EN 
ES 
DE 2 Days
Itinerary
You arrive in Quito in the afternoon and are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the evening is free. The next morning, your English-speaking guide will pick you up at your hotel and together you will visit Quito’s colonial Old Town, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will have a great view from one of the towers of the neo-Gothic cathedral “Basilica”. You will then visit the market in Plaza Arenas and continue to Plaza Grande before visiting the gilded Jesuit church “La Compañía”. You will visit the Colonial Art Museum in the Monastery of San Francisco and the Carmelite Monastery before walking through the traditional alley “La Ronda” to the Plaza Santo Domingo. After about 5 hours you will be back at your hotel.
Note: The order of the tours may vary depending on the location of your hotel.
Services included:
- Private Transfer UIO Airport – Hotel
- Accommodation in a middle-class hotel for 2 nights. Breakfast included.
- English-speaking guide on day 2
- Public transportation on day 2
- Lunch
- Entrance fees: Basilica Cathedral, Jesuit Church “La Compañía”, San Francisco Monastery, El Carmen Alto Monastery.
Services not included:
- Meals not mentioned
- Tips.
You will be picked up at the hotel by your English-speaking guide and drive to the equator line where you will visit the Ethnographic Museum and the Intiñan Sun Museum in the “Middle of the World”. Continue to the viewpoint of the volcanic crater of Pululahua and the hummingbird paradise “Los Armadillos”, where you will have lunch. You will then visit the “El Rayo” waterfall in the private Puma Sacha reserve before arriving at your hotel in Mindo in the late afternoon. In the evening you will enjoy a frog concert at Mindo Lago with expert commentary. On the second day, you will visit the butterfly farm Mariposario and take the cable car over the treetops into the forest. After another cable car ride, you will hike to several waterfalls where you can swim. Back in Mindo, you will visit the fantastic orchid garden of “Doña Alicia” before returning to Quito where you will arrive at your hotel in the early evening.
Services included:
- English-speaking driver guide x 2 days
- Lunch on day 1
- 1-night accommodation with breakfast in a half double room at the Sisakuna Hotel, or similar
- Entrance fees: Middle of the World, Intiñan Museum, Puma Sacha Reserve, Frog Concert in Mindo Lago, Butterfly Farm “El Mariposario”, Cable Car, Orchid Garden.
Services not included:
- Meals not mentioned
- Tips.
You will be picked up at your hotel and drive north through the dry Guayabamba Valley with a stop at Lake San Pablo to Otavalo. After dropping off your luggage at the hotel, you will drive to the center of Otavalo to the Plaza de Ponchos. Every Saturday, the large and colorful weekly market takes place here, which you can explore on your own in about 2 hours. In the afternoon, your English-speaking guide will take you to Peguche for a short hike through the eucalyptus forest to the waterfall. Afterwards, you will visit the Ñanda Mañachi music group in the village of Peguche, where you will learn about Andean instruments and how they are used. On the second day, you will travel to the Cotacachi Cayapas Nature Reserve, where you will hike around the Cuicocha “Guinea Pig Lagoon” with your guide. You will need about 4 to 5 hours to cover the total distance of 12 kilometers. You will then return to Quito, arriving at your hotel in the early evening.
Services included:
- English-speaking driver guide x 2 days
- 1-night accommodation with breakfast in a half double room in the Hacienda Pinsaquí.
- Entrance fees: Peguche waterfall, Ñanda Mañachi Musical workshop, Cotacachi Cayapas Nature Reserve.
Services not included:
- Meals not mentioned
- Tips.
Your English-speaking guide will pick you up from your hotel early in the morning and drive south along the “Avenue of Volcanoes” to Cotopaxi National Park. You will visit the park’s interpretive center before driving to the parking lot at 4659 m. From here you will slowly climb almost 200 m to the refuge and, if the weather is good, a little further to the glacier. You will then drive to the Limiopungo Lagoon, where you will hike around for about 90 minutes after a refreshing box lunch. In the afternoon you will drive into the Western Cordillera of the Andes to the crater lake of Quilotoa. On the second day you will do a 5-hour hike around one of the most beautiful volcanic lakes in the Andes, the enchanted Quilotoa Lagoon. First, we descend to the Shalala viewpoint and then climb steadily to the highest point of the hike, Cerro Juyende (3930 m). In the afternoon, you will return to the village and drive back to Quito, arriving at your hotel in the early evening.
Services included:
- English-speaking driver guide x 2 days
- Lunch on day 1
- 1-night accommodation with breakfast and dinner in a half-double room at the Samay Quirutoa Hotel.
- Entrance fees: Cotopaxi National Park- Quilotoa Lake
Services not included:
- Meals not mentioned
- Tips.
Together with your English-speaking driver-guide, you will travel to the Antisana National Park. At 5753 m, the snowy giant of the same name is the fourth-highest mountain in Ecuador and one of the best places to see vultures and condors. At the Mica Lagoon, you will take a loop trail to the viewpoint. After a stop at Secas Lagoon, where you will have lunch at the condor viewing point, you will continue east to Papallacta. After settling in at your lodging, you will take a short hike through the endemic forest along the river before having enough time to enjoy the hot springs of Papallacta. A spa area with sauna and massage is also available. On the second day, you will travel to the nearby Cayambe Coca National Park. Here you will hike to the “La Milagrosa” waterfall and the Baños lagoon. On the way, you may see deer, Andean foxes, and even spectacled bears. In the afternoon you will return to Quito.
Services included:
- English-speaking driver guide x 2 days
- Lunch on Day 1
- 1-night accommodation with breakfast in a half double room in Termas de Papallacta
- Entrance fees: Antisana National Park, Cayambe Coca National Park
Services not included:
- Meals not mentioned
- Tips.
Together with your English-speaking guide who will pick you up at your hotel, you will drive north to the equator line. Here you will visit the Ethnographic Museum and the Inti Ñan Sun Museum at the so-called “Middle of the World”. Continue to the viewpoint of the Pululahua volcanic crater and the hummingbird paradise “Los Armadillos” where you will have lunch. Afterwards, you will drive to the private reserve Puma Sacha, where you will get to know the waterfall “El Rayo” and visit the archaeological museum of the Yumbo culture in Tulipe, before arriving at your accommodation near Pacto. The next day you will travel deep into the tropical cloud forest to the Mashpi Amagusa Nature Reserve, where you can observe numerous iridescent tanagers, hummingbirds, parrots, and toucans. Afterwards, you will hike to the “Gallo de la Peña” waterfall near Pacto, where you can swim and see the prehistoric rock paintings of the Yumbos. You will then return to Quito, arriving in the late afternoon.
Services included:
- English-speaking driver guide x 2 days
- Lunch on Day 1
- 1-night accommodation with breakfast and dinner in a half-double room at the Guayabo Verde Hotel.
- Entrance fees: Middle of the World, Intiñan Museum, Puma Sacha Reserve, Tulipe Museum, Mashpi Amagusa Nature Reserve, “Gallo de la Peña” waterfall.
Services not included:
- Meals not mentioned
- Tips.
