Day 1 Arrive in Quito Meet your AJ trip leader and group at 18:00 pm.
Welcome to Quito! The largest, best-preserved colonial city in America – declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. The city is considered the Cultural Capital of South America and is located on the equator in a valley at the foothills of the Pichincha volcano. Depending on arrival time, you can spend your day exploring the old town of Quito and the surrounding area. ADVENTURE JOURNEYS can help you to organize a day trip (please request in advance). In the evening, one of our trip leaders will meet you at the hotel’s lobby for a welcome briefing at 18:00 hours. We will discuss the details and questions you may have regarding the adventure. Our first day is an acclimation and information day.
Accommodation: Sheraton Quito Hotel or similar.
Meals included: In-flight.
Day 2 Trekking in Cotopaxi National Park After breakfast, we leave Quito driving southwards along the gorgeous Avenue of Volcanoes, getting the chance to see the colorful Andean fields. On our way, we will reach 12,000 feet. (3657 meters). After arriving at the Cotopaxi National Park, we will go hiking around the Limpiopungo lagoon of the foothills of the Rumiñahui volcano. From here, we have the best views of Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world. In the afternoon we continue our drive towards the Llanganates National Park, known as the sacred mountain until we reach the town of Baños, located at the entrance of the Amazon. Here we can enjoy the best nightlife by drinking cocktails and dancing salsa.
Trekking Activity Level – Moderate, This adventure is at a high elevation, make sure you drink a lot of water or coca tea (in case of altitude sickness). The trail is on dirt surrounded by bushes and grass.
Trekking Time: 3 hours
Trekking Distance: 4 miles (6.4 km)
Elevation Gain: 1200 feet (366 meters)
Minimum Elevation: 12700 feet (3870 meters)
Maximum Elevation: 13850 feet (4222 meters)
NOTE – In case the weather and physical conditions are good you may trek to the Basecamp and the maximum elevation would be 16000 feet. (488 meters)
What to wear today: Pants, T-shirt, fleece, hiking shoes, gloves, hat, buff, bring rain jacket and pants, water bottle, sun cream, binoculars
Accommodation: Casa de Luis or similar.
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.
Day 3 Biking in the Cloud Forest in Banos This morning we will cross by mountain bike from the Llanganates National Park to the Pastaza River Canyon, enjoying the beauty of the special climate of the cloud forest. The road brings us through some Andean farms and a great canyon with many waterfalls, while descending into the jungle, we will have a breath-taking view of Baños, a town well known for its spectacular location right at the foothills of the Tungurahua volcano, which has been active since 1999. The volcano is the main attraction of this region. In the afternoon we will have some time to explore the town and also go to The Swing of the End of the World, where the winner of the 2014 National Geographic photo contest took his photo.
Biking Activity Level – Moderate, mostly downhill, the first 45 minutes uphill and then afterward just down. You will be riding on cobblestone and dirt roads for the first two hours, and 1 hour on asphalt.
Biking Time: 3 hours
Biking Distance: 20 miles (32.18 km)
Elevation Gain: 500 feet (152 meters)
Minimum Elevation while Biking: 5500 feet (1676 meters)
Maximum Elevation while Biking: 10450 feet (3185 meters)
NOTE – In case you want to avoid the uphill, there will always be the support of our transportation, and our driver will be happy to give you a ride till you decide to join the biking group.
What to wear today: Shorts, T-shirt, fleece, tennis shoes, buff, bring rain jacket and pants, water bottle, sun cream, mosquito repellent.
Accommodation: Casa de Luis or similar.
Meals included: Breakfast.
Day 4 Canyoning in the Amazon This morning we will hit the road of the waterfalls. The first stop will be at the Bride´s Veil waterfall, where we will take the Tarabita (cable car) to get across the Pastaza River. Then we will hike down to the Pailon del Diablo waterfall, the second highest in Ecuador, later, we will go deeper into the jungle inside the Llanganates National Park. The name “Llanganates” comes from “beautiful mountain” in the local native language. Here, 600 years ago, the Incas hid their golden treasures. Many explorers have spent years looking for these treasures, some have even disappeared with no luck in this dense pristine jungle. During a hike through the tropical rainforest, we will climb through several waterfall canyons. Our local native guide will teach about the incredible flora and fauna that thrive in this unequaled habitat; we will spend the night at the Local Basic Jungle Lodge run by a kichwa indigenous family.
