Compare Backbone of Ecuador - Andean Adventure by Adventure Unbound vs Galapagos Islands: Wildlife Odyssey by Discover Corps

Day 1: Welcome to Ecuador

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Hacienda Rumiloma

Custom Trip Note: Below is our most popular Andean itinerary in Ecuador, however, we can customize this trip at every turn to fit your availability, trip preference, activities, budget, lodging preferences or any other reason. Please call us at 800-451-6034 to customize a trip.

Arrival in Quito, meet & greet at the airport and transfer to your hotel for overnight.

Day 2: Quito and Mitad del Mundo

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hacienda Rumiloma

A tasty breakfast will be followed by exploration of the busy squares and streets of the biggest historical urban centres in the entire Americas.  You will access its key churches including the attractive Cathedral, grandiose ¨La Compañía¨ and archetypal San Fransisco. These are custodians of an amazing heritage of many cultures and ethnicities. Their interiors (pulpits and altars) are largely covered with gold and contain immeasurable collections of sacred art.

The end of your colonial history visit culminates on Panecillo hillside which has incredible views of modern as well as ancient areas of this metropolis which is bound by the undulating Andean hills and eclipsed by the impressive Pichincha Volcano.

Lunch will be served at a superb restaurant within the city after which you will tour the imposing monument which is positioned at 0º 0´ 0´´ latitude thus providing a precious and unique chance to overlap the southern and northern hemispheres. Eventually, the cheerful “Intiñan” museum will host you and give you the opportunity to carry out some stimulating experiments which can only happen on the authentic equatorial line.

Day 3: Otavalo Market

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hacienda Rumiloma

The hotel will provide breakfast after which you will visit Otavalo Indigenous market. It is renowned for many textiles of various colors. Take your time and look for crafts, arts and souvenirs of different kinds. Later you will tour a dead volcano called San Pablo Lagoon or the Cuicocha Lake which towers over Cotacachi, a town famed for beautiful leatherwork. Your journey back to Quito takes place at night.

Day 4: Quito to Cotapaxi

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation : Hacienda San Agustin de Callo

This morning will witness you travelling south to Cotopaxi National Park which is found along the Pan-American Highway via the renowned avenue of volcanoes. You will arrive at the gate of the park, drive to Limpiopungo lagoon before proceeding on foot to the shelter of the volcano, where you will get the most stunning view of the gorge. The Inca Hacienda is your next step. You will drive to this facility in the afternoon for both dinner and accommodation for the night.

Day 5: Cotapaxi to Baños

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Luna Runtun

Baños town awaits you after breakfast. This urban centre is renowned for the “Waterfalls Route”, that also includes “Pailón del Diablo” and the chance to trek to the great waterfall and partake of the “tarabita” or cable way. A country bus (¨chiva¨) will be your mode of transport to the city’s view point.

Day 6: Baños, Chimborazo, Riobamba

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hacienda Abraspungo

On this morning you will tour Baños town to view handicrafts before driving to Riobamba city. Along the way, you have the chance to see a Salasaca community and understand the process they followed in making their famed tapestries.

During the morning, visit Baños town to see handicrafts and then drive to Riobamba city. En route you will have the opportunity to visit a Salasaca community to see how they made the famous tapestries. You will spend the night in the Riobamba area.

Day 7: Devil's Nose Luxury Train

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Mansion Alcazar

Today breakfast will be followed by the journey to the train station at “Alausi”. Here you will begin the journey called ‘Devils’ Nose’ via the mountains. You will find no steeper railroad on the globe than this one which was finalized in 1902. It is a genuine technical work of art! The train will meander down the track and ‘Nariz del Diablo’ stretch or the Devil’s Nose at a hundred meters elevation at a walking speed. You will then take private transport from Alausi to the gorgeous Cuenca city. You will stop over at Ingapirca, which in Quechua means “wall rocks of the Inca”. This is the most significant and best conserved Inca ruins within Ecuador. You have the opportunity to roam around the impressive site and tour the local museum.

Day 8: Cuenca City Tour

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Mansion Alcazar

This morning will find you exploring the imperial city which has craft and art shops, churches and a stunning flower market. You will find all these features in old impressive houses within a neighborhood which in 1999 was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Cuenca is regarded as the capital city of Ecuador’s craft and art industry. Moreover, you can purchase embroidery, baskets, ceramics and leather goods in the city or its rural outskirts.

Gualaceo and Chordeleg towns are you destination in the afternoon giving you the chance to see the biggest Ecuadorian Orchid farm. Create time to purchase traditional handiworks before going back to the hotel for the night.

Day 9: Cajas National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Hilton Colon Guayaquil

After breakfast, take a private guided transfer to Guayaquil visiting “El Cajas” National Park, renowned for its lakes, flora and fauna.

Day 10: Departure

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast included in the hotel, private transfer to the airport of Guayaquil for your return flight or your extension to the Galapagos Islands or somewhere else in Latin America.

