ITINERARY
ECUADOR JOURNEY 18 DAYS
Price per person double basis USD 2600
Day 1st.- Arrive Quito OV Eugenia hotel o similar
First of all WELCOME TO ECUADOR¡ be ready to enjoy of the most fascinating places all of them in one small but great country
Your guide will be waiting for you at the airport to take you to the hotel where you can relax and rest after your long flight to get ready for the journey of a lifetime.
Day 2nd.- City Tour and Middle of the World
Visit the broad avenues of the northern residential section. Continue to Independence Plaza, the Government Palace, La Catedral, El Sagrario, La Compañía and San Francisco Churches and the Panecillo. A few miles north of Quito is the Equatorial Monument at latitude 0 00' 00'' which marks the place where an 18th century expedition established the exact geodesic position of the Equator. This is a wonderful opportunity to be in two hemispheres at the same time. Visit the monument and its ethnography museum or The Intinan museum. Return to Quito.
Day 3rd.-Quito Papallacta (Special Moments Plan)
Termas de Papallacta SPA & Center is located 40 miles east of Quito, the capital city of Ecuador in the heart of South America. Perched on a high Andean valley at the entrance route to the Ecuadorian Amazon jungle, the spa - resort offers its visitors health, recreation, adventure and rest. Whether relaxing in the thermal baths, indulging in pampering spa treatments, or embarking on adventure walks at the Rancho del Cañón (Canyon Ranch) or Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve, you are sure to enjoy the Papallacta experience. Excellent accommodation in hotel rooms or luxury cabins is complemented by our restaurants which serve a range of culinary delights to tickle your tastebuds.
Day 4th.- Papallacta Quito Free afternoon
Day 5-6th Otavalo and surrondings
In the morning we will be picked up by a driver and English-speaking guide from Quito. In about two hours we reach Otavalo. Famous for its weaving and music culture, the Otavalo people are one of the most prosperous in Ecuador. Nowadays we find their handicrafts and music all over Ecuador and the world. The town of Otavalo is the heart of their culture and at the marketplace we will find all possible souvenirs at cheap prices. On Saturdays there is also an animal market taking place just outside town. Be part and witness the trading in between the Otavalo indigenous people.
We drive through Otavalo and go up to the Cuicocha Lake, here we make a small walk. Stretch the legs after the drive. This lake is a craterlake on the foothills of the Cotacachi volcano. The two islets in the center of the lake still reflect the activity as water in between the islets is showing bubbles!
We will stay the night at the marvelous hacienda Pinsaqui, where dinner will be served.
The next day we have time to shop around the market place of Otavalo. If today is a Saturday we will first visit the Animal market, early in the morning and the Poncho market afterwards. This market is among the most famous indigenous markets of South-America and great for some souvenir shopping and pictures. After this visit we drive to the small village of Peguche and the waterfall. We have lunch in this village and enjoy the spectacular location of the restaurant where indigenous people will pass by together with their goat, sheep, pigs & cows. We return to Quito after lunch.
Day 7-11th Galapagos cruise
Come see the islands that Charles Darwin made famous! Galapagos travel beckons every birder, nature lover and curious traveler. Each day on your Galapagos cruise you leave your yacht to explore these uninhabited island treasures. The naturalist guide shows you the diversity of Galapagos wildlife and teaches you about the area's natural history. Each island is filled with Galapagos travel highlights: snorkeling with playful sea lions, admiring the amusing blue-footed Boobie, whale-watching, or hiking to lava tunnels on Santa Cruz Island. Join us in Galapagos Islands travel to visit one of the most undisturbed ecosystems in the world
Day 12-15th La Selva lodge
LA SELVA jungle and rainforest lodge is in Ecuador's Primary Rainforest. Ecuador's Amazon Rainforest is a tropical garden of colorful blossoms, billowing ferns and giant trees providing a green sanctuary to rare and exotic wildlife with intriguing insects, unique species of birds and butterflies and magical sceneries.
Day 16th Cotopaxi National Park
Pick up from Quito by guide and driver. Drive by private transport towards the entrance of the Cotopaxi in approximately two hours. We pay a short visit to the little museum which tells about the park, its nature, the wildlife and eruptions of the centerpiece of the park; the Cotopaxi volcano of 5897 mts. high.
We continue our way into the park and stop at the Limpiopungo Lake at 3800 mts. Here we can make an acclimatizing walk while observing semi-wild horses, a variety of ducks and hummingbirds and the Andean gull and lapwing. Drive to the parking lot at 4600 mts. from where it’s just a 45-minute strenuous walk to the José Ribas refuge at 4800 mts.
On clear days you have the most incredible views up here.
Once we are above, we’ll go for a short break in the refuge before continuing to the nearby glacier. Enjoy the incredible picture opportunities and the spectacular scenery at walls of ice and deep crevasses. Drive downhill back to lower soils and have lunch at the majestic Hacienda La Cienega. Drive back to Quito OV
Day 17th Free OV Sierra Madre or similar
- A free day to enjoy of the city on your own overnight Sierra Madre or similar
Day 18th Return home
Your guide will pick you up yo take you to the airport after your enjoyable journey
|