Accommodation: Amazon Homestay.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 5 Rafting and relaxing in the hot springs We greet the day by preparing our gear to paddle the wild waves of the Jatunyacu River, located just a 5-minute drive from the homestead. The beauty of this river will inspire you and reveal the magic of the Amazon rain forest, after a very important safety briefing from our rafting guides, we will start our class III rafting expedition down the Jatunyacu River, well known for its clear waters and awesome rapids. We will have a lot of fun playing some games and also exploring one of the canyons. The end of the journey offers us a stop for a picnic, prepared by our guides, we conclude our day with a drive back up to the Andes to a spot called Papallacta, where we will stay the night and recharge in the volcanic hot springs high in the midst of the cool Andes.
Accommodation: Termas Papallacta
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch.
Day 6 Otavalo Market - Sacha WarmiKuna Community project In the morning we will visit Otavalo Market, Otavalo Indigenous people wearing the traditional blue ponchos, white trousers, and long braided hair. Learn all about their daily activities, typical food, and native language. Explore their famous handicraft market, with its wonderful textiles, alpaca throws and rugs, knitted clothing native paintings, ceramics, jewelry, tapestries, and more at bargain prices.
Hands-on cultural experience – AJ Sustainable Sacha WarmiKuna women project.
For lunch, we will head to Pijal, a small village located in the heart of the Andes to visit one of the AJ sustainable projects called Sacha WarmiKuna (women from the mountain). This is one fantastic effort developed by AJ and the local women with the main purpose of supporting their families and encouraging the position of the women in the local society, providing them an alternative side work besides housekeeping, as a new option for an income. Once at the project, you will experience an unforgettable cultural encounter, immersing yourself in the true spirit of the South American woman and their skills for textiles and a deep culinary knowledge coming from past generations. You will be part of the preparation of “Aji”, a local spicy salsa that is part of their identity, You will also share precious time with them and a tasty traditional lunch in which local women have used the fresh products harvested the same day from the surrounding organic fields. Later we will learn more about the weaving process of their textiles. Don’t miss the amazing opportunity to have the chance to give back, by buying handmade scarfs here.
Accommodation: Hacienda Cusin
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 7 Cuicocha Crater Lake trek Today after a very healthy breakfast we have a very short drive to the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve, The main attraction here is the Cuicocha Crater Lake. Our adventure will take us on a trek around this still-active volcano, your guide will present many beautiful flowers to you along the trail, and at the end of our hike, we will take a boat ride to the center of the crater to observe the activity of this volcano, witness bubbles coming up from the center of the caldera.
Hiking Activity Level – moderate, This adventure will be on a very nice trail around Cuicocha Crater Lake by a Cloud Forest, In the early morning will be possible to have great views of the capped Cayambe volcano. The trail can be a bit muddy so make sure you wear your hiking shoes.
Hiking Time: 4.5 hours
Hiking Distance: 9.3 miles (4.82 km)
Elevation Gain: 1300 feet (45.72 meters)
Minimum Elevation while hiking: 10400 feet (3169.92 meters) Maximum Elevation: 1550 feet (472.4 meters)
What to wear today: Pants, T-shirt, fleece, hiking shoes, gloves, hat, buff, bring rain jacket and pants, water bottle, sun cream, binoculars.
Accommodation: Hacienda Cusin
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner.
Day 8 Departure International departures, end of services. Take with you memories and photos and leave a piece of your heart, as you will want to return to Ecuador soon to experience more of this enchanted land. We wish you a “buen viaje”!
Meals included: Breakfast.
Ecuador.8 days $1,699.00
