Ecuador tours

country:	Ecuador
departures:	2010: 15 May, 3 Jul, 4 Sep, 6 Nov
price:	From £2420 (16 days) excluding flights. Single supplement £470. Price includes accommodation, English-speaking guide, national park entry fees and most meals
vouchers:	Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday

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Ecuador holidays

Small group country tours

introduction to Ecuador tours

Our small group ‘grand’ tour of mainland Ecuador visits many of its classic highlights in a trip combining Andean highland scenery, impressive Spanish colonial architecture, dramatic volcanoes, spectacular wildlife and birds, plus insights into the rich cultures and crafts of Ecuador’s indigenous peoples.

We stay in well-located comfortable tourist class hotels and lodges throughout and spend a good amount of time in each region, with lots to see and do each day. We are escorted by an experienced knowledgeable local guide with excellent English.

The tour ends in Guayaquil—ideal for flights home or optional extensions to the Galápagos Islands. Our departure guarantee means that you can book early for your chosen dates with confidence that your tour will run, provided just 2 people have booked. Normally the tour runs with a convivial 4-12 people.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1-2:	Quito. We meet in Quito in the early evening at our preferred hotel. Usually Patio Anduluz in the Old City, where we stay 2 nights. You will be met on arrival at the international airport and driven to the hotel which is approximately 30 minutes drive. On day 2 we explore the Old City on foot. Today is Sunday and traffic is banned. Church bells ring out as we stroll around impressive plazas, convents and monasteries contained within a few streets. Between services we visit ornate churches. We drive to El Panecillo where the statue of the Virgin of Quito stands above the Old City. After lunch we visit the Equator, passing the monument to the 1736 French expedition’s line, to the true line 200m away. We visit the small Inti-Ñan museum (rickety but fun) which straddles the true line and presents an eclectic mix of folk exhibits and ‘scientific’ demonstrations.
Day 3-5:	Amazon. We fly to Coca in the Amazon to board a covered river boat for the 2 hour trip to the Napo Wildlife Centre’s 82 square mile reserve. To minimise disturbance to wildlife, and maximise our chances of seeing it, we switch to dugouts seating 4-6 people. We are paddled along a blackwater creek, stopping to watch wildlife on our way to the lodge, our base for three nights. Resident naturalist guides take us on safari each day, introducing us to the life of the rainforest. We visit two parrot clay licks, have good chances of seeing giant otters in the lake and streams, several of the eleven species of monkey found here, and much else besides. There is a small chance of finding more elusive animals such as jaguar, puma, tapir, giant anteater and giant armadillo. The bird life is remarkable with over 550 species recorded.
Day 6-8:	Otavalo. Today we fly back to Quito and drive north to Otavalo, where we stay for two nights in either Hacienda Cusín or Hacienda Pinsaqui. We may be able to visit a rose nursery en route. The people of Otavalo and surrounding villages are masters of artisanal crafts. On day 7 we visit weaving workshops in the village of Peguche. We also visit the beautiful crater lake of Cotacachi volcano, and continue to Cotacachi itself, an entire town dedicated to leather goods. Dozens of small shops and smart boutiques offer everything from skillfully made handbags, wallets and jackets to equestrian items for local farmers. On day 8, being a Saturday, three distinct markets take place in different parts of Otavalo. You can join an optional pre-breakfast trip to watch farmers trade cows, pigs, sheep and hens at the livestock market. It’s an evocative scene, but is not for everyone. We re-group for breakfast, then visit the other two markets. At the Mercado de Ponchos you will find every kind of handicraft from naïve art and ceramics to musical instruments and, of course, ponchos. The domestic market sells fruit, flowers, vegetables, groceries and meat, and expands on Saturdays to sell the traditional Otavaleño clothes that are worn with great pride. Watch the interplay between traders and their clients: by custom they haggle in silence. We lunch at a restaurant on the shore of Lake San Pablo at the foot of Imbabura volcano, then drive to Antisana for two nights at Termas Papallacta, a comfortable mountain lodge around thermal springs.
Day 9:	Antisana and Papallacta. Today is a free day to relax and enjoy the mountain setting and the hot springs. There are short trails for those who just want to stretch their legs, and longer ones for more dedicated walkers. Birdwatchers will particularly enjoy the abundance of hummingbirds. The hotel’s many thermal pools, steaming and bubbling in the open air, are free for hotel guests and there are optional steam rooms, massages, mud wraps and other spa treatments at reasonable extra charges.
