8 days
Specific Tour
12 people
English, Spanish
This is the arrival day for all of our tour participants and depending of your flight arrival times you can have a day exploring one of the UNESCO heritage sites in world (Quito’s Old Town), or simply rest at the Hotel before our Tour Guide meet you at the Lobby at 6:30 pm for our Orientation meeting and briefing before the starting of the tour. During this meeting you can clarify everything as you might be concerned or curious to know about the tour overall. We can still assist you arranging a full day in Quito or surroundings if you let us know in advance. (Overnight at 3 stars Hotel & Meals N/A)
Early in the morning, we will drive 1 and half hour to the entrance of Cotopaxi National Park located 45 miles south of Quito city. On the way you will enjoy the views of the famous Avenue of the Volcanoes. Once we arrive, we will continue just 7 more miles to the Mariscal Sucre Museum located at 12,000 ft above sea level. It is the first encounter with the nature and the altitude. We will explain you about the protected areas with a cup of hot Cocoa. After this we will continue our drive towards Limpiopungo lake over 12,800 ft., this is a magical place right between Cotopaxi and Rumiñahui volcanoes; it is a great moment for a nice picture surrounded by nature. Then, we will drive to 15,000 ft. up, there if you feel good with the altitude we can plan hiking up towards the basecamp called Refugio RIVAS at 16,000 ft. If not, you can also admire the majestic Cotopaxi which in quechua means "The Neck of the Moon". After this you will get ready to start the MTB tour downhill all the way down to Limpiopungo Lake; it is going to be a fast descend within 1 hour approx. And at the end you will enjoy a delicious lunch (extra cost) with a marvelous view of the Andes. Finally, we will drive 2 hours approx. to our lodging place called LLULLULLAMA, it is a fantastic moment to take your camera and wait for the sunset with a cup of hot coffee or tea provided by the hostel. Then, dinner and briefing for the next day. (Overnight at Llullu Llama Mountain Lodge & Meals: B - D)
Today it is time to check out right after breakfast and be ready to start the hike from Insilivi towards Chugchilan village. It will take longer than a regular hike because the high elevation in most of the walk, it will go between 10,000 to 12,000 ft. in some parts, so you can feel a moderate fatigue but nothing that you have to worry about. During this hike you will see how our local communities live and farm, because the complete hike is trough villages and crops. You will also enjoy a delicious lunch in a village, and finally arrive to Mama Hilda Hostel in Chugchilan town for overnight. Normally, we end this day by 3 pm, so you will have some time to explore the little town on your own. Dinner will be served at 7:00 pm, then briefing for next day. (Overnight at Mama Hilda Lodge & Meals: B - D)
After breakfast, we will drive for 30 minutes towards Quilotoa Lake which means "The Princess Tooth", located at 12,000 ft. above sea level. At this point you will get ready to admire one of the most beautiful lakes of the region from its viewpoint. IMPORTANT: (We just visit the viewpoint and give you some time for awesome photos or maybe shop some local crafts in the community) After this adventure, we will continue towards Baños City 3 hours far from Quilotoa. Along the way we will have some stops such as: Ice Sorbet tasting, Viewpoints and much more. Then, we will get to Baños City and continue towards the Famous Waterfalls Avenue (a route with more than 30 waterfalls), on this tour we will visit the most beautiful ones as Agoyan (where you can optional do zipline), Manto de la Novia (here you can go across Pastaza Canyon by cable car, known as Tarabita), Pailón del Diablo At this point we will walk down to see the largest waterfall and discover its 6 balconies few feet away the water. Finally, overnight in a wonderful hostel and enjoy some of the Baños Nightlife. (Overnight at 3 stars Hotel & Meals: B)
After breakfast, we’ll begin an impressive 3-hour car ride to a lodge near Tena, deep in the Amazon region. Along the way, we’ll stop in Puyo to visit Casa de Balsa, where you can learn about local crafts and Amazonian culture. Upon arrival at the lodge, we’ll check in and enjoy a welcome lunch included in your stay. In the afternoon, we’ll take a canoe ride to visit Anaconda Island, where a 15-minute hike takes us to Caiman Lake and other beautiful natural spots. We’ll also visit a nearby Kichwa family where you will learn about their traditions and culture. You enjoy a delicious dinner at the lodge and use hotel facilities. (Pool, Viewpoints, Wi-Fi area included in the program). (All excursions are subject to change due to external factors such as weather conditions. Your guide will confirm the available activities based on the season and group) (Overnight at Jungle Lodge & Meals: B - L - D)
After breakfast we will take a motor canoe ride up to Napo River, then we will hike into primary forest known as Misicocha (Cat´s Lake), you will get know about flora and fauna with our expert local guide. Waking up with the noise of the jungle wildlife is something that is considered a welcome to the most diverse forest in world. Then you will go on a raft experience in a local style downstream of Napo river at the end you will have lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, we will continue the canoe ride to Arajuno River, and visit the AMAZOONICO Rescue Center (entrance fee not invluded $8 per person), where you can see some animals from the jungle such as parrots, perroquets, macaws, ocelots, snakes, caimans and a lot of different type of monkeys (you will walk around the place with a local guide getting to know more about the forest and the conservation projects). At the end of the day you can enjoy the jungles views from the hotel pool or take a relaxing massage (extra cost) before dinner time. (All excursions are subject to change due to external factors such as weather conditions. Your guide will confirm the available activities based on the season and group) (Overnight at Jungle Lodge & Meals: B - L - D)
On this day we will depart early towards Archidona Town, we will visit the food market to try the famous Chonta Duro or Jungle Prawns, a really traditional snack in the Amazon. Then, we will go to Guango Lodge to visit a beautiful Hummingbirds Sanctuary; with such an abundance and diversity of hummingbirds, it is a popular spot for photography, and a comfortable place to admire colorful birds even on rainy days. Sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee as swarms of hummingbirds put on an electrifying show. After this, we will drive to Papallacta village for relax and enjoy the rest of the afternoon admiring the landscapes or having a massage at the inn's SPA. (Overnight at 3 stars Hotel & Meals: B)
Today is your last day in Ecuador with us, so you can choose besides taking a free morning to relax at the resort pool or SPA, or take a very nice hike around the area. In both cases, the Check Out time is at 11:00 am, and drive back to Quito's International Airport for your flight back home. END OF THE SERVICES (Hotel Overnight: N/A & Meals: B)