BEST OF
Ecuador
Possible extensions: Galápagos Islands
Circuit 9 nights program – Season 2017
QUITO/ OTAVALO/ AMAZONIA/ BAÑOS/ ALAUSI/ CUENCA/ GUAYAQUIL
5 reasons to sell this circuit
- Accompanied circuit of 11 days with visits to all the major sights.
- English-speaking guides participants –
- Excellent 3* hotels in great locations
- Circuit of 15 days including Galapagos extension.
- Galapagos: visit four islands sheltering the key flora and fauna of the archipelago.
What you should know
Long road time driving through mountains between certain stages. The scenery is wonderful but we prefer to inform our customers.
For Galapagos: accommodation in one hotel and boat trips every day to visit the nearest islands. From 2 to 4 hours of sailing per day.
Daily transport time
Day 1: Arrive in Quito.
Day 2: Quito / Equinoctial Line / Quito (1h30).
Day 3: Quito / Otavalo / Cuicocha / Otavalo (3 hours drive).
Day 4: Otavalo / Amazon (road about 5:00).
Day 5: Amazon / Puyo / Baños (3:30 drive).
Day 6: Baños / Riobamba / Chimborazo / Alausí (6 hours drive in all).
Day 7: Alausí Market / Train Andes (1:30 train) / Ingapirca / Cuenca (about 4 hours drive).
Day 8: Cuenca City.
Day 9: Cuenca / Guayaquil (4 hours drive).
Day 10: Guayaquil Out/( volnot included).
Extension Galápagos : Please take into account 2-4 hours of sailing per day
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
- Air: The program is based on the schedules of Iberia airline with arrival in Quito in the afternoon of day 1 and from Guayaquil in the afternoon of day 10. However, it is possible to use other airlines with regards to other cities and the arrival and departure times to avoid additional transfer fee when joining the group.
- Formalities: passports must be valid at least six months after the date of return.
- Health: No vaccinations are required. Antimalarial treatment is recommended as well as an anti-mosquito lotion for the Amazon stage.
- Altitude: The majority of stages of the circuit (except Amazon and Galapagos Islands extension) is over 2000m. Some collars are over 3000m.
- Climate: Wide variety of climates. The most pleasant season is probably between June and December: temperate or cold in the mountains, hot and humid in the Amazon and Guayaquil.
HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR TRIP IN ECUADOR
- Discovery of the historic centers of Quito and Cuenca, cities classified heritage of humanity by Unesco.
- The passage through the equator between the two hemispheres, which was calculated by La Condamine in the eighteenth century.
- Stroll in the Indian market of Otavalo, considered all of South America’s largest.
- Contemplation of the Avenue of the Volcanoes: the countries of central valleys surrounded by towering snow-capped volcanoes.
- Visit the Cuicocha Lagoon, located in the heart of the crater of a volcano, part of the ecological reserve Cotacachi-Cayapas.
- Exploration of the Ecuadorian Amazon on foot to discover the wild nature in all its splendor.
- Meeting with indigenous communities in the Amazon.
- Getaway aboard the Andean train to the site of the “Nariz del Diablo”, performed zigzag along the slope.
- Between Cuenca and Guayaquil, beautiful road of the Andes to the Pacific Ocean and the estuary of the Guayas River.
- Small, comfortable boutique hotels, part of the selection made by Quimbaya Latin America. Menu meals chosen for you to taste specialties from the Ecuadorian cuisine
LES HÔTELS
Quito
EMBASSY****
Standard hotel located strategically in the commercial area of the city, near hotels, banks, malls, museums, galleries, theaters and other tourist sites. Our 30 year experience in customer service allows our visitors to feel truly at home. The hotel offers comfortable single, double, triple rooms, suites and apartments all equipped with hot water. Wi-Fi access in rooms and a safety box are also available.
Web Site: www.hoteles-embassy.com/
Otavalo
EL INDIO INN***
Small hotel located in the heart of Otavalo at only 300 m (1/5 mile) of the famous Otavalo Market. It has 33 comfortable rooms with private bathroom and hot water. The hotel has a restaurant where you can try the exquisite Ecuadorian flavors and some international meals. Security box is available at the lobby.
Web Site: www.hotelelindioinn.com
Amazon Jungle
HUASQUILA LODGE ***
Excellent location on the border of the Andes and the Amazon. It’s possible to make excursions to the discovery of completely different ecosystems from the lodge. 20 comfortable cabins with terrace built in Kichwa style with natural materials. Restaurant.
Web site: www.huasquila.com
Baños
LA FLORESTA**
La Floresta Hotel in Baños in the Province of Tungurahua is amply blessed with natural beauty. Here, at any time of the year, you will experience a wide variety of adventures as we enjoy the pleasure of serving you and other tourists from all over the world.
La Floresta is situated in a safe and quiet residential zone, near downtown and two blocks from financial and commercial services. The minute you arrive you will find yourself at home in a small hotel that feels like a comfortable private residence. 29 rooms.