Day 10:	Cotopaxi. We drive south to Cotopaxi National Park. Cotopaxi is the highest active volcano in the world, and one of the most beautiful. We drive up to 4,500m, with wonderful views when the weather is clear. If you are responding well to the altitude you might walk (slowly) the short distance to the mountain refuge at 4,800m, and maybe a little further to touch the lowest tongues of the glacier’s blue-white ice. Many prefer to stay behind enjoying stunning views. We visit the beautiful Limpiopungo Lagoon where herds of wild horses and llamas come to drink. There are vestiges of Incan stone walls and the ruins of the Incan fortress of Pucara. We descend by road to spend a night at the delightful Hacienda La Ciénega.
Day 11:	The Avenue of the Volcanoes. There will be time this morning to appreciate the hacienda before we continue south along the Avenue of the Volcanoes to Riobamba. Pausing in the village of Salasaca we visit a simple workshop where mama chumbi (belts) and wawa chumbi (hair braids) are woven in intricate patterns on back-strap looms using wools stained with dye from the agave cactus. We stay for one night in a good quality hotel in a converted hacienda just out of town.
Day 12:	Devil's Nose Train and Ingapirca. An early start this morning for an exciting ride on this single track (1.067m gauge) autoferro. As well as spectacular views of five volcanoes-mighty Chimborazo, Carihuayrazo, Altar, Tungurahua and Sangay (weather permitting, of course)-this unusual perch gives a fresh perspective on Andean life. You look down into back yards as the ‘train’ (more a coach on rails) rumbles through villages to the small town of Alausí. From here the line crosses deep gorges spanned by narrow iron bridges and zigzags in sharp switchbacks down the ‘Devil’s Nose’. Alighting back at Alausí we drive 2 hours south to Ingapirca. Ingapirca is an important classic Inca site on the Royal Highway from Cusco to Quito. We visit the ruins and stay nearby at a small hotel in pretty gardens.
Day 13-14:	Cuenca. On day 13 there is the option of a dawn walk above Ingapirca. After breakfast we drive to the craft villages of Chordeleg, Gualaceo and Sigsig. We arrive in the historic city of Cuenca with its flower-filled plazas, cobbled streets and ornate colonial buildings. Several mansions of the period of prosperity are now characterful wellappointed hotels, such as the one we will stay in for the next two nights. On day 14 we tour the city of Cuenca, including the principal sights such as the new and the old cathedrals, but also taking the time to explore some of the characterful lesser buildings. There will be an opportunity for some shopping, including a visit to one of the best Panama hat stores.
Day 15:	Cajas National Park. This morning we visit Cajas National Park, with its beautiful mountain landscapes of dramatic rock outcrops, glacial lakes, moorland and forest. We take a nature walk, perhaps around a small tarn, and explore unusual elfin forests of paperbark trees. After a picnic lunch in the national park we drive to Guayaquil, on the Pacific coast, where we stay one night at a 4* city centre hotel near the ‘iguana square’ by the Cathedral.
Day 16:	Guayaquil. Ecuador’s largest city and main port is undergoing quite a transformation. We take a morning walk along the revived Malecon - a smartly decked promenade fronting the river, then explore the stepped streets of Santa Ana Hill. In the mid afternoon we drive to the airport for flights home, or onwards to the Galápagos Islands for optional extensions.

how this holiday makes a difference

On this tour we will stay at Napo Wildlife Centre which is 100% community owned. The community receives all of the net profits. The community has a democratic political structure that has decided how funds will be spent. The primary expenditures are for education and health care. The community does not maintain any debt from the construction of the lodge.

All employees, whether from the community or not, are paid market salaries for the jobs that they perform. Members of the Añangu community make up between 85-93% of the total workforce at the lodge at any given time, and this variation is primarily dependent upon scheduling.

On this tour we visit several markets with opportunities to buy handicrafts, native arts, wood carvings and hand knitted garments. This allows local people to make a living and preserve their traditional way of life. In Ecuador we use local ground handlers - this means that all the operational costs go directly into the local economy and helps to improve employment opportunities in remote regions. By incorporating locally owned hotels, restaurants and the services of guides and drivers into our itineraries, we ensure that money you spend on your trip goes directly into the local economy and local communities benefit from tourism.

Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people.

We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel.

'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays.

We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism.

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Ecuador holidays| Small group country tours