Explore Ecuador

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  ARRIVAL IN ECUADOR

  Arrival in Quito, the capital of Ecuador perched at 2,800 meters above sea level. Welcome at the airport, then transfer to a charming 2*/3* hotel located in the historic center of the city. Overnight.

• day 2

  QUITO – OTAVALO

  Breakfast at the hotel. Morning dedicated to a walking tour of Quito, surrounded by volcanoes and dominated by the Pichincha volcano (4,800m). Optional: visit with a French-speaking guide recommended at 40 USD per person. It was founded by the Incas, then remodeled by the Spanish. The colonial center, a true architectural gem dating from the 16th century and classified as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO, includes Independence Square, where the main civil, religious, and municipal monuments of the time are grouped. Most of these monuments were damaged by earthquakes and extensively altered. It is therefore not surprising to see styles from the 16th to the 18th century juxtaposed. The Cathedral, initially built in adobe, has been modified many times. It contains interesting paintings from the Quito school. The Archbishop's Palace, dating from the 17th century and restored in the 20th, features porches opening onto a series of interior patios with arcades and central fountains. The San Francisco church, nicknamed "the Escorial of the Andes," was built on the foundations of an Inca palace. To finish the tour, ascent to the Panecillo to enjoy a panoramic view of all of Quito. Then, transfer to "La Mitad del Mundo." About thirty kilometers north of Quito, the precise location of the imaginary equator line, marking latitude 00º00'00, was established. The event took place during the first half of the 18th century, under the guidance of the French Geodesic Mission, a delegation of Spanish officials, and scientists from Quito. Then visit the Equatorial Monument and the Inti Nan ethno-scientific museum. Return to Quito. Overnight at the same hotel in Quito. Or, optionally, overnight in Otavalo recommended with dinner or at a hacienda.

• day 3

  QUITO – OTAVALO – QUITO

  Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Otavalo, visit of the famous indigenous market of Otavalo, one of the most appreciated and colorful in Latin America, where the proud Otavalenos Indigenous people have been displaying their handicrafts, textiles, and weavings for several generations in the main streets or on the squares. The Otavalenos Indians are renowned for their traditional costumes (white panama and long black braid), as well as for their talents as artisans, musicians, and farmers. This whole region is dominated by the ancient Imbabura volcano, its slopes covered with a patchwork of crops, and by the Cotacachi volcano, whose crater is now occupied by Lake Cuicocha. Visit of the village of Cotacachi, the leatherwork capital, and the village of San Antonio de Ibarra, known for its magnificent wood carvings. Return to Quito and overnight at the same hotel.

• day 4

  QUITO - COTOPAXI VOLCANO

  Breakfast. Drive along the Avenue of the Volcanoes to the region of the majestic Cotopaxi volcano (5800 m, the 2nd highest peak in the country). Tour of its natural park and Limpiopungo lake (possibility to climb to its first refuge, from 4500 to 4800 m). Then, check-in at a charming 3* eco-tourism hacienda, located at the foot of the Rumiñahui and Cotopaxi volcanoes. Possibility of a self-guided walk in the surroundings, up to a small waterfall. Night in a very simple room (with shared bathroom). Or as an option, necessary dinner menu at 30 USD and supplement for a superior traditional room with private bathroom at 40 USD per person.

• day 5

  COTOPAXI – QUILOTOA – BAÑOS

  Breakfast. Drive to the splendid Quilotoa crater lake. Possibility of hiking around the crater or descending to the edge of the lake, meeting with local indigenous artisans and painters, and appreciating their crafts, naïve paintings, and carved masks. Then, continue along the Avenue of the Volcanoes to the charming spa town of Baños, located at 1826 meters altitude at the foot of the active Tungurahua volcano, appreciated for its mild climate. Walking tour of the town. Optional: recommended thermal bath (at 5 USD) and/or massage from 60 USD per person (to be booked in advance). Overnight in a small charming 2*/3* hotel.

• day 6

  BAÑOS – AMAZONIA

  Breakfast at the hotel. Then, transfer to the Rio Verde hamlet via the Route of the Waterfalls. Walk to the impressive "Pailon del Diablo" waterfall. Drive towards the Amazon, to the Tena region. Optionally, on the way, possible stop for a vegetarian lunch at a botanical farm and discovery of its tropical plants and trees, for 25 USD per person. Arrival in the Tena region, at Misahualli, on the banks of the Napo River, a tributary of the Amazon. Transfer by canoe to an ecolodge, in the heart of the forest and on the edge of a river. Check-in and possibility to swim in the river. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

• day 7

  AMAZONIA

  Breakfast at the lodge. Day excursion in the Amazon rainforest with Indian guides, for a more in-depth and interesting discovery of the flora, fauna, and local customs. 3 to 4 hour excursion in secondary forest along marked trails. Throughout the journey, you will notice the exuberance of the vegetation. Your guide will show you medicinal plants, explain how they are prepared and for which illnesses they are used. Lunch during the excursion or at the lodge. This hike will take you to the viewpoint "Le Mirador," from where you can admire the immensity and wild beauty of the forest. On the way back down to the banks of Pangayacu, you can enjoy a refreshing swim before arriving at the lodge. Dinner and overnight at the lodge. NB: The excursions and activities are given for information only, they may change depending on the lodge booked.

• day 8

  AMAZONIA – RIOBAMBA

  Breakfast at the lodge. Return to the Andes towards Riobamba, capital of the Chimborazo province, surrounded by magnificent snow-capped peaks and dominated by the highest Ecuadorian volcano, Chimborazo (6,310 m). Riobamba is a small country town, perched at an altitude of 2,754 meters. The region was originally inhabited by the Puruhas Indians, who allied with the Incas to resist the invasion of the latter. Riobamba is attractive for its markets and indigenous crafts. Overnight at a 2*/3* hotel.

• day 9

  RIOBAMBA – ANDES TRAIN – INGAPIRCA – CUENCA

  Breakfast at the hotel. Early transfer to Alausi station, boarding the Andes Train. Departure for a journey of about 1h30 to the hamlet of Sibambe, through the magnificent landscapes of the Andean cordillera. The train must tackle the wild descent of "La Nariz del Diablo" thanks to an ingenious zigzag system. Return to Alausi. Continue to Ingapirca, the most important religious and political temple left by the Incas and the many pre-Columbian cultures that populated the region, located at 3,100 m altitude. Visit of the site and its small museum. Arrival in Cuenca. Overnight in a charming 2*/3* hotel.

• day 10

  CUENCA – GUAYAQUIL – RETURN FLIGHT TO FRANCE

  Breakfast at the hotel. Morning dedicated to a tour of Cuenca, with its cobbled streets, graceful wrought-iron balconies, and flower-filled squares that recall the Spanish origins of the city. Optional, recommended visit of the city with a Spanish-English speaking guide at 40 USD per person. Furthermore, its markets and crafts are a living testimony to the rich indigenous culture of the region. The elegant domes of the cathedral shining in the sun, the serene convents and museums, the romantic Tomebamba river that runs through the city, flanked by overhanging houses, make visiting Cuenca an unmissable experience. Visit to a workshop for the making of so-called "Panama" hats: the famous "toquilla" straw hats of Ecuadorian origin, from Montecristi, a small village in the province of Manabí, on the Pacific coast. Then, drive towards the coastal region, the economic capital: Guayaquil, through splendid Andean and tropical landscapes (rice fields, palm groves, and banana plantations). If there is still some time, panoramic tour of the city following the famous "Malecon 2000" up to the old district of Las Peñas. Transfer to the airport for your return flight.