Well-being and Nature in Ecuador

Quito Airport - Quito

Reception at the airport by an english-speaking guide (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Private transfer with spanish-speaking driver from Quito airport to your hotel.

You will spend the night at Le Parc hotel in Quito.

Quito Historic Center - Quito

Quito, Ecuador's capital, is a real treasure between the volcanoes of Pichincha, Cayambe and Antisana. At an elevation of 2830 meters, it is the second highest capital in the world.. It was the first city classified by the UNESCO in 1978 and its historic centre is the biggest and best maintained in Latin America.

Departure at 8:30am: to get a good idea of the city, we will firstly go to the Panecillo, a small hill over the city with a statue of the Quito' Virginp, with a splendid 360º view.

You will then have a visit of Quito's colonial centre:

• the church of the Compañia de Jesus;
• the church of San Francisco;
• the Grand Place where are located the Presidential Palace (Carondelet) and Quito's Cathedral.

And now, exclusively and just for you :

You'll participate to a PACARI chocolates tasting.

You will learn about the process of elaboration of a great cocoa. You'll know why Ecuador is the best country to produce a cacao fino and also learn about the cocoa history in the world. You'll have the privilege to taste 10 different types of PACARI chocolates.

Pacari works directly with small producers and assure a great remuneration for their hard work, in order to preserve the genetic diversity of ecuadorian cocoa.

This cooperative has been rewarded multiple times at an international levek for the quality of the products and the social work they have done.

You will spend the night at Le Parc hotel in Quito.

Therapeutic Massage included. It is personalized in tensioned areas, which would relieve any pain.

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Quito - Mindo

Departure from Quito to follow a scenic road through the Equatorial cloudy forest to the Mindo area, a unique place for its biodiversity.

You will visit a breeding center of butterflies and you will discover the process of their metamorphosis with the different stages of evolution of the caterpillars.

You will discover the ecological forest Mindo- Nambillo, where uncountable trails will allow you to observe many species of birds.

You will visit the chocolate factory "El Quetzal" where you will enjoy one of the most delicious chocolates of the country after having seen the manufacturing process. It's a perfect opportunity to buy a special gift to you family and friends.

You will spend the night at lodge Casa Divina in Mindo

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Tulipe - Mindo - Quitsato - Cuicocha Lake - Otavalo

You will stop at the archaeological site of Tulipe, home of the Yumbo civilization (800-1400).

The museum provides you with details on this ancient culture, traditions and rituals. In the region you will find the traditional "tolas" which are pyramids cut in half, made ​​with a mixture of mud and other materials. There are also important structures in shape of pools which are considered to have been used for sanation rituals.

Trip to Otavalo, famous for its handcrafts.

Lunch at the restaurant "Balcon 2 Hemisferios", almost on the Ecuador line.

Gourmet menu with typical flavors of Ecuador.

You will stop at the latitude 0º, where a circular platform of 54 meters of diameter materializes a huge sundial and the equator line. The phenomena observed in the place will be explained to you, as well as how the local peoples used to integrate them in their dayly activities. An opporetunity to reconnect with what is an agriculture agenda, and what it means, between the sky and nature.

Visit of the Cuicocha lake in the ecologic reserve of "Cotacahi - Cayapas" , 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.

You will spend the night in Sacha Ji.

Attend a traditional cleansings that use the Pachamama (Mother Earth) as a sacred remedy for curing or cleansing energy. The different elements and native plants are used in a ceremony in order to bring back well-being and balance (30 min approx).

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Otavalo - San Clemente

Yoga class and guided medidation session : Kundalini Yoga combines meditation, mantra, physical exercises and breathing techniques. Also known as the Yoga of Awareness; its focus is on self-awareness and delivering an experience of your highest consciousness. It is a science of the mind and body, to elevate the spirit. No experience necessary - 1 hour 15 Min approx.

Visit in the morning of the famous Otavalo's Indigenous market, the most significant in the Ecuador's Andes, where you can meet the "Otavaleños" with their espadrilles, their brown felt hat and blue ponchos. They are the wealthiest indians in Ecuador and excellent sellers.

