Itinerary

1. Day 1: Welcome to Quito

   • The entire city of Quito is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, standing at 9,350ft (2,850m).
   • It welcomes visitors with its picturesque plazas situated between mountain peaks.
   • The city has an abundance of market stands, shamanistic healers, and fourth-generation hat makers.
   • It also boasts a vibrant and sophisticated culinary and nightlife scene.

   Meals included: None.

2. Day 2: Explore Colonial Quito and the Equator

   • Today, after breakfast, your English-speaking guide will pick you up from your hotel and take you on a walking city tour.
   • You will visit the Plaza Grande and the beautiful churches La Compañía and La Basílica and walk down the oldest street of Quito—La Ronda.
   • Afterward, you will visit the equatorial monument, Mitad del Mundo, located just 26 km (16 miles) north of Ecuador’s capital city, Quito, where French scientists determined the position of the central line many years ago.
   • You will visit the museum exhibits, including a planetarium, ethnographic museum, art exhibits, a small-scale model of Quito city, an old train station, a beer museum, cocoa & chocolate exhibits, and a small chapel, for an unforgettable experience today.
   • Then you will continue to Otavalo.

   Meals included: Breakfast.

3. Day 3: Otavalo Market and Cuicocha Lake

   • Wake up early to enjoy the biggest indigenous city in Ecuador and home of the well-known indigenous market where artisans come to sell colourful textiles and other traditional goods.
   • Snack on fruits and other snacks while browsing stalls for paintings, carvings, hand-painted bowls, and more.
   • Enjoy some street food (try the salted mango or fritada con mote—fried pork with cooked corn), then continue to the nearby town of Cotacachi for some free time and more shopping (the town is famous for its leather products).
   • In the afternoon, stroll along the shores of the volcanic crater lake of Cuicocha.
   • Your guide will tell you about the high-altitude flora and fauna and the history of the lake.
   • You can even take a boat ride around the two islands.

   Meals included: Breakfast.

4. Day 4: Discover Quilotoa's Volcano Lagoon

   • Today, you will visit the picturesque volcano lagoon Quilotoa. This 2-mile (3 km) vast crater lake is filled with 820 feet (250 m) of mineral-rich green water.
   • You can walk along the crater’s rim or hike down a path to the lake.
   • The return trip can be a bit longer, so you can rent a mule for the uphill hike.

   Here, you are going to spend the night.

   Meals included: Breakfast.

5. Day 5: Baños de Agua Santa Adventure

   • Nearby Baños, you will find mountains, rivers, waterfalls, and hot springs.
   • Arriving in Baños, you will visit the most famous treehouse in the world, the Casa del Arbol.
   • You will have the chance to see all this from the Swing at the End of the World, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
   • Finally, you will enjoy a hot springs bath.

   Meals included: None.

6. Day 6: Pailon del Diablo Waterfall and Return to Quito

   • Early in the morning, you will head towards the "Devil’s Cauldron" (in Spanish, Pailón del Diablo), which is located 17 kilometres from the city of Baños de Agua Santa, on the road from Baños to Puyo.
   • Passing several waterfalls, you will reach the village of Rio Verde, where you will stop to start the hike down towards the waterfall.
   • You will be amazed at its height, which is approximately 80 meters. It is, without a doubt, one of the most important waterfalls in Ecuador, as it is awe-inspiring. In addition to that, its location on Rio Pastaza guarantees a constant water supply for the surrounding areas.
   • We then continue our journey to Quito.

   Meals included: Breakfast.

7. Day 7: Departure from Ecuador

   • Today get ready to leave Ecuador with your heart and soul full of good memories in Ecuador.

   Meals included: Breakfast