Colors of Ecuador
Quito is only the beginning of a magical adventure. From the capital, you can travel and see the four worlds that Ecuador has to offer. Experience the beaches on the coast, the mountains in the highlands, the biodiversity of the Amazon, and the enchanted Galapagos Islands. This destination will inspire you to enjoy and live life to the fullest.
Day 1
QUITO: Transfer Airport / Hotel. Accommodation.
Day 3
QUITO: City Tour (Historic Quito) + Equatorial Monument. We begin in the northern part of the city with a tour of the most important commercial areas, where most of the hotels in Quito are located. Then we head to the historic center to visit the Basilica del Voto Nacional, the Plaza de la Independencia, the Cathedral, the Government Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace, and La Compañia Church. The tour will continue to the Church of San Francisco and then head to the Mirador del Panecillo (entrance included), a place renowned for its beauty where you can admire a beautiful landscape of colonial and modern Quito. Accommodation. We will stop at the “Zona Rosa” of the city, to have free time for lunch, and then continue to the northern part of the city, heading up to the “Middle of the World City” where the monument that divides the Northern from the Southern Hemisphere will be observed. At the end of the day, optional visit either to Intiñan or Ethnographic Museum. Accommodation.
Day 4
TORTUGUERO, ARENAL: Breakfast. Excursion to Cotopaxi National Park. We will visit the Saquisili Market (only on Thursdays), where natives of the area show and sell their products. We continue to the Cotopaxi National Park, arriving at the foot of the impressive active volcano. Visit the Museum Park and the Limpiopungo Lagoon, and we will hike to reach the forest of chuquirahuas to 4200 meters. Free time for lunch in a hacienda of the region, with optional horseback riding or walking along its paths. By the afternoon visit a flower plantation in the region, where we have the opportunity to see the best flowers and roses globally recognized. Accommodation.
** Important: While the Cotopaxi National Park remains closed, by the eruptive activity of the volcano, we will visit the Quilotoa Volcano, which has in its crater a stunning turquoise lagoon, making it one of the most beautiful landscapes of Ecuador.
Day 2
QUITO: Breakfast. Excursion to Otavalo Market. Depart from Quito to Cayambe, where the passengers will have the opportunity to taste the delicious “Bizcochos de Cayambe”, a type of cracker or bread baked in a clay oven (greatly paired with local cheese or caramel sauce). Afterward, we will make a brief stop at “Miralago”, to admire a wonderful view of Lago San Pablo. The tour then continues to Otavalo where Otavaleños (natives) set up a market in which a bartering manner of shopping is taken place. The market hosts a variety of different handcrafted items. On the way to Cotacachi, we will visit a traditional workshop of Andean instruments “Ñanda Mañachi” located in Peguche, and then reach Iluman, the land of shamans and healers, where we will have the opportunity to witness an ancestral indigenous ritual by a Shaman. In Cotacachi you'll have enough time to visit the village, the shops for leather goods, and free time for lunch. Return to Quito. Accommodation.
Day 5
QUITO: Breakfast. Transfer Hotel / Airport.