Web site: www.lafloresta.banios.com
Alausi
EL MOLINO***
This hotel is located in the city of Alausi formerly important point of connection between Quito and Guayaquil for travelers who ventured to take the train of the Andes. Its architecture is the result of mixing between the coastal and Andean style of the late 19th century. Built with local materials: adobe, small variety of bamboo, cedar, wrought iron, tile, corrugated sheet, etc. Three old houses were restored according to their original structure, and in a friendly atmosphere. It has 13 double rooms with 2 king size beds, 4 double rooms with 1 queen size bed and 2 triple rooms with king beds. Each room has a private bathroom with hot water 24 hours. The property offers free wi-fi service, free access to computers, laundry facilities and a central patio for meals with a capacity of 50 people.
Web Site: http://alausi.hotelelmolino.com.ec/
Cuenca
INCA REAL***
The hotel has a magical and elegant atmosphere with a quarter century of service. The “Inca Real” was recently declared part of the architectural heritage of the city of Cuenca. In this wonderful place you will enjoy the charm of fifty years of history and comfort along with all the installations of a modern hotel. You will find 25 delightful rooms, each one with bathroom and hot water showers, television and telephone. Security box is available in the lobby. Wi-Fi Internet access.
Web site: www.hotelincareal.com
Guayaquil
CONTINENTAL***
The Continental Style is the product of one family’s 50 years old tradition in the hotel business.
The Hotel Continental was inaugurated in 1974 and during its existence it has been relentless in making sure that all its services offered to customers be the very best.
Architecturally speaking the Hotel is a complex that projects itself with its own personality and versatility allowing us to incorporate new technologies in different areas of service.
The Hotel is literally surround by very interesting buildings and facilities as: the Parque Seminario, The Metropolitan Cathedral, the Post Office and Telecommunications building, the new Malecon 2000 and the Cristal Palace Hall. It is actually located right in the heart of the banking and commercial district, which is very convenient, whether you are in the City for pleasure or on business.
check out 12h00
Web site: www.hotelcontinental.com.ec
TÉLÉCHARGEZ LE PROGRAMME
Day 1 – Arrival in Quito
Arrival at Quito airport. Meet your English -speaking guide and transfer to hotel. Free dinner. Overnight at the hotel EMBASSY*** or SIMILAR.
Day 2 – Quito / Equinoctial Line / Quito
Breakfast at the hotel.
Visit the historic center of Quito, World Heritage site by UNESCO. Discover its architectural heritage dating from the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Walk on the Independence Square where the Cathedral and the Archdiosese, embellished with arches and fountains. Continue to La Compañia (Church of the Company of Jesus), a Mudejar baroque jewel whose interior contains a golden fairy. Walk on the esplanade which is always lively, located opposite the Church of San Francisco, built on the foundations of an Inca palace whose interior is home to masterpieces of Latin American religious art and surrounded by pretty colonial houses.
Lunch in a traditional restaurant.
Departure to the Middle of the World, which was established with precision crossing the Equator line in 1735 by French Geodesic Expedition. Visit the small ethnological museum that tells the Ecuadorian ancestral culture.
Dinner in town. Overnight at the hotel EMBASSY*** or SIMILAR.
Day 3 – Quito / Otavalo / Cuicocha / Otavalo
Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure to Lake San Pablo.
Arrival in Otavalo, located 2,600 meters above sea level, to visit This native market.
Walk around the area devoted to fabrics and crafts and the fruit market, with vegetables, seeds and spices …
All stalls are operated by the Otavalo community dressed in traditional costumes and jewelry.
Lunch with the locals
Route through the region Quiroga and páramos up Cuicocha to admire the old crater of Cotacachi volcano, now a natural lake.
Promenade to admire the flora and fauna around the lake to a sundial.
Visit Peguche and Iluman, traditional villages, to discover the Andean Quichua culture.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel EL INDIO INN*** or SIMILAR.
Day 4 – Otavalo / Amazon
Breakfast at the hotel.
Descent of the Andes to the Amazon basin through the neck of the Virgin of Páramo 4000 m above sea level.
Arrival in the city of Baeza. Coffee break.
Continue to the Guacamayos Andean mountain range.
Beautiful panoramas of high altitude damp forest, reserve Antisana and Sumaco National Park.
At Archidona, a small town at the beginning of the Amazon, visit a traditional market where they prepare various dishes.
For example the “maito” equivalent of “en papillote”, but wrapped with a Rumipanga sheet.
Arrive at the lodge.
Lunch on arrival.
Walking about two hours in the Amazon rainforest. Discovery of endemic plants, some with medicinal properties.
Observation of wildlife as possible.
Dinner and overnight at the HUASQUILA LODGE or SIMILAR.
Day 5 – Amazon / Puyo / Baños
Breakfast at the hotel.
Meeting with the Quichua indigenous community to know its customs.
