Highlights of Ecuador

(10 days / 9 Nights)

Day 1 (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday)
You will be well received at Quito’s airport and taken to your hotel, where you can recuperate from your flight.

Day 2 Quito - Otavalo
This day you will have a short sight seeing tour to the city center of Quito, including its various splendid churches, monasteries, monuments, the Parliament Building and the Panecillo hill, followed by a visit to the Equatorial Monument located 45 minutes north of Quito. Recently renovated, the ‘Middle of the World Village’ provides a variety of attractions, including a fascinating museum displaying artifacts from all Ecuador’s ethnic groups as well as a visual history of their way of life.

After this you will have lunch and then continue to Otavalo in the Andean Highlands where you will have dinner and spend the following nights at the exquisite Hacienda Cusin, set in the foothills of the Andean Mountains just 10 minutes away from the world-famous Otavalo Market. Founded in 1602, the hacienda is surrounded by the mountains of Cotacachi (15,300 ft.), Mojanda and Imbabura. Its 40 acres are dotted with cottages, ponds, courtyards, a monastery (look for the secret doorway to the tower look-out), and lush gardens. Keep an eye out for the more than 50 species of birds (particularly hummingbirds) who make their home here.

Day 3 Otavalo

After breakfast you will visit the world-famous market at Otavalo. A gathering of sights, sounds and color is present at this traditional meeting point of the highland Indian cultures. This is a magnificent opportunity to photograph native costumes, animals, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and pottery displayed in colorful arrays. Be prepared to get involved in the excitement of bargaining and buying. You will have lunch at a typical Ecuadorian restaurant and dinner at the Hacienda Cusin.

Day 4 Otavalo - Papallacta

This morning you are taken to Papallacta, a small village located 10,491 feet above sea level, famous for its thermal springs (38º C/100º F) and lush vegetation. You will have the whole day to explore a variety of shorter or longer treks, available for the more energetic. Those seeking for relaxation can enjoy the thermal springs which are reputed to have medicinal benefits. Lunch is provided at a restaurant where you can sample the freshly caught trout. You will spend the night at the Papallacta Hot Springs Hotel.

Day 5 Papallacta - Cotopaxi
In the morning you will go to the Cotopaxi National Park. Turning off the main highway, you will enter into the park, traversing the Andean Paramo and an extensive pine tree forest. Furthermore you will cross through a deer and lama reserve. Gently ascending the flanks of the volcano, passing through fields of ancient lava strewn with boulders, you will arrive at the base of the Cotopaxi (19,700ft/5,897m), the world’s highest active volcano.
This desolate and rugged scenery captivates both nature enthusiasts and casual visitors alike. You will have lunch at Tambopaxi, dinner and the overnight stay at the inviting local hacienda La Cienega.

Day 6 Cotopaxi - Baños
The second day at the Cotopaxi National Park starts with a visit to one of the nearby colorful indigenous markets. You will have lunch at the hacienda La Cienega. In the afternoon a 3-hours-drive will take you to Baños, a small town nestling in the shadows of the Tungurahua volcano (constantly in eruption) high above the Amazon Basin. The area is rich in vegetation and orchids and is famous for its nearby hot springs that provide hot running water to the local baths. This night you will stay at the conformable Hotel Sangay in Baños. Dinner not included.

Day 7 Baños - Riobamba
You will travel from Baños to Riobamba. seeing beautiful waterfalls on the way. A short hike away from the road you will have lunch at a charming restaurant close to the Pailon del Diablo, an overwhelming waterfall. In the afternoon you will arrive at Riobamba, located at 9, 000 feet on the Avenue of the Volcanoes. The city is surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, and sitting at the foot of the Chimborazo volcano, you get the world’s highest view from the center of the Earth.
Furthermore Riobamba was the first city founded by the Spaniards in Ecuador and has reserved abundant history and architectures until today. Beyond its historical dimension, the “Sultan of the Andes” Chimborazo is considered one of the most indigenous towns in Ecuador and retains a unique cultural mélange. Riobamba’s street life and cultural traditions, as well as its colorful and picturesque markets, where artisans display their wares, where people can find manufactured products as textiles, handicrafts, leather goods, beer, and dairy products, are testimony to this strong and diverse indigenous presence. You will have dinner in your hotel.

Day 8 Devil’s nose train - Cuenca
This day you will travel by ferrocarril (an old train) on “the world’s most difficult railroad”, called like this due to the geographical obstacles that had to be faced during its construction. The train will take you to the famous “Devil’s nose” and Alausí, descending 800 meters in zigzag in the rocky formation. This slope allows to get aware of the different zones of climate from the highlands to the coast.
At Alausí you will eat your box lunch and go on to Cuenca in the afternoon, where you will spend the night in a comfortable hotel. Dinner not included.

Day 9 Cuenca - Guayaquil
In the morning you have the possibility to discover Cuenca, Ecuador’s third largest city, locally known as "The Athens of Ecuador" in honor of its numerous poets. The city’s cobblestone streets, colonial plazas and religious art treasures recall its distant past, while the flower market on the little Plaza del Carmen and the new and old Cathedrals on the main Plaza Calderón provide some spectacular color and impressive architecture. A trip along the Tomebamba River takes you to the Inter-American Center of Popular Art, home to many regional handicrafts while a walk through the city center will give you a chance to visit the stores stocked with gold and silver filigree jewelry, ceramics and textiles. On the city outskirts lie the remains of human settlements in the Todos Los Santos, evidencing pre-Inca civilizations. You will have lunch at the Restaurant El Maís where typical Ecuadorian food is served.

In the afternoon you will go on to Guayaquil, located on the banks of the Guayas river and called “The Pearl of the Pacific”. The city has a rich tradition and is proud of its monuments and points of interest such as The Iguanas Park with over 100 land iguanas that roam peacefully.
During your sight seeing tour you won’t only visit the park, but also tourist attractions like La Rotonda, the Moorish style clock tower, the recently reconstructed and impressive Malecon, the Cerro del Carmen hilltops, (providing a magnificent view of the city and of the convergence of the Daule and Babahoyo rivers which form the Guayas River), the Centenario plaza, Las Peñas, another neighborhood built at the turn of the century, and the Church of Santo Domingo, the city’s first church built in 1548 and since reconstructed. Overnight Oro Verde. Dinner not included.

Day 10 Transfer out
Today you will leave Ecuador flying back to your home-country, taking with you a cluster of breathtaking, overwhelming and unforgettable memories.