You will get to San Clemente autochtonous communiy, down the Imbabura volcano You will spend time with a member of the community who will guide you to discover their lifestyle, their culture and traditions. During a hike in the community, you will learn about San Clemente, its population, its craftmen, field workers, the medicinal plants they largely use, the guinea pigs husbandry, and many other things. In a family, you will share a lunch made of excellent quality products, organic because produced in a traditionnal way without chemical intrants.

You will spend the night in Sacha Ji.

You will enjoy a traditional andean experience. The Sweat Lodge is a round space where one literally sweats. It is a form of physical, mental and spiritual healing developed over centuries by different tribes and communities on earth. It represents the womb of the Mother and its feminine energy (3 hours).

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Otavalo - Cayambe - Papallacta

Yoga class and guided medidation session : Kundalini Yoga combines meditation, mantra, physical exercises and breathing techniques. Also known as the Yoga of Awareness; its focus is on self-awareness and delivering an experience of your highest consciousness. It is a science of the mind and body, to elevate the spirit. No experience necessary - 1 hour 15 Min approx.

You will arrive to the Papallacta hot springs at an altitude of 3220 meters surrounded with the nature and two makestic Andean volcanoes, the Cayambe and the Antisana. Have a peaceful and relaxing time in the natural hot spring waters, which come with all its minerals from the geological underground through cracks in the surface up to the Papallacta pools.

You will stop for about 2 hours in a plantation of roses. Ecuador is one of the first countries that export roses in all the world, and actually the roses of Ecuador are considered to be the most beautiful of the world. They are produced at 2500 meter of altitude, that's what makes them to have such strong and intense colors. The minerals that come from the Cotopaxi and Cayambe volcanoes make the rosebuds to grow enormously.

You will spend the night at Termas Papallacta hotel.

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Papallacta - Misahualli

Departure from Papallacta for a trip to the exotic Oriente. You will enjoy on the way various landscapes as you will cross a mountain pass at 4000 meters before descending to the Amazonian basin at an elevation of approximately 900 meters. You will have many opportunities to take photos on the road to Archidona, of the green valleys and the amazing waterfalls.

A short walk in the jungle will lead you up to this magnificent waterfall which falls in a big natural swimming pool, the place dreams for a cooling dive one day of big heat. Along the way you can appreciate the jungle and its beauties, along the path which takes you exactly towards one of these marvels. Our native guide will offer you a multitude of information while he spots, tree-dwelling frogs, insects, healing plants... After this walk and to have cooled in the waterfall, we shall take you until Misahualli to have lunch in the village, and take advantage of it to observe the monkeys playing on the square.

You will spend an amazonian night at Hamadryade Lodge.

Where you will have different options:

- explore Misahualli's port which is the door of entrance to the amazonic jungle

- walk on the lodge' pathes

- go to the Latas waterfalls

- spend some relaxation time at the swimming pool

- ask for a massage (not included in the offer) in your cabin

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Archidona - Misahualli

The Pacari adventure continues.

Enjoy a half-day to experience the adventure of the cocoa route. An incredible experience awaits you from Archidona from where you will join the community of Santa Rita and the agritourism project of the organization Pacari.

Arrival to the community of Santa Rita where you will learn more about the origin of cocoa selected by Pacari, the chocolate that you tasted a few days ago in Quito. You will see how they produce cocoa and all the technical process necessary to create the unique taste of Pacari chocolate.

For a short walk in the plantation, you may be able to find petroglyphs (inscriptions millennia engraved on the rock). These are the ancestral traces of native cultures that inhabited this area for thousands of years and is now known as the Sacred Valley of the Anaconda. You will also look for ripe cocoa pods to taste the flesh wrapping beans, sweet and slightly tart ...

Return to the camp where you will try to make a chocolate paste and hot chocolate with the cocoa you will have collected in the morning. You will finally know the complete process of cocoa making. This consists of toasting, peeling and grinding the cocoa that you mix with panela (cane sugar), ishpingo (American cinnamon) and common cinnamon.

