Ecuador

Day 1 Quito

Arrival in the capital of Ecuador, Quito.
Transfer to the hotel. Transfer duration: 1 hour.
Accommodation at the Hilton Colon 4+*

Day 2 Quito

Breakfast at the hotel.

Sightseeing tour of Quito with crossing the equator. Duration of the excursion day including transfers is 8 hours. The excursion altitude is 2800 m. After a one and a half hour walking tour, you will understand why Quito was the first city in the world to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The city got its name from the Quitus tribe, who inhabited the region long before the Spanish conquest. The city was the capital of the state of Quito until the end of Spanish colonial rule. The Franciscan order was the first of the orders to establish itself in Quito. The Franciscans immediately began building a monastery, which became a center of education and art and has its own schools of painting and sculpture (the Church of San Francisco is visited during the excursion). Around the main square, Plaza Grande, are the main buildings of the country: the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Archbishop's Palace and the City Hall. We will visit the best example of colonial art in the city - the Jesuit Church, the façade of which is covered with intricate carvings. A beautiful view of the entire city will open up to you from the Panecillo observation deck with a statue of the Virgin Mary with wings - the patroness of the city.

Next, you will go to the equator line.

There are two places to visit the equator line, and we will visit both places:

• The city of Mitad del Mundo. The city of Mitad del Mundo is a tourist and commercial center where tourists can find a monument made in memory of the geodetic expedition of 1736, which established the passage of the equator line in this place. The tourist complex "Middle of the World" belongs to the prefecture of the province of Pichincha, Ecuador. It is located in the parish of San Antonio in the Quito metropolitan area, north of the center of Quito. The headquarters of the Union of South American Nations is being built on the site. Between 1979 and 1982, a 30-meter-high monument was erected to mark the place where the equator was believed to be. From the center of the monument, a line marks the equator, and over the years, countless tourists have crossed it. But in fact, the entire structure is located 240 meters south of the real line, which was calculated correctly in the twentieth century thanks to the advent of the GPS positioning system.
• Intiñan Museum. In this museum, you can conduct a series of experiments that explain the influence of the equator on the natural forces of nature. Here you will also receive information about the culture of ancient peoples, and we can see a series of totems from different cultures of South America. Here are traditional dwellings of different cultures that exist in the country, such as a house with objects that belonged to an Indian family that lived in this place many generations ago. Lunch at El Crater restaurant.

Return to the hotel. Accommodation at the Hilton Colon 4 hotel (breakfast, lunch)

Day 3 Quito - Quilotoa - Baños

Breakfast at the hotel.

Visit to the Quilotoa crater lake.

Duration of the excursion day including transfers: 11 hours. Duration of the transfer Quito - Quilotoa: 3.5 hours; Quilotoa - Baños: 4 hours.

Excursion altitude - 3900 m. Overnight altitude: 1800 m. Average temperature during the excursion: +10C.

We will leave Quito along the Pan-American Highway towards the rose plantation in the Cotopaxi Valley. At the plantation we will see roses of different colors and sizes, which Ecuador exports to various points of the globe. We will observe the processes of cutting, selection and packaging, which will convince us of the high quality of the exported goods. The plantation is not visited on weekends and holidays! Then you will travel to the Quilotoa volcano. On the way you will visit a handicraft workshop in the village of Tigua, where the Naïve painting style - Ecuadorian Andean landscapes on sheepskin - was born.

We will then continue our journey westward to the Central Andes of Ecuador. We will follow the route known as the Pujili Route, passing through the village of Quilotoa. Arriving at the Quilotoa crater, we will visit a viewpoint overlooking the crater lake and will be able to walk through the Indian community.

If you wish, we can walk down to the edge of the lake, go kayaking and return on mules. The kayak ride and mules are not included in the price.

Continuation of the journey to Baños. On the way we will visit an Indian family in the highlands of the Andes of Ecuador to get acquainted with the life of the local Indians.

Transfer to the hotel. Dinner at the hotel. Accommodation at the Luna Runtun 4+* hotel (breakfast, dinner).

Day 4 Baños - Riobamba

Breakfast at the hotel.

Sightseeing tour of the city of Baños and a visit to the waterfalls. Duration of the excursion day including transfers: 8 hours. Duration of the transfer Baños - Riobamba: 2 hours. Overnight altitude: 2800 m. Average temperature; +20C during the day, +10C at night.

The tourist city of Baños is located in a valley with waterfalls and hot springs next to the Tungurahua volcano, 5016 meters high. After breakfast at the hotel, we will take a short tour and visit the city center with a pleasant subtropical climate.

Then we will continue our way to the waterfalls: Agoyan, the Bridal Veil (Manto de la Novia) and the Devil's Frying Pan (Pailón del Diablo). You will also be able to ride the famous swing "End of the World" (for an additional fee).

In the afternoon you will go to the city of Riobamba, where you will visit the Central Square, the Cathedral, the City Hall and the Government House of Ecuador.

Accommodation at the Abraspungo 4* hotel.

Day 5 Ingapirca - Cuenca

Breakfast at the hotel.