Day 1: Arrive in Quito and Meet Your Group

Meals: Dinner

On arrival at Quito’s Mariscal Sucre Airport, you’ll be met by a member of our staff for the short journey to your home away-from-home. After a welcome cocktail as you settle into your hotel, sample Ecuadorian cuisine at a welcome dinner and discuss the schedule for the week before a relaxing night.

Day 2: Quito Cable Car City Tour

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

This morning we’ll head to the city center of Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for a panoramic view of Alameda Park and the Basilica, eventually making our way to Teleferico Complex, the 4,050 meter cable car located on the summit of Cruz Loma. Experience an unforgettable view of the city, 14 peaks of the Andes (or the “Avenue of Volcanoes”), and the surrounding mountain towns. After returning to town for dinner, experience Quito by night on a city tour around the beautiful colonial part of the city. Marvel at breathtaking views of the famous colonial churches illuminated by night before heading to Panecillo Hill for your final and most spectacular view of the city – a panoramic night view where each church lights up the sky.

Day 3: Journey to Otavalo and Learn Ecuadorian Culture from the Peguche People

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast move on to Otavalo, the village town famous for its artisan markets. Taste the delicious “bizcochos,” a traditional recipe of the Ecuadorian highlands, visit a textile market, and take in the culture of the indigenous Otavalenos as you meander through the streets. Visit the people of Peguche for lunch, live music, and a lesson in creating traditional Andean instruments. Enjoy dinner back in Quito and a free night to relax and prepare for an early morning.

Day 4: Spot Galapagos Giant Tortoises at the Galapaguera Breeding Center

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, catch a 2-hour flight out to San Cristobal Island in the Galápagos Islands. You will be met by our naturalist guide who will take us to the San Cristobal highlands for a traditional lunch. Get your first taste of wildlife at The Junco Lake, an inactive volcano home to frigate birds, before a medium-level hike 1 hour to the Galapaguera Breeding Center.* Run by the Galapagos National Park Authority, travelers will have the opportunity to not only see these magnificent tortoises, but also see some of their eggs and learn about the Center’s conservation efforts. After a busy afternoon, relax on the white sand beaches of Puerto Chino before heading back to the hotel for an ocean view dinner.

Day 5: Experience the Wildlife and Beaches of San Cristobal Island

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day five marks our move to the water. Visit the tucked-away beach of White Rose Bay. Because this is not a common stop for travelers visiting San Cristobal Island, we’ll experience a very open, uncrowded place to snorkel and watch manta rays, sharks, seahorses, and more (for those interested in fishing, move on to Punta Pitt). After lunch, move through Sardine Bay and hike 30 min up to Punta Pucuna, a place only recently opened up to travelers, where you will get the unique opportunity to see the lava ground. Humans have not modified this land in any way, so it is a unique and usually untouchable place. Continue your journey to Cerro Brujo and Kicker Rock, a gorgeous rock formation full of Galapagos wildlife including the endemic Galapagos shark, before enjoying dinner with a local fisherman and his family.

Day 6: Visit a Local Farm and Learn about Coffee Harvesting

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After breakfast, journey to El Trinar, a farm that has been supporting the work of the MAGAP, the Ministry of Agriculture and Animals of Ecuador, and the Galapagos National Park. Get an up-close look at the coffee harvesting and fruit picking process, and take part in Otoy recollection – the food the tortoises will eat. Enjoy a fresh, organic lunch with the produce grown at the farm before relaxing and snorkeling at La Lobería.

Day 7: Free Day or Charles Darwin Station

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Awake bright and early to board the boat to Santa Cruz. Today is a free day to enjoy the amenities at your luxurious hotel, scout for wildlife just outside your front door, or take a five-minute walk to the Charles Darwin Station to learn more about the ongoing conservation effects taking place to preserve the giant tortoises.

Day 8: Snorkel in the Famous Bahia Borrero Bay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Zip over to Pinzon Island, the island where Charles Darwin first proved his theory of evolution, for world-class snorkeling. Move on to Daphne Island for more snorkeling and fantastic bird watching – keep your eyes open for the Daphne Island finch and the blue footed boobies!

On Daphne Island, feel like you’re on the moon and marvel at two craters – the Daphne Major and the Daphne Minor. Spend your afternoon and early evening in Bahia Borrero Bay, some of the best snorkeling in the world, before heading back to Pinzon Island and finally Santa Cruz Island for dinner.

Day 9: Visit the Gorgeous Tortuga Bay for World-Class Wildlife Scouting

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

After breakfast, experience Tortuga Bay, famous for its expansive and pristine shoreline that stretches across the southern coast of Santa Cruz. Full of wildlife including iguanas, colorful reef fish, white-reef sharks, hammerhead rays and seas turtles, it’s a great place to try surfing, kayaking, or to just relax on the beach. In the afternoon, visit Las Grietas, or “the cracks,” a series of volcanic crevices that were formed during the cooling of molten lava.

Day 10: Return Home or Continue on to the Amazon Basin

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, head for your local flight back to Quito. Either catch your international flight back home or continue on to our Amazon Basin extension (next page).