(Possibility of harvesting cocoa from February to June).

You will spend an amazonian night at Hamadryade Lodge.

Where you will have different options:

- explore Misahualli's port which is the door of entrance to the amazonic jungle

- walk on the lodge' pathes

- go to the Latas waterfalls

- spend some relaxation time at the swimming pool

- ask for a massage (not included in the offer) in your cabin

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Misahualli - Puyo - Fatima - Pailon del Diablo - Banos

On the way to Banos you will follow the "Ruta de Cascadas" along the deep gorges of the Rio Pastaza and observe the evolution of the ecosystem from 950 to 1800 meters of elevation with spectacular views over the upper Amazon basin and a dozen of waterfalls.

You will stop at the Yapas reserve, where you will discover different species of orchids and bromelias, also endemical trees that are endangered.

You will have an organic lunch with products from the Reserve, a nice way to support this ambiental initiative.

On the route you will stop near Puyo, where you will visit a center of rehabilitation for monkeys of the Amazone, "Paseo de los Monos", where you will be in contact with the animals. Six species of monkeys are present, the objective of the center is to help some of them who are sick or isolated with the purpose of liberate them in the future.

You will stop in Pailon del Diablo, the country's most famous waterfalls which you will be able to see from closer from a sightseeing platform. Further on the road, following the inca style, you can use a suspended basket called locally tarabita to cross the Pastaza and reach a waterfall called "Manto de la Novia".

You will spend the night at Samari hotel in Banos.

You can relax in the spa or enjoy the swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna or turkish bath at your disposal. Possibility to have a massage to reserve on site.

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Banos - Quilotoa - Riobamba

You will go to the north on the Quilotoa area.

The emerald colored Quilotoa lake (3854m) lays in a still active volcano, its color being due to the presence of sulfur. According to a legend, the Inca Atahualpa had hidden his treasure in the lake... You can go for a 2 hours walk down to the crater and back (option to rent a mule for the trip, for less than 10 u$d) or simply enjoy the view from the top of the crater.

Visit the Mirador of Shalala with scenic view of Quilotoa laguna though a comunitarian project.

On the way to Riobamba you will stop in the area of Tigua which specialty is the colored painting on sheep leather representing the life in the Andes. Arrival in Riobamba, a peaceful Andean town totally rebuilt after the 1797 earthquake.

Night at the Hacienda La Andaluza close to Riobamba.

Dinner included at the hotel.

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Riobamba - Balbanera & Colta - Ingapirca - Cuenca

On the way to Ingapirca, you will have a stop at the Colta lake and the Balbanera church, the first built in Ecuador in 1534.

Ingapirca means "inca stone wall" in the canari language, and indeed a site where the rock is full of legends and history. Ingapirca was founded by the Inca Huayna Capac in the XVth century. The impressive fortress used to contain a temple, sheds and an observatory with amazing exemple of mortar free stone constructions. It was though to be a tambo (relay) along the Inca way from Quito to Cuenca. The locals also see a puma's shape in the ruins. After a visit of the site you will find the Inganahui after walking a bit away. This Inca face rock sculpted by the wind and the rain may had inspired the Incas to found Ingapirca there.

After returning to the main site, you will have the opportunity to visit the museum dedicated to this place discovered by the french scientist La Condamine.

You will travel to the beautiful city of Cuenca by vehicle, following a scenic road in the middle of the Andes with views over the colored fields and the mountains around.

You will spend the night at the Forum hotel in Cuenca.

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Cuenca

The city of Cuenca (2 550 m) is undoubtedly as charming as its former name of Guapondelic reveals: "the valley as great as the sky". This colorful and lively city with superb historic buildings was classified as a World Heritage by the UNESCO since 1999. The best way to feel the warm colors of Cuenca is to walk around its paved streets, along the white houses with roman tiled roofs and flourishing wrought iron balconies. Colonial art treasures can also be discovered in Cuenca in the churches and convents from the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries. The visit of the cathedral, the El Turi viewing platform, the flouring spaces, the churches and the covered market will gradually take you closer to the local life. Visit of a Panama hats workshop (except on Sundays) established in Cuenca for more than 60 years where you can observe the different stage of its fabrication, an Ecuador's specialty.

