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Quito
Breakfast at the hotel. We will visit
the historic center of Quito and the modern
area of the city, and watch the important
architectural changes that have been done
from the 10th century to the 16th century,
when Quito was established.
We will see
La Alameda Park, San Blas square and church
and Sucre National Theatre, neoclassical
building from the 19th century which is
in excellent conditions. In the colonial
city center, we will stroll around the
colonial streets that will lead us to
the Independence Square, where we can
see the Cathedral, the Government Palace,
the Archbishop’s and Municipal Palaces;
all these buildings are an example of
the last 5 centuries.
The Cathedral
dates back to 1562. Also we will visit
the Archbishop’s Palace, passing
by the Sacrarium. We will visit Compañia
de Jesús Church, from the 17th
century with its gold-covered altars,
example of the fine Latin American baroque
style. Then we will visit San Francisco
square and church from the 16th century,
home of the Quito Art School, where we
can appreciate the classic, neoclassic,
mannerist, baroque, rococo and mudejar
styles.
Quito was the
fist city in the world declared Heritage
Trust by the UNESCO due to its state of
preservation and size; the colonial city
center is formed by 320 blocks so it is
the biggest colonial center in America.
Finally, we will ascend to El Panecillo
Hill at 3000 m.a.s.l. to see the Virgin
of Quito and enjoy a spectacular view
of the whole city.
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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
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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 – 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
- Quito
Breakfast at the hotel. We will see the
sights of the most beautiful colonial city
in Ecuador: Cuenca. Famous for its stone
streets, colonial and republican style.
We will visit its churches, cloisters and
monasteries. We will go to see the Conceptas
and Central Bank museums. We will stop at
Turi viewpoint. If we have enough time,
we will visit the export factory of toquilla
straw hats. After lunch, we will head for
the airport to fly to Quito or Guayaquil. |
