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This extraordinary journey really covers the whole of Ecuador! You start with a visit to the pristine jungles in the north, the market of Otavalo in the Northern Lakes region, the capital Quito and the Equator, and drive south along the Avenue of the Volcanoes to Riobamba and Alausi, enjoy the famous train ride over the Devil’s Nose to Cuenca visiting the most famous Inca ruins along the way: Ingapirca. After visiting the colonial splendour of Cuenca, we head south to Podocarpus National Park and Ecuador’s most southerly city Loja. Then we fly into Ecuador’s largest town Guayaquil, from where we visit the coast with the famous Isla de La Plata and Los Frailles beach as well as some Valdivia sites (oldest archeological sites in the Americas). To complete your journey through Ecuador, you can join us to a journey to the Galapagos. Really a journey covering Ecuador’s many different worlds!!!
The Itinerary
Day 1 (Friday)
Arrival in Quito. Welcome at the airport and transfer to hotel Sebastian. Overnight in Hotel Sebastian..
Day 2 (Saturday)
Transfer to the airport for flight to Coca. Transfer to La Selva Lodge (Sacha Lodge also available). (B L D)
Days 3-4 (Sunday-Monday)
La Selva Lodge Program or La Sacha Lodge Program (B L D).
Day 5 (Tuesday)
Transfer to Coca for return flight to Quito, Transfer to the hotel San Sebastian (B)
Day 6 (Wednesday)
After breakfast, we drive to Calderon, known for its bread-dough figures, originally made to celebrate the day of the death, but nowadays used all year round. We continue to Cayambe for freshly baked Bizcochos. Our drive takes us through some of the most attractive Andean landscapes like Mira Lago viewpoint, from where we arrive in a few minutes in Otavalo with its famous Indian market, just in time to bargain for hand- knitted wool sweaters, colourful tapestries, wood carvings, silver jewelry, native paintings, woolen en straw hats and much more. From Otavalo we head for Cotacachi, a town famous for its handmade leather goods. An optional lunch is served at a typical Hacienda or Country inn. Late in the afternoon we drive back to Quito via a different route enjoying landscapes that are even more amazing. Overnight in Hotel Sebastian (B)
Day 7 (Thursday)
We first visit modern Quito with a spectacular view of the valley of Tumbaco and Guapulo’s Franciscan monastery. We continue to Ecuador’s House of Congress to see its stone-carved facade depicting scenes from Ecuadorian history: Independence Square with the Presidential Palace, the cathedral, El Sagrario, the church of La Compania (1605) - optional entrance to its breathtaking gilded altars considered the finest example of baroque art in America, and the church of San Francisco (1535) with its bizarre mixture of Spanish and Indian styles. A short visit to an art and crafts gallery is included. We drive up to El Panecillo Gill to have a spectacular view of Quito and its winged Madonna. Besites visiting the colonial center of Quito we visit the Middle of the world monument and museum 30 minutes north of Quito. Here we find a marker on the exact Equator line latitude 00 0’ 0", a unique place, where you can stand with one foot in each hemisphere. Overnight in Hotel Sebastian(B)
Days 8 (Friday)
Free day to explore this beautiful capital on your own. Overnight in Hotel Sebastian (B)
Day 9 (Saturday)
After an early departure, driving south of Quito, we visit the first Ecuadorian mainland national park, where we can appreciate via the Andes moorlands paramos the highest active volcano, the Cotopaxi. After lunch in a local traditional Hacienda, we continue south to Riobamba and visit a local Indian market at the foothills of Ecuador’s highest snow capped mountain, the Chimborazo. Riobamba is the birthplace of Ecuador’s first constitution in 1830. A panoramic tour of Riobamba includes its French-influenced plazas and the cathedral. Admire the city from Quito Hill and learn about Ecuador’s history from its murals. Accommodation in El Troje country inn in Riobamba.
