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A tour of the city with emphasis on the beauty and history of colonial Quito, including the churches, main squares, & Panecillo. |
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This combines the tour of Quito with a visit to the "Middle of the World" or Equator Monument, a short distance outside the city. |
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A drive 2 hours from Quito through attractive scenery to the biggest and most varied of all the Indian markets in the Ecuadorian Andes, followed by lunch at a hacienda. |
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This more extensive tour visits the small villages where Otavaleños are manufacturing products that will be sold in the market, as well as Otavalo market. Overnight in a hacienda. |
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A visit to Cotopaxi volcano, a snow-capped conical mountain that is the second highest mountain in Ecuador and the highest active volcano in the world, followed by Saquisili market, sometimes described as the best Indian Market in Ecuador. |
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Mindo is a birdwatcher's paradise and is located 2 hours to the west side of Quito in a deep valley surrounded by native Andean forest. Overnight stays also possible at a couple of lodges, including the atmospheric Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve which is nearby Mindo. |
Baños
2 days/1nt
from Quito |
Pass Cotopaxi and part of the Avenue of the Volcanoes to reach Baños, a little town located beside Tungurahua, a snow-capped active volcano. Baños is gateway to the Amazon and several excursions are possible including hiking, horseback riding, nature tours, and visiting waterfalls. |
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Cuenca
3 days/2 nts
from Quito |
Drive to Cuenca, visiting the Inca ruins of Ingapirca, and taking a train ride across the spectacular "Devil´s nose". Cuenca, a World Heritage Site, is famous for its colonial city, gold and silver jewelry and for authentic Panama Hats. The countryside around Cuenca is also very attractive. Return by air. |
Horseback riding
in the Andes |
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A journey back in time along ancient Inca and Spanish colonial routes, between the best preserved 'haciendas' (grand colonial farming estates) of South America, in two stunningly beautiful, yet very distinct areas of the Andean highlands. |
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The tour begins with an exciting train journey sitting on the carriage roofs of a century old train as it rolls out of Quito and heads south down the 'Avenue of the Volcanoes'. After 1½ hours we disembark, meet the horses and ride up into the cloud forest |
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Ecuador encompasses environments as different as the Galapagos, the Andean highlands, and the Amazon, yet distances are quite manageable as Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in Latin America. We highly recommend you take advantage by spending an extra 3-5 nights in the Ecuadorian Amazon, before or after visiting the Galapagos. Just reaching these lodges by canoe after a short plane ride is an adventure in itself. Stay in a lodge, or cruise the River Napo on the Manatee Explorer. |
Cusco & Machu Picchu, Peru |
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If you have made it as far as Ecuador, why not think of adding a few extra days and seeing Machu Picchu and Cuzco, the heart of the Inca empire? This really becomes a trip of a lifetime, and Peru is close enough for this to be a very feasible extension. See the various options on our Peru site |
