Quito is quite a hidden jewel and treasure trove located high up in the Andes. The scent of Sierra and Latino flavor, the colonial charm and the modern madness create an enigmatic spirit of the city. After you check out of the airport, our chauffeur will greet you and take you to your hotel. Spend the rest of the day at your own leisure by exploring the evening and nightlife of Quito.
Overnight stay in Quito.Quito is geographically an interesting and climatically challenging location, with an elevation of around 3000masl and but only 22kms away from the equator. It is always advised to spend an additional day in the city to acclimatize with the environment.
However, at your request, we may arrange some light walks around the city, for you to explore the nooks and charms of the beautiful city. Overnight stay in Quito.Enjoy your breakfast. We begin today with a guided tour of our host city of Quito, which is set in a hollow at the foot of the volcano Pichincha, surrounded by hills and several snow-capped mountains. It is known for its treasure trove of colonial churches, monasteries, paintings, sculptures and carvings and an eclectic blend of Spanish, Flemish and Moorish architecture, which has been formally recognized by UNESCO. First, we will be taken to a viewpoint called Guapulo, a natural terrace from which to admire the spectacular views of the Pichincha volcano, the Valleys of Cumbayá and Tumbaco and the eastern mountain chain. On a clear day, the snow-capped Cayambe and Puntas volcanoes can be seen. We continue on a guided tour through the old part of the city, where the colonial heritage of Ecuador is very much in evidence and the culturally diverse history of Quito itself will be explained. Notable sights include Independence Square, the Government buildings and the Bishops Palace. We will visit the Cathedral and its museum and see the church of La Compañia, which has the most ornate and richly sculptured façade and interior – with so many beautiful 16th and 17th-century churches and monasteries, Quito is known as the “Convent of America”.
Later we visit the Botanical Garden of Quito, which is located in the capital’s popular La Carolina Park. Plants from all the different ecosystems of the country, such as the rare Frailejon and the Espeletia from the high paramo regions of the northern Andes, are exhibited, giving us a good introduction to some of the plants we may see in the wild later in the tour. Overnight stay in Quito.After breakfast, we depart by coach for Otavalo, traveling along a section of the Pan American Highway (La Panamericana). The road descends into the spectacular Guayllabamba gorge and with a bit of luck, we should see the snow-capped peak of Cayambe. The Equator goes directly through the glacier of this immense volcano and in doing so reaches its highest point on earth. We break our two-hour journey to Otavalo with a visit to the Hacienda Cusin, a restored 17th-century Andean estate and now a hotel with beautiful gardens. Subsequent erosion of a large, melt-water fed lake created the rich, black lake-bed soil of Cusin's present gardens. That rich soil, cool nights and a predictable equatorial sun have conspired with avid gardeners to create several acres of continuously blooming gardens.
After enjoying a walk around the gardens and a lunch of typical local fare, we continue to the market town of Otavalo, world-renowned for its crafts. The town consists of rather functional buildings with the Plaza de los Ponchos as the focal point at its center. The indigenous residents of the area, whom you will hear speaking Quichua as their first tongue and Spanish as their second, have achieved economic prosperity as a result of their skill in weaving a tremendous variety of designs in belts, tapestries, ponchos, and other clothing items. It will be hard to resist picking up a few souvenirs to take home. On our way back to Quito we will visit one of the local rose plantations (from Monday to Friday) operating under the Flower Label Program, which promotes the socially and environmentally responsible flower, fern, plant and foliage cultivation by setting universal standards. Overnight stay in Quito.After breakfast, we will be visiting Pakakuna Gardens. Pakakuna is one of the largest and most gorgeous of all private gardens in South America. The garden has more than 500 species of flowers and plants from all over the world. Visitors from around the world have marveled at the species which have adapted so well to the soil irrigated by melted water and where Fuchsias, Brugmansia, Bromeliads, orchids, roses among many others, bloom almost permanently. An expert botanical guide will lead us through the gardens.
Later we return to Quito and visit of the showroom and two small greenhouses of the Ecuagenera Orchid Centre (from Monday to Saturday), which specializes in the cultivation, reproduction, and sale of native Ecuadorian orchid species. Overnight stay in Quito.After breakