| |
| |
A tour of the city with emphasis on
the beauty and history of colonial Quito, including the churches,
main squares, & Panecillo. |
| |
This combines the tour of Quito with
a visit to the "Middle of the World" or Equator
Monument, a short distance outside the city. |
| |
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. |
| |
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. |
| |
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. |
| |
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. |
| |
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 |
| |
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. |
| |
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 |
| |
| |
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 |
| |
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 |
