21 day Ecuador tour in Andean jungle and cloud forest

Depending on the time of arrival in Guayaquil, we can do a city tour.

After a short tour of the port metropolis on the Rio Gauyas, you first drive through rice and banana fields towards the Andes. Visit a small cocoa plantation along the way. Via the El Cajas National Park with its numerous lakes and its impressive mountain landscape to the colonial city of Cuenca.

re about how these finest straw hats in the world are made and also purchase them. After lunch, continue your journey north. You reach the largest and most important Inca ruins in Ecuador. Your current accommodation, the Posada Ingapirca, is not far from the Inca site.

On a tour of the beautiful temple and fortress complex of Ingapirca, you will learn a lot about the history of the complex as well as the culture of the Incas and the Cañaris. On the way to Riobamba you will visit the oldest church in Ecuador, the Inglesia de Balbanera on Lake Colta.

The journey continues through the picturesque landscapes around the Chimborazo (6,268 m above sea level), the highest volcano in the country. In the Arenal, a desert-like landscape, you will see shy vicuñas. Drive to the car park at 4,800 m, from there you can climb to the Edward Whymper refuge at 5,800 m in 45 minutes. In the afternoon you reach Baños de Aguas Santas, the gateway to the Oriente in the subtropical Pastaza Gorge.

Strengthen yourself with the rich breakfast before you get to know the waterfalls route on today's excursion, which leads along the Pastaza Gorge towards the Amazon lowlands. At the Rio Verde river, walk along the path through the gorge and subtropical forest to the roaring waterfall “Pailon del Diablo” (Devil's Pan). Take a ride on a Tarabita, an open-air cable car, across the Pastaza River. In the afternoon you can explore the small pilgrimage site of Baños in more detail and relax in the large public thermal bath.

Today you set off on a journey to the Amazon lowlands. Little by little the landscape changes. You will find deep gorges and numerous waterfalls. After all, the still hilly Amazon lowlands lie before you. In Puyo you can visit a balsa wood factory. You can reach the Liana Lodge by canoe from Puerto Barantilla on the Arajuno River.

Explore the rainforest under the guidance of a naturalist guide who knows a lot about the nature and culture of the Amazon rainforest. Choose two of the following activities that you would like to undertake over the two days: a jungle hike, a visit to the AmaZOOnicos (animal sanctuary), a visit to a Kichwa community or a rafting tour.

about the nature and culture of the Amazon rainforest. Choose two of the following activities that you would like to undertake over the two days: a jungle hike, a visit to the AmaZOOnicos (animal sanctuary), a visit to a Kichwa community or a rafting tour.

At an altitude of 3,300 m lies the wonderful Papallacta thermal baths in bizarre surroundings. When the weather is nice, the snow-covered Antisana volcano (5,753m) can be seen.

the mystical landscape along the wild and romantic mountain stream Rìo Papallacta. Trees overgrown with orchids, bromeliads, mosses and lichens line the path. Or you can take a trip to the Antisana reserve. It is the fourth highest volcano in Ecuador, showing a snow-capped peak in Papallacta even when the weather is nice. Short hike at the Mica mountain lake in the typical Pàramo vegetation. Here you have the best chance of observing the massive condor in the wild, as well as, with luck, the shy spectacled bear, the white-tailed deer and various other bird species, such as the mountain caracaras and the Andean ibis birds. Continue south on the Panamericana into the “Avenue of Volcanoes”.

By vehicle you reach a bizarre and barren landscape at an altitude of 4,500 m. From there it is possible to climb to the Jose Ribas refuge at 4,800 m. There is an impressive glacier cliff near the refuge. Take a short hike at the Limpiopungo mountain lake, which lies between Cotopaxi and Rumiñahui.

g side roads through one of the most beautiful cultural landscapes of the Ecuadorian Andes. In this barren region, farmers farmed up to an altitude of 4,000 m. High above the deep Toachi Canyon you reach the deep green crater lake Quilotoas. Returning to Lasso you can visit a studio of traditional naive painting in Tigua and at Lasso a rose plantation.

to the “Mitad del Mundo” monument, which was built on the equator line about 20 km north of the city of Quito. You suddenly find yourself with one foot on each hemisphere. Visit the interesting museums or the planetarium and get to know the southern starry sky better. As you continue your journey, the flora becomes richer in vegetation until you finally arrive at an altitude of around 1,500 m above sea level. During your trip you will of course be informed about the diversity of the ecosystem. The village of Mindo, located in a subtropical valley, is known for its butterflies, orchids and over 400 species of birds. With a bit of luck, you'll have the opportunity to spot rare bird species, butterflies and plant species along your way.

Its biodiversity of hummingbirds as well as many other bird species and orchids makes this area a biological sensation. Therefore, bird watching cannot be missing from this program. At dawn you can go bird watching. Unique natural spectacles await you here. With a bit of luck you will discover hummingbirds, toucans, herons, parrots, woodpeckers, owls, tanagers, kingfishers and the very interesting “Red Rock Cock”. That's not all, then you'll drive to an orchid garden and the butterfly house, where you can marvel at a wide variety of different and rare butterfly species.

On the way there is the possibility to visit either the ruins of Tulipe at Pacto or the pyramids of Cochasqui, ruins from the pre-Inca period. Near the town of Cayambe you cross the equator. The journey takes you past the mighty and extinct volcano Imbabura, at the foot of which lies the picturesque Lake San Pablo. Finally you reach Otavalo, the city whose indigenous markets are one of the most important in South America.

On a short hike along the steep crater rim you will enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding volcanic giants Cotacachi, Imbabura and Cayambe. You will then continue to Cotocatchi, where you will be introduced to the local Andean life of the Otavalo people. The city of Cotacachi is known beyond Ecuador for its leather goods, many of which are handmade here. We continue to Peguche with its weavers, who still make the typical wall hangings in the traditional way with naturally colored wool and the music studio, where you will be shown the Andean instruments. Take a walk to the Peguche waterfall, an important place in the Andean cosmovision.

This market has been around for 400 years. Colorful fabrics, clothing, jewelry, wall hangings with a variety of motifs, knitted sweaters, colorful belts, hammocks and other wool and fabric products as well as carvings made of stone, wood or jade are just some of the goods that are bargained for here. Saturday is the main market and all the streets of Otavalo are occupied by market stalls. You will then travel to Quito to your hotel in the old town.

Visit the interesting museum La Casa des Alabado – Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, which brings together some of the most representative works of pre-Columbian art in Ecuador. Observe around 5,000 archaeological pieces, 500 of which form the permanent exhibition. Housed in an elegant colonial-era home, this privately owned museum of contemporary exhibits showcases an impressive collection of pre-Columbian artifacts, organized thematically around themes such as shamans and pigmentation.

The city, whose name means “center of the world,” was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Discover Independence Square, lined by the Government Palace, the 16th-century cathedral and the Bishop's Palace. Continue the tour with a visit to the baroque church “La Compaña de Jesùs”, which is decorated all over with gold leaf. Free afternoon.