Ascent of the Cordillera towards Puyo, cultural and commercial capital of the Amazon region. Visit a craft store manufacturer balsa, very light wood of the tropical jungle.
Vertiginous road and impressive landscapes of the Pastaza Canyon and the alley of waterfalls to Baños, a charming town surrounded by sugar cane fields, orchards and Andean mountains covered by thick vegetation. The hot springs and waterfalls complement the decor.
There will be a walk of about forty minutes to reach the site of the “Pailón del Diablo” embellished by an impressive waterfall.
Lunch in a traditional restaurant.
Visit a workshop in Baños that works with vegetable ivory (Tagua). Tour the city on foot.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel LA FLORESTA*** or SIMILAR.
Day 6 – Baños / Riobamba / Chimborazo / Alausí
Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure to Riobamba through the legendary Pan-American Highway. Walk through the historic center, a perfect example of a small town in Ecuador. Contemplate beautiful snowy mountains surrounding Riobamba and explore some of the Chimborazo Park to admire the “páramo” vegetation of the high Andean plateaus and region where indigenous graze cattle
Chimborazo Park, excursion to Chimborazo Park. A huge “patchwork” of fields takes the side of the mountain, as high as the altitude allows. You will cross the “paramo” (high Andean plateau) where Indian graze their animals.
Lunch in a restaurant dedicated to llama meat. It is run by a community of women in the region that is part of a tourism fair network. Continue on the Panamerican. Crossing the large fertile valleys. Passage through the historic church of Balbanera first Catholic construction Ecuador, dating from the fifteenth century.
Arrive at Alausí.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel EL MOLINO DE ALAUSÍ*** or SIMILAR.
Day 7 – Alausi / Andean Train / Ingapirca / Cuenca
Breakfast at the hotel.
Walk through the fruit and vegetable market of Alausí. Boarding of the Train of the Andes *. A zigzag course up and down the Andean mountains to “Nariz del Diablo”.
* Important : This path may be subject to unforeseen (landslides) and Ecuadorian railways can then cancel the train. In this case, the route will be offered by bus bypassing “Nariz del Diablo”.
Lunch in a traditional restaurant.
Bus ride to Ingapirca Inca archaeological site. This citadel located at 3100 m altitude of the pre-Columbian site constitutes the largest of the country. Ingapirca 15th century, when the reign of Emperor Huayna Capac. The mystery of its actual use remainsa mystery, wondering if it was a fortress, observatory or a temple dedicated. Departure to Cuenca, art city whose historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Dinner at a restaurant in town. Overnight at the hotel. INCA REAL*** or SIMILAR.
Day 8 – Cuenca
Breakfast at the hotel.
Discover the unique architecture of Cuenca composed of houses and churches in the colonial and republican styles. Stroll through its picturesque streets and lush gardens. Passage through the flower market on the square of the Church Carmen de La Asunción.
Lunch will be served in a restaurant in the historical center.
OUR EXCLUSIVES
- Tasting the excellent Ecuadorian chocolate in a traditional factory. Observation of the development process of this confectionery cocoa preparation for its transformation into fine chocolate flakes.
- Cigar factory and Panama hat museum owned by the Ortega family. These hats were manufactured in Ecuador to protect the workers who built the Panama Canal.
- Discovery of the precious museum of aboriginal cultures that houses a large archaeological, cultural and ethnographic collection of Ecuador.
Dinner at a restaurant in town. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 9 – Cuenca / Guayaquil
Breakfast at the hotel.
Beautiful route to Guayaquil, Ecuador’s Pacific port.
Guayaquil is the largest city and one of the liveliest of Ecuador through its African heritage.
Lunch during the excursion.
Discovery of an organic cacao plantation whose trees grow in the shade of others for natural protection against sunlight.
A cocoa plantation resembles a large tropical garden.
View Guayaquil through the Malécon 2000, an avenue embellished with gardens on the banks of the Guayas River.
It is also the commercial and cultural center of this very mixed city.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel CONTINENTAL**** or SIMILAR
Day 10 – Guayaquil – France
Breakfast at the hotel.
Free day in Guayaquil. Meals not included.
OPTIONAL: DAY ALONG THE PACIFIC TO PLAYA VILLAMIL – PUERTO MORRO
PLAYA VILLAMIL
To take advantage of this otherwise free day in Guayaquil, here is an original option (Price from 160 usd per person based on 2 participants). About 2 hours from Guayaquil, close to the resort of Playas Villamil, Puerto Morro is a picturesque fishing village and a region where nature is protected. First, small boat ride to observe flora and fauna of this corner of Pacific seabirds, dolphins and intact mangroves. Enjoy the beach in Playas de Villamil with showers and changing rooms.
Lunch in a traditional restaurant and back to Guayaquil for transfer to the airport with assistance.
Transfer to the airport. Assistance with boarding formalities and flight back (not included).
END OF OUR SERVICES.