Inca Trail and Ecuador’s Traditional Markets

Day 1 : Quito Airport

Welcome to Ecuador !

A proverb says *Traveling leaves you speechless at first, before turning you into a storyteller*

… Let the adventure start in the country of the middle of the world ! Chulla vida ! Reception at the airport by an english-speaking guide. Private transfer with spanish-speaking driver from Quito airport to your hotel. Night at Ikala hotel in Standard room.

Day 2 : Quito Historic Center

English-speaking guide in a private transport. Quito stands out for its topography spread out from north to south, in an Andean corridor flanked by the Pichincha volcano and the valley where the airport is located. But it is above all the largest and most preserved colonial city on the continent.

Then you will visit the colonial and republican center of Quito :

– the Panecillo, the statue of the Virgin of Quito, located on top of a hill overlooking the city;
– the Church of the Society of Jesus (of the Jesuits), the most gold-laden church in South America;
– the Church of San Francisco (of the Franciscans) and its convent/museum;
– the Plaza Grande where the Presidential Palace (Carondelet) and the Cathedral of Quito are located. At 12:00, you can watch the changing of the presidential guard;
– the district of La Ronda for its craftsmen;
– the Basilica of the National Vow of Quito, designed by a French architect. Night at Ikala hotel in Standard room.

Day 3 : Rucu Pichincha

English-speaking guide in a private transport. Ascent of Rucu Pichincha:

You will take the cable car to the Cruz Loma station at 4100m. from where your ascent to the top of Rucu Pichincha begins. You will have a panoramic view of Quito and its surroundings. If the weather is favorable, you will be able to see the crater and the surrounding volcanoes: Cotopaxi, Cayambe and Antisana. Picnic near the summit and descend by the cable car, at the bottom of which your vehicle is waiting for you.

Difficulty: Moderate ascent: technical summit, be in shape!

Estimated duration: 4 to 5 hours – Elevation: +700m./-700m. – Max. altitude: 4696m. – Distance: 10 km. Night at Ikala hotel in Standard room.

Day 4 : Quito

English-speaking guide in a private transport. You will get out of Quito direction to Otavalo, passing through one of the regions where they grow the famous ecuadorian roses and you will appreciate a beautiful landscape made of numerous summits of the northern Andes. Visit of the Cuicocha lake, one of the most beautiful in Ecuador with a shiny blue water.

At the centre of a former crater at 3064 meters, the nature lovers will enjoy a very various vegetation (orchids, elephants ears …) with more than 400 species identified there.

For the more sporty, you can walk around the lagoon. You will take the route towards Ibarra. You will spend some time with your host family, a privileged opportunity to discover their way of life, their culture and their traditions. During your walks in the community with your hosts, you will discover San Clemente, its people, its artisans, the workers in the fields, its medicinal plant trail carefully maintained because they use it frequently, the guinea pig farms, the llamas and much more. Dinner and overnight in the Karanqui indigenous community of San Clemente. You will be hosted in a family where you will share the meal.

This stay is one of the most genuine exchange experiences within an indigenous community.

Day 5 : San Clemente

English-speaking guide in a private transport. Trek on the lower part of Imbabura:

You will leave from the community of San Clemente for a walk in the middle of the paramo on the slopes of Imbabura. With beautiful views of the surrounding valleys and volcanoes. This hike will be adapted according to your fitness level and the expectations of the group.

Difficulty: Easy Trek: Sunday sportsmen, welcome!

Estimated duration: 2 to 3 hours – Elevation: +600m / -600m – Max. altitude: 3400m – Distance: 8 km. You will take a tour of the medicinal plant path used by the community for its care. Then you will spend some time with the village healer and other plant connoisseurs to learn about their uses. You will also learn about the importance of these plants in the cosmovision of the Kayambis Indians. Dinner and overnight in the Karanqui indigenous community of San Clemente. You will be hosted in a family where you will share the meal.

This stay is one of the most genuine exchange experiences within an indigenous community.

Day 6 : Mojanda

English-speaking guide in a private transport. Trek of Mojanda and climbing to Fuya-Fuya:

You will go to the Mojanda Lagoon, at about 3700 meters of altitude (12,140 ft.). It is surrounded by meadows with yellow or green grasses sometimes swept by strong winds with the Fuya-Fuya volcano as a backdrop.

