from the city of Baños, on the way to the Amazon. It is considered one of the biggest attractions in the area. You can see the inspiration for its name in the churning and burbling waters at the base of the falls, along with the ‘devil’s face’ you can see in the rocks when standing on the suspension bridge.

Later you will stop at a magical place - the swing of Baños. Located in the top of a mountain, it offers a wonderful view between the mountains and the valley. What started as a seismic monitoring station in a tree to observe Mt. Tungurahua, the nearby active volcano, the famed swing has become a place to take in the area’s incredible views and observe the brave daredevils who swing out over the canyon for an exhilarating ride! From the swing you will continue to Riobamba. (Drive time approximately 1.5 hours).

Overnight at the selected lodge.

Included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

After breakfast you will drive for 2 hours to Alausi to meet the Devil’s Nose train.

The biggest complication faced by the construction of the Trans-Andean railroad was the Devil’s Nose, a mountain with almost perpendicular walls. To overcome this obstacle, a zigzag railroad was built, enabling the train to climb or descend, first going one way and then reversing. The transition from Andean to coastal vegetation in an incredibly short distance is one of the journey’s most remarkable features. You descend nearly 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) in only 12 km (7.5 miles) of track. This, right on the Equator, translates into a dramatic shift in climate and environment. It is one of the most spectacular railway journeys in the world and remains an impressive piece of engineering.

While recovering from the hair-raising descent you will enjoy the views of the narrow gorge of river Chanchán and will have the chance to learn a bit about the traditions and worldview of the Puruhua people in Sibambe.

You have two options for departing Sibambe – you can either hike or drive to the Pistishi viewpoint. The scenic, uphill hike takes about an hour. Either way, you have spectacular views of the Nariz del Diablo (Devil’s Nose) railroad from the viewpoint. If you prefer, you can also have transportation waiting to drive us to the viewpoint. The Devil’s Nose Train runs from Tues – Sun, plus holidays.

After admiring the view of the Devil’s Nose you will drive approximately 2 hours to Ingapirca. The Ingapirca Ruins, are the largest and best preserved archaeological complex in Ecuador. The Inca Empire’s only remaining sun temple, it was built with stones perfectly carved and joined with natural mortar. The temple served as a venue for ceremonies and rituals of the Cañari-Inca culture, and also had strategic military purposes. You will explore the complex, learning about the various structures – from baths to the wineries.

After your time at Ingapirca, you will drive approximately 1.5 hours to reach Cuenca where you will overnight.

Overnight at selected hotel.

Included: Breakfast, lunch.

Today you explore and celebrate the traditional craftspeople of Ecuador. The towns of Gualaceo and Chordeleg, are located just 45 minutes East of Cuenca. In these traditional settlements set in beautiful Andean landscapes, you will meet families who are still making textiles the way the "Cañaris" (the pre-Inca inhabitants) did more than 500 years ago. You will also visit the workshops of a traditional jewelry maker, a guitar maker’s that forms part of the ‘Guitar Trail’, and a ‘Chola Cuencana’, who stills makes her straw hats in the traditional manner. Along the way you will have the opportunity to visit an orchid farm that houses more than 2,000 species of orchids, as well as visiting shoemakers, jewelers, the food and fruit market, and more.

Overnight at the selected hotel.

Included: Breakfast, lunch.

Departing very early from Cuenca, you will begin to make your way to Bucay on Ecuador’s coast. The drive takes approximately 3.5 hours straight through, however you will likely be tempted to stop and take in the views or stretch our legs with a short hike in the stunning Cajas National Park on our breathtaking descent from the Andes. This park, virtually unknown outside of Ecuador, is home to Lord of the Rings type landscapes, along with incredible flora and fauna. As your drive continues, you make your way through a variety of Ecuador’s incredible ecosystems. Your rapid descent from the Andes into the lowlands is spectacularly scenic, with snowy peaks, misty forests, and finally the coast.

On arrival in Bucay, you will visit Hacienda La Danesa. Located in Ecuador’s tropical coastal region with the spectacular Andes Mountains as backdrop, Hacienda La Danesa is a 500 ha. traditional dairy farm that produces about 2,000 liters of milk per day, as well as fresh cheese for guests every morning. The hacienda also has cocoa and teak plantations and breeds beautiful pinto quarter horses.

During your day at Hacienda La Danesa you will be able to choose from the following activities: a tour of the cacao plantation, teak plantation tour, mountain biking and tubing on lazy rivers. You will also enjoy a delicious three-course lunch menu prepared by the Hacienda’s expert chefs.

After lunch, you will drive approximately 2 hours to Guayaquil.

Overnight at the selected hotel.

Included: Breakfast, lunch.

Transfer from the hotel to the airport.