Day 10 (Sunday):
After breakfast, an enchanting drive through some of the most picture farming areas of the country, where hundreds of green small patches cover the hills with the most vivid carpet you can imagine. The church of Our Lady Balbanera, the first catholic building in the country, Colta lake and the Indian town of Guamote are just a few sites you will see until you reach Alausi train station. From here you experience the adventure of going from the high Andes to lower elevations by train through the Devil’s Nose. In the afternoon, we go to Ingapirca at 3100m/10168 ft above sea level, which is the most important religious and military monument left by the Incas in Ecuador. After an interesting visit, we drive to Cuenca for the night in Hotel Conquistador. (B)
Day 11 (Monday):
To most visitors, Cuenca is the prettiest colonial city in the country. After breakfast, let its cobblestone streets, graceful wrought iron balconies and flowers captivate you. Its market places and handicrafts are a living testimony to the region’s rich Indian and artistic heritage. The handsome sunlit domes of the cathedral, the quiet convents and museums, the city’s romantic Tomebamba river flanked by overhanging houses are part of an experience that no one should miss. A visit to a straw hat export enterprise is scheduled. Afternoon free to roam Cuenca on your own or just to relax. Overnight in Cuenca in hotel Conquistador. (B)
Day 12 (Tuesday)
We take the road to Loja, located in the most southern part of Ecuador and visit Saraguro village on the way. The Saraguros are on of the Indian groups with most pride and sense of identity in Ecuador. They have been in the country ever since the Inca Huayna Capac brought them from somewhere else in the Andes when he came to conquer the territory that is now Ecuador. They are ethnically different from other native people in the Andean highlands: they speak a very pure form of Quichua and maintain an almost entirely pure blood lineage. The Saraguros have chosen a temperate mid-altitude area on the route from Cuenca to Loja for themselves. It is the only place to find their unique handicrafts. In the afternoon we drive to the Sacred Valley of Vilcabamba, also known as the Longevity Valley because of the old age that a good number of inhabitants reach (many of them over 100 years old). We visit this valley full of corn and sugar cane fields, fruit orchards and cattle pastures, close to Podocarpus National Park. Overnight in hosteria de Vilcabamba.
Day 13 (Wednesday)
Bring your binoculars to spend a full morning visiting Podocarpus National Park, named after the Podocarpus or Romerillo tree, Ecuador’s only native species of conifer. We go to Cajunuma, one of the diverse life zones protected within Podocarpus National Park, which supports a rich and varied population of threatened bird species as well as several large mammal species and an immense botanical diversity. We then visit the charming city of Loja, founded in 1548. Neat plazas, parks and streets, together with immaculate clean markets and a clear river give Loja its unmatched splendor. Late in the afternoon we return to Vilcabamba where we stay the night in hosteria de Vilcabamba (B)
Day 14 (Thursday)
Early departure and spectacular drive to Zamora, east of the Andes, where we visit the lower part of Podocarpus National Park and the Bombuscaro River. This area, joining the Amazon rainforest and the Andes, has an incredibly high level of species and several endemic species. We get transferred to La Toma, Loja’s airport, one hour away from the city to take an afternoon flight to Guayaquil. Transfer to Hotel Unipark in Guayaquil for the night (B)
Day 15 (Friday)
We experience downtown Guayaquil and discover the spirit of Ecuador’s largest city: drive around the turn-of-the-century neighbourhood of Las Penas and if your leg permit, climb to the recently restored lighthouse on top of Santa Ana Hill. We walk through the city’s bustling riverfront, which is the most modern and beautiful one in Latin America, or visit La Rotonda with a view to the Guayas River and drive through 9 de Octobre Avenue and see Seminario Park with its astonishing population of green iguanas in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral. Afternoon free to explore further on your own. Overnight in Hotel Unipark (B).
Day 16 (Saturday)
Transfer by car to Ecuador’s second main port from where we move on to Machalilla National Park visiting Montecristi, the place where the wrongly named Panama Hats were born. You can learn the process of making them directly from the master handcrafters. Accommodation in Hosteria San Antonio in the area of the National Park (B L D)
Day 17 (Sunday)
Today we visit Isla de la Plata which is part of Machalilla National Park and only one hour away from the mainland by boat. This island has an incredible resemblance to the natural environment found in the enchanted Galapagos Islands. It hosts blue, red footed and masked boobies, sea gulls, frigate birds and many other species. From July to September it becomes a must for whalewatchers. Humpback whales gather here for giving birth. Overnight in Hosteria Matarraya (B L D).
Days 18 (Monday)
Today we visit Los Frailes, a paradisical white and sandy beach surrounded by primary dry forest, where the water is clear blue like the sky and the rock formations emulate giant turtle in a place full of life and beauty. We visit archeological sites and museums of Salango and Agua Blanca communities (the oldest archeological sites in the Americas) and drive south to follow La Costanera, the road that goes parallel to the beach to the northwest of Guayaquil. Accommodation in Hosteria Mantarraya. (B L D)
Day 19 (Tuesday)
After breakfast, you will find yourself on one of the most beautiful areas along the coast of Ecuador. This is a tropical region made up of a series of beaches and various types of virgin ecosystems. Along the way, we pass small fishing villages where the local cuisine for seafood delicacies is a must. Before we arrive back in Guayaquil, we visit Cerro Blanco, a private reserve only 30 minutes away from downtown, where efforts are made to protect a pristine area of tropical dry forest in the coastal region. 150 bird species have been recorded here, including the rate Guayaquil Macaw and Guayaquil woodpecker. With a little patience, there will be chances for you to see monkeys, agouties, squirrels and even ocelots. Accommodation in Guayaquil in Hotel Unipark.(B L)
Day 20 (Wednesday)
Transfer out to the airport for your flight out or optional Galapagos tour
Galapagos extensions
A cruise through the prehistoric Galapagos Islands. Visit the best
sites with a naturalist guide, trained by the Charles Darwin Station.
Swim with sea lions and penguins, snorkel .....
We can recommend a 5 or 8 day tour starting Wednesday on M/V Coral or Coral II or a 5 or 8 day starting Thursday on M/V Galapagos Legend.
For those taking the Galapagos extension we offer 1 nights free accommodation plus airport transfers in Guayaquil for the N/V Corals and 2 nights free accommodation and airport transfers for the M/V Galapagos Legend.
General Information
Rated: easy
Departure dates
Every Friday with minimum 2 participants
| From Day 1 to day 20 | |||||||||
| per person | |||||||||
| USD | $ 3145 | ||||||||
| EUR | € 2610 | ||||||||
| GBP | £ 1761 | ||||||||
| From Day 5 to day 20 (Excluding Sacha or Selva) | |||||||||
| per person | |||||||||
| USD | $ 2243 | ||||||||
| EUR | € 1862 | ||||||||
| GBP | £ 1256 | ||||||||
| From Day 1 to 14 + transfer out day 15 | |||||||||
| per person | |||||||||
| USD | $ 2311 | ||||||||
| EUR | € 1918 | ||||||||
| GBP | £ 1294 | ||||||||
| From Day 1 to 11 + transfer out day 12 | |||||||||
| per person | |||||||||
| USD | $ 1679 | ||||||||
| EUR | € 1393 | ||||||||
| GBP | £ 940 | ||||||||
| From Day 1 to day 20 but excl Podocarpus and Loja | |||||||||
| per person | |||||||||
| USD | $ 2576 | ||||||||
| EUR | € 2138 | ||||||||
| GBP | £ 1442 | ||||||||
| From Day 5 to day 20 but excl Podocarpus and Loja | |||||||||
| per person | |||||||||
| USD | $ 1675 | ||||||||
| EUR | € 1390 | ||||||||
| GBP | £ 938 | ||||||||
Included:
All airport transfers, transport in seat in car, van or bus, domestic flights, English/Spanish speaking guide except for Day 16, 17, 18 and 19 (Spanish only - other languages against payment of surplus), entrance fees, accommodation in double room, meals as mentioned.
Not included:
Meals not mentioned, beverages, items of personal nature, tips
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