You will be able to climb to the top of Fuya-Fuya, which will allow you on clear days to have a view of the snowy peaks of the surrounding volcanoes including Cotapaxi or Cayambe.

*NOTE:* *estimated duration: 3 to 4 hours. -* *Elevation: + 600 m / – 600 m -* *Max altitude: 4279 m / 14038 ft.* You will visit the indigenous market of Otavalo, the most famous Ecuadorian handicraft market in the Andes.

There you will meet the indigenous Otavaleños wearing espadrilles, brown felt hats and a blue poncho on their shoulders. They are the most prosperous indigenous people in Ecuador and are formidable traders.

Obviously this market has a very developed tourist aspect, but it is one of the country’s must-sees. Night at Las Palmeras hotel in Cabaña room (Standard category).

Day 7 : Otavalo

English-speaking guide in a private transport. You will go to Cayambe from Otavalo, observing the beautiful landscape of the mountains. TREK UP TO CAYAMBE REFUGE:

You will go by car to Cayambe and then go to the winding road that takes you to the waterfall Los Mirlos where you’ll start the hike. You will walk through the dry forest and climb to the wet paramo to the refuge Berge-Oleas Ruales on the Cayambe volcano.

The trail is marked and it will take you to 4600 meters at the base of the glacier. You will have time to admire the view and recover before calmly descend by the same route to the vehicle.

Difficulty: Moderate Trek: Be in shape, no need for technical level!

Estimated duration: 3 to 4 hours – Elevation: +212m/-212m – Max altitude: 4600m – Distance: 5 km. Stop at Quitsato, on the genuine 0° latitude: a giant sundial marks the line of the Equator. We will explain to you the phenomena observable from this authentic place in our opinion and of importance for the civilizations that preceded us. You will be able to discover how the local people integrate seasonal rhythms and activities into the agricultural calendar and what it means, between sky and nature. On the way to the eastern cordillera, you will reach a pass at 4200m. before getting to Papallacta. Mountain lakes, viewpoints on the green valleys, Antisana volcano on your right if clear, will animate this journey in the Andes. Suggestion of relaxing activities:

a break in the hot springs of Papallacta. A bath in the warm waters with a stimulating air can only win colors.

Keep in mind, however, that sometimes it can be cold and that if you are afraid of sudden changes in temperature, it will be better to abstain. In this case, a restaurant-cafeteria will serve as a refuge to admire the beautiful vegetation of this corner.

*NOTE: you will have to pay the entrance fee on site: count approximately $9 per person.* Night at Mamallacta hotel in Standard room.

Day 8 : Papallacta

English-speaking guide in a private transport. Trek Agua y Vida :

You leave your vehicle at the Antennas of Papallacta, at the entrance of the Cayambe-Coca park. You start your trek by taking the path called of water and life which passes by the lagoons of Parcacocha, Baños and many other smaller ones. You will descend to the Papallacta thermal baths with a bath between hot and cold waters.

Difficulty: Moderate trek : Be in shape, no technical level needed!

Estimated time : 4 hours – Elevation: -860 m. – Max. altitude: 4160 m. – Distance : 12 km. You will leave Papallacta to arrive to the Cotopaxi Nacional Park. Night at Chilcabamba Lodge in Standard room.

Day 9 : Cotopaxi Park

English-speaking guide in a private transport. Today, visit of the Cotopaxi national park with Ecuador’s second highest summit at 5897 meters. It is also the highest active volcano in the world although it mainly shows a few fumaroles from its ice covered crater. But sometimes it launches a huge column smoke and ashes right upon its center.

Afterward, you will walk around the Limpiopungo laggon with stunning view on the Cotopaxi. You will appreciate the flora and some fauna, typical of the paramo , those wide plains swept by the cold winds of the Andes.

After driving up to the car park at 4600 meters you will continue by foot to the José Rivas hut 200 meters higher.

The most motivated can also go and reach the snowline. This spectacular and little-used road winds its way through the mountains overlooking deep valleys. These wild landscapes and the special light make up for the length of the route. You are at the heart of the Andean culture with its inhabitants busy in the fields, giving the image of a region frozen in time. Dinner and night at the Llullu Llama hotel in Garden Cottage room.

*NOTE* *: you will have compost toilets.*

Day 10 : Isinlivi

English-speaking guide in a private transport. Trek Isinlivi – Chugchilan – Quilotoa – Tigua – DAY 1 :

Departing from our hostel in Isinlivi in an authentic and hilly rural setting of great beauty, we are in the heart of the Andean culture and you will be able to meet the inhabitants who leave to cultivate their fields that draw multicolored mosaics on the flanks of the surrounding mountains. You will go down through the canyons to the small village of Itualo where you may visit the school with the permission of the director. Our path then follows the Rio Toachi before going up to Chugchilan.

Difficulty: Moderate Trek: Be in shape, no need for technical level!

Estimated duration: 5 to 6 hours – Elevation: +600m / -330m – Max. altitude: 3200m – Distance: 12 km. Dinner and night at Mama Hilda hotel in Standard room.

Day 11 : Chugchilan

Trek Isinlivi – Chugchilan – Quilotoa – Tigua – DAY 2 :

After breakfast in our hostel, we will descend to the Rio Sigui for a long ascent to the Quilotoa Lagoon. On the way we will be able to observe some ruins, the Rio Toachi gorges and some farmers with their oxen working hard, maybe even some llamas and alpacas. You won’t regret the 5 hour walk when the emerald green waters of the lagoon offer themselves to you at the bottom of the crater.

Difficulty: Moderate Trek: Be in shape, no need for technical level!

Estimated duration: 5 to 6 hours – Elevation: +990m / -330m – Max. altitude: 3868m – Distance: 12 km. English-speaking guide in a private transport. dinner and night at Princesa Toa hotel in Standard room.

Day 12 : Quilotoa

Trek Isinlivi – Chugchilan – Quilotoa – Tigua – DAY 3 :

Last day of trek in the Cordillera. You will walk between the lake Quilotoa and the Tigua village through the canyon of the Toachi river. As you descend the canyon you will notice the change of ecosytem. The high canyon walls will surround you all the time.

Difficulty: Moderate Trek: Be in shape, no need for technical level!

Estimated duration: 6 to 7 hours – Elevation: +775m / -1165m – Max. altitude: 3868m – Distance: 23 km. English-speaking guide in a private transport. Night at the Posada de Tigua in Standard room.

*NOTE:* *At the end of the day, you can go to the barn to watch or participate in the milking of the cows. Afterwards, you will go to the kitchen to make cheese, using the same recipe that has been used for generations. A moment of life at the farm and of sharing that will delight the curious and the amateurs of organic and home-made dairy products!*

Day 13 : Tigua

English-speaking guide in a private transport. You will then take the road to Baños, a small town pleasant for a little stroll and famous for its thermal baths. Trek in Baños & Visit of Bellavista viewpoint:

You will take the path that goes up to the Bellavista Viewpoint from where you will overlook Banos and enjoy a panoramic view of the city. After this ascent to Runtun, you will go down to the Mirador de la Virgen to return to the city of the waters of the Tungurahua.

Difficulty: Easy trek: Sunday sportsmen, welcome!

Estimated duration: 3 to 4 hours – Elevation: +/- 200m. – Max altitude: 1800m. Visit of Baños, a pleasant little spa town for a little stroll. Its basilica is worth a visit. You can also visit a workshop of *tagua*, the vegetable ivory. Or let yourself be tempted by the local candy cane , the *melcocha*.

And why not at the end of the day a swim in one of the thermal baths of the city to relax. Night at La Floresta hotel in Standard room.

Day 14 : Banos

English-speaking guide in a private transport. You will then take the road to the east, a beautiful route that will take you to the Chimborazo Park. Visit to the Chimborazo Natural Reserve:

In a landscape of paramo , these Andean plateaus with high grass swept by the winds of altitude, you will certainly come across herds of vicuñas. You will drive up to the first refuge.

Then you will be able to get closer to the summit (you don’t have to, of course, you can stay at the refuge), the highest in Ecuador, at 6,263m / 20,548 ft. when you reach the second refuge.

You will not be far from the first snows and never so close to the sun because due to the bulging of the earth at the level of the equator, the summit of Chimborazo is considered the furthest from the center of the earth.

*NOTE: Altitudes: 1st refuge (Carrel): 4800m. / 2nd refuge (Whymper): 5100m.* Dinner and night at Chimborazo Lodge inside the Chimborazo National Park in Standard room.

