The beauties of Ecuador

Arrival at Quito airport.

Meet your English -speaking guide and transfer to hotel.

Free dinner. 

Overnight at the hotel 

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

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

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

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

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 

Breakfast at the hotel.

Walk through the fruit and vegetable market of Alausí.

Take a pickup truck to descent to the Sibambe station to observe the Devil´s Nose.

Stop at the viewpoint of Tolte for a photo shot and enjoy a traditional danse performed by the local community.

Lunch in a traditional restaurant.

Bus ride to Ingapirca Inca archaeological site. (Close on Mondays and Tuesdays)

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.

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.

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 

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.