A trip on the famous high-mountain train and a visit to the ruins of Ingapirca. The duration of the excursion day, including transfers, is 8 hours. Duration of the transfer Alausi - Ingapirca - 2 hours; Ingapirca - Cuenca - 2 hours. The altitude of the excursion is 3200 m. The average temperature is +20C during the day, +10C at night. The next day begins with a journey from Riobamba to Alausi, and from there we will go to the famous mountain "Nariz del Diablo" (Devil's Nose). Along the way we will make several stops, including a visit to the Balbanera church.

Around 11 am we will arrive in the town of Alausi, from where we will continue our journey by train to the "Devil's Nose", and after about 3 hours we will return back to Alausi. The train descends from the town of Alausi, which is located at an altitude of 2340 m, to the Sibambe station at an altitude of 1816 m, along zigzagging tracks, which are the most complex railway track design in the world. During the descent of 13.5 km, the train passes through high mountains covered with agricultural crops and along the Alausi River. At the Devil's Nose, the train makes another 80 m descent along a zig-zag railway with a width of 1.60 m. The modern carriages have panoramic windows with comfortable armchairs for relaxation and folding tables. Tourists can walk along the aisle during the trip and take pictures through the windows.

Please note: the train does not leave on Mondays! The transport will be waiting for us to continue the journey to the ruins of Ingapirca.

You will be provided with a lunch box during the excursion.

The next point of the journey is the ruins of Ingapirca, which are the largest and most important archaeological complex of the Inca Empire in Ecuador. The ruins date back to the 15th and 16th centuries AD. In the complex, you can see various architectural units, among which it is worth mentioning the Temple of the Sun, which has an elliptical shape, 37 meters long and 12 meters wide, and was used for the performance of rites and rituals by the Cañari and Inca Indians. In addition, you can see the oldest building in Ingapirca - Pilaloma, consisting of a series of rectangular rooms.

After visiting the ruins, we will go to the city of Cuenca. Free evening.

Accommodation at the Santa Lucia 4* hotel.

Day 6 Cuenca

Breakfast at the hotel.

Sightseeing tour of Cuenca. Duration of the excursion day with transfers: 6 hours. Altitude: 2500 m. Average temperature: +25C during the day, +12C at night.

The city was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List on December 1, 1999, in the city center there are important historical monuments, museums and ancient churches (for example, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, one of the largest in America, and others dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries), cobbled streets and houses with republican facades that reflect European architectural influences, especially Spain and France. The city is also known as the "Basin of the Andes" and the "Athens of Ecuador" for being the birthplace of several poets and historical figures such as Miguel Velez, Gaspar Sangurim, San Miguel, Honorato Vazquez, Remigio Crespo Toral, Abdon Calderon, Antonio Borrero and others. We will visit the Plaza of Flowers, the Cathedral, the Plaza of Abdon Calderon, the Turi viewpoint and typical galleries.

Accommodation at the Santa Lucia 4* hotel

Day 7 Cuenca - Cajas - Guayaquil

Breakfast at the hotel.

Excursion to the Cajas National Park and cocoa plantation. Duration of the excursion day including transfers is 8 hours. Excursion altitude is 3600 m. Overnight altitude is 0 m. Average temperature during the excursion to Cajas: +10C.

Cajas National Park is located 30 km west of the city of Cuenca, the capital of the province of Azuay. The park covers an area of ​​28,544 hectares and has more than 250 small lakes. It was declared a national park on November 5, 1996, due to its archaeological value and the abundance of flora and fauna in the region. Cajas is home to a large number of endemic and endangered species of animals. Cajas National Park is a beautiful desert with valleys, lakes and cliffs of the páramo ecosystem. The soil is covered with a thick layer of grass and a large number of cushion-shaped plants, which play an important role in being real water reservoirs on the ground. There are also many species of small shrubs in the park. The highest point, called the Three Crosses, can be reached by road; this place is also a watershed: some rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean, while others flow to the Atlantic Ocean. The winds and rains make this area cold, but the landscape that surrounds these 250 lakes is very luxurious and encourages walks and excursions to study the flora and fauna and bird watching. These forests are the natural habitat of many species of animals, such as hummingbirds, gray-breasted mountain toucans, etc.

In the afternoon, we will go to the city of Guayaquil (3.5 hours drive). On the way, we will visit a hacienda where cocoa is grown (one of the main products of the Pacific coast of Ecuador). Here we will have an interesting excursion, during which we will see and learn how this fruit is grown and how chocolate is obtained from it. The hacienda is located within a dry tropical forest, has an area of ​​15 hectares. This is a beautiful place near Guayaquil, dedicated to agro-tourism, ideal for learning: how the land is processed to grow cocoa and other products. How these products are collected and prepared for export. We will watch the work of the producers of these products (only during the harvest season). Lunch at the hacienda is included in the price. You will also have the opportunity to personally make chocolate paste, cook and taste real hot chocolate.

Upon arrival in Guayaquil, our guides will accompany you to the hotel.

Free evening.

Accommodation at the Wyndham Guayaquil 4* hotel

Day 8 Guayaquil

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the airport - international flight. Transfer duration: 20 minutes.