Day 15 : Chimborazo Park

English-speaking guide in a private transport. You will then take the road east to Riobamba, a quiet little Andean town. Way to Guamote. Visit of the Guamote market (Thursdays only), one of the most authentic, popular, original and colorful markets in Ecuador. Its animal market is considered to be the most important in Latin America. All kinds of animals are bartered or sold there. And the mix of Andean populations with colorful traditional clothing is a real spectacle. Night at the Inti Sisa Inn.

*Inti Sisa is a* *community-based housing* *initiative in the village of Guamote. You are in the heart of* *the most indigenous region of the country. And your hosts will be able to guide you or give you the keys to understand this unfamiliar Andean world.*

Day 16 : Ozogoche

English-speaking guide in a private transport. You will make a stop in the Ozogoche lagoon complex. It is a very special place, whose kichwa name means meat-eaters , made up of 45 lagoons. Beyond the magic and the beauty of the place, these lakes are famous for a particular phenomenon, unexplained until now, which in September of each year witnesses the collective suicide of birds called chorlitos (kuvivi in kichwa) which throw themselves into the cold waters by the hundreds. The local population carries out offering ceremonies on the occasion of this singular event. From the beautiful small village of Guamote, following a scenic road on the panamericana, in the middle of the Andes with views over the mountains around (Sangay and Chimborazo), you will then reach Cuenca. *Suggested visits :*

*The city of Cuenca has an indefinable charm. This colonial city, classified as a World Heritage Site by Unesco, combines a warm and lively atmosphere with splendid historical buildings.*

*To soak up its warm colors, you can stroll through the cobblestone streets, lined with white houses with Romanesque tile roofs and wrought-iron balconies full of flowers. Cuenca is also unique for the treasures of colonial art that it houses in the heart of its churches and convents from the 17th and 18th centuries.*

*Among the main attractions, we recommend these:*

– *The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception;*
– *the view from the El Turi belvedere;*
– *the different flower-filled squares (Parque San Blas or Parque Calderón);*
– *walk to the flower market or the 10 de Agosto market and try a limpia , a traditional herbal energy treatment;*
– *a Panama hat factory (e.g. Ortega’s or Barranco’s) to discover the different stages of the manufacturing of this headgear of Ecuadorian origin whose reputation was born during the construction of the Panama Canal;*
– *the workshops of blacksmiths;*
– *walk along the Tomepamba river on Calle Larga, for the beautiful houses of the Barranco district;*
– *the Archaeological Museum of the Central Bank or the Museum of Aboriginal Cultures;*
– *the Museum of Modern Art or discover the secrets of monastic life at the Museo de las Conceptas.*

*NOTE: entrance fees to the different sites are not included. Please also check the opening days and times of the sites.* Night at Los Balcones Boutique Hotel in Standard room.

Day 17 : Cuenca

French-speaking guide in private transport. You will follow up Western cordillera to Cajas park where you will enjoy stunning views over the many lakes of this protected area. Trek in Cajas Park:

Located on the Western Cordillera south of the Ecuadorian Andes, 35 km from Cuenca. Its altitude varies from 3,156 to 4,450 m and has an area of 288 km2 that includes a lake complex of 235 lagoons of glacial origin, connected by small rivers or streams. The park contains sites of archaeological interest, among which are several stretches of the Qhapaq Ñan (Royal Andean Road) which connects the coast with the Sierra (highlands) and which during the pre-Inca and Inca periods was used, among other things, to trade in Spondylus shells, an object of great economic value at that time.

We start from the Toreadora lagoon, which you will skirt around before climbing to the top of Cerro San Luis, from where there is a 360-degree panoramic view of all the surrounding lakes, of which there are many … You will go down a steep path towards the Lagoon of Toreadora where you will find your vehicle.

Difficulty: Easy trek: Sunday sportsmen, welcome!

Estimated duration: 4 to 5 hours – Elevation: -500m/+500m – Altitude max: 4200m – Distance: 10km. Journey to get to Guayaquil, Ecuador’s biggest city and economical capital.

Down from the mountains you will pass by fertiles lowlands with huge orchards and banana plantations before arriving to Guayaquil. Private transfer with your guide to Guayaquil airport. Free connection with your international flight.