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Quito
Reception at Quito airport and transfer to
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Colonial Quito
and Middle of the World
Breakfast at the hotel. We will visit
the colonial city center, Colonial Quito
and the most important churches; Compañía
de Jesús and San Francisco. Then
we will descend from El Panecillo Hill
while enjoying a stunning panoramic view
of Quito.
Then we will head for
the exact place where the Equator line
is drawn, and visit the interesting Middle
of the World monument. This is the equinoctial
line that marks the centre of the earth:
0°-0'-0" Latitude, and divides
the northern and southern hemisphere.
There we can visit the Ethnographic Museum
to learn about the Ecuador cultures. Also
we can have lunch in a typical restaurant
to taste some traditional Ecuador food.
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Mindo Cloud Forest
Breakfast at the hotel. This magical place
will lead us to the Mindo Cloud Forest,
where there is about 500 species of birds.
To the northwest of the capital, near
the Andes and the Pacific Ocean coast,
there is a geographic area which forms
an ecosystem ideal for the habitat of
many species of birds: The Mindo Cloud
Forest.
Here we will find hummingbirds, tangaras,
fly-catchers and many kinds of mammals,
reptiles and insects. This region is plentiful
in orchids. All those who love the bird
watching and wildlife cannot miss this
almost unique place in the world.
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The
Magnificent Views of Antisana Volcano
Breakfast at the hotel. Antisana Volcano
is the fourth highest snow-covered volcano
in Ecuador with an altitude of 5,753m. This
is the best place to see the majestic Andean
bird: the Condor.
You can see a great flow
of lava and an important number of cliffs
where condors spend the night. Going up,
we will find La Mica Lagoon. The mountain
with the same name has great glaciers, whose
melted water runs into lakes and rivers
and favors a sustainable wildlife throughout
the region.
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Rosas Colonial Estates and
Indigenous Market
We will go through the Andean valleys
to visit the colonial estates, see their
ancient production methods, and the
great plantation of roses, one of the
most important export products of Ecuador.
Then we will go to Otavalo market to
do some shopping in the colorful fair.
In the afternoon, we will visit different
towns of the area such as Peguche, Cotacachi,
San Antonio de Ibarra, and finally,
we will go back to Quito.
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Quito
Breakfast at the hotel. Free day.
Museums and Galleries of Art (Optional)
Breakfast at the hotel. We will start
our visit in the Central Bank Museum,
which has an archeological exhibition
from 10,000 years B.C. Then we will see
the work of Oswaldo Guayasamin, the most
famous Ecuadorian artist in the 20th century,
in his private museum where we will see
his posthumous work: La Capilla del Hombre
(Chapel of the Man).
If we have enough time, we will also
visit the City Museum, which shows an
exceptional panorama of the local customs
and manners of Quito.
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Quito – Cotopaxi - Riobamba
Breakfast at the hotel. Taking the Avenue
of the Volcanoes, we will get to know
the world’s highest active volcano,
Cotopaxi, as well as other grand and imposing
mountains like Ilinizas, Tungurahua, Chimborazo,
Carihuairazo and Altar.
We will get to Baños, gateway
to the Amazon. In the afternoon, we will
head for Riobamba and go on a brief city
tour around the city.
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Riobamba -Alausí
- Ingapirca - Cuenca
Breakfast at the hotel. We will go towards
Alausi from Riobamba train station; en route,
we will pass indigenous towns and communities
such as Cajabamba, Santiago de Quito, Guamote,
Tixan, etc.
We will see outstanding
places and landscapes such as Colta Lagoon,
Balbanera Church, and Palmira desert. As
soon as we arrive at Alausi, we will go
towards the Devil’s Nose, one of the
unique and most spectacular rail trips around
the world. In the afternoon, we will head
for the Inca-Cañari ruins of Ingapirca
to appreciate this archeological work. We
will go back to Cuenca.
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Cuenca
Breakfast at the hotel. We will visit
Cuenca, the city chosen by many people
for being the most picturesque of all
the Ecuadorian cities. Its paving stone
streets and colonial style houses with
balconies and wrought iron rails make
Cuenca a city with a special charm.
We will go to see the Cathedral with
its three domes, its marble interiors,
and magnificent stained-glass windows;
then we will stop at the flower market.
The markets and handicrafts are a testimony
of the region as well as its indigenous
and craft heritage.
We will get to know the Tomebamba River
with its typical hanging houses. Then
we will stop at Turi viewpoint to see
the city in perspective. We will visit
an export company of toquilla straw
hats.
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The Inca Ruins – Cañari
of Ingapirca
Breakfast at the hotel. We will go to
the north of Cuenca to see Ingapirca fortress.
It is a complex built by the Incas over
the old foundations of Cañari town,
being the most important monument of the
Inca Empire in Ecuador.
We will learn about the Incas’
unknown construction techniques and we
will enjoy the pleasant natural environment,
where the fortress and sacred temple in
honor of the Sun were built.
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Cuenca - El Cajas - Guayaquil
Breakfast at the hotel. We will go down
along the road towards the Pacific coast
up to Guayaquil. We will go through El
Cajas National Park. This park is known
for having a paramo landscape with about
200 lagoons of glacier origin scattered
through a large area like the famous lagoon
La Toreadora, where we can watch a variety
of native flora and fauna.
If we have enough time, we will go to
the Polylepis or Paper Tree Forest. The
road from the Andes reaches an altitude
of 4,000m, from where we will descend
to the coast up to the sea level watching
different habitats: paramo, scrub oaks,
Andean forest, cloud forest, subtropical
forest and tropical forest. Once we reach
the coastal plains, we will find the largest
banana plantations around the world. We
will also see sugarcane, coffee, cacao
and rice plantations.
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Guayaquil and the Historical
Park
We will start our trip going to Guayaquil
downtown; then we will visit the old neighborhood
Las Peñas, the lighthouse of Santa
Ana Hill, walk around the beautiful Malecon
2000 and visit one of the best botanical
garden with 50 hectares of gardens.
It is 60 meters above sea level. We will
appreciate different kinds of palm trees,
orchids, heliconeas, bromeliads and cactus.
It is an ideal place for lovers of flowers,
butterflies and birds. Then we will visit
the Historical Park, it is the latest
example of sustainable ecotourism management
in Guayaquil.
We can appreciate the autochthonous wildlife
such as caimans, crocodiles, iguanas,
harpy eagles, parrots and other species
living in semi captivity, apart from beautiful
areas of mangrove swamps.
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Tropical Estate
We will leave from Guayaquil, going through
coastal towns and landscapes up to a typical
coastal estate in Ecuador. We will witness
the agricultural production (tropical fruits:
sugarcane, banana, coffee and cocoa) and
cattle rising. We will enjoy a rural lunch
in the beautiful house of the estate or
in its amazing gardens.
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Guayaquil
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the Guayaquil
airport. |