Enjoy a relaxing moment in the Piedra de Agua therms. You will have access to the thermal inside and outside Pools, the rain showers and the steam baths. If you want, you could reserve a massage but already have access to the volcanic mud pool.

You will spend the night at the Forum hotel in Cuenca.

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Cuenca - Cajas Park - Guayaquil

You will follow up Western cordillera to Cajas park from Cuenca where you will enjoy stunning views over the many lakes of this protected area.

El Cajas National Park is located in the south western Cordillera of the Andes, 35 km from Cuenca. Its altitude varies between 3,156 and 4,450 m and covers an area of ​​288 km2, including a set of 235 glacial lakes, connected by small rivers and streams. The park is home to archaeological sites, among several other sections of Qapaq Nan, the real Inca Trail, which connects the coast with the mountains and fells, allowing trade in Spondylus shell, valuable object at that time. You can walk from 2 to 6 hours owith a local guide.

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.

In Guayaquil you will firstly visit the main streets, the neo gothic cathedral and the Simon Bolivar Park next to it, where you can find a hundred of green iguanas freely wandering around the park, some being a meter long. We will continue the visit to the Malecon 2000 and then reach the colonial area of Las Peñas, to admire there the architecture and the many art galleries. From the Santa Ana fort you will enjoy a scenic view over Guayaquil and the Guayas River.

You will spend the night at Nazu hotel in Guayaquil.

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Guayaquil - Agua Blanca - Los Frailes Beach - Puerto Lopez

You will travel on the Ruta del Sol following kilometers of sand beaches in the smooth sun. On the way to Puerto Lopez, you will pass through lovely fishing towns.

Visit of the Agua Blanca site and of the the small museum showing some pieces found in the archeological site nearby which you will discover then. They are remains from the pre Inca cultures (Salango, Machalilla, Chorrera and Manta) which used to live there between 3000 and 800 before J.C. You will then go for a walk in the forest around and to a thermal natural pool where you can have a swim.

Trip to the Playa de Los Frailes, 12 km from Puerto lopez in the Machalilla National Park, the biggest protected area on the coast. The park is mainly covered with a dry tropical forest which used to spread over most of the Pacific coast but which almost totally disappeared now. 150 native species had been identified here in 1998. You can go for an hour walk in the forest at the park entrance before getting to the Los Frailes beach, one of the most beautiful in Ecuador. After a bit of relaxing on the beach you will enjoy a swim in this small paradise.

You will spend the night at Mandala hotel in Puerto Lopez.

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Isla de la Plata - Puerto Lopez

Departure by boat from the beach toward the Silver Island ("Isla de la Plata" in spanish), part of Machalilla National Park, located 17 miles from the coast (around 1,5 hours of transport). The island owns its name from the famous pirate, Sir Francis Drake, english sailor who would have hidden on this island a silver treasure captured on a galeon. On another hand this name could come from the large amount of guano, for the silver reflects. Each year, from june to september, the humpback whales gather in this area during the reproduction period and offer a tremendous spectacle that you will never forget. You may cross with dolphins surfing after the boat. Then you will go for a walk around the island for about 3 hours in a surprising dry tropical forest and observe numerous colonies of birds (red and blue-footed boobies, frigate, albatross, pelican,...) and sea-lions. Back on the boat, you will have a lunch and practice snorkelling on the most important coral reef of Ecuador with a rich sub-marine fauna. Back to Puerto Lopez on the afternoon.

You will spend the night at Mandala hotel in Puerto Lopez.

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Puerto Lopez - Guayaquil - Guayaquil Airport

Free time in Puerto Lopez to enjoy the beach and the fishing town before the ruturn to the Guayaquil

Private transfer with your guide to Guayaquil airport.

Free connection with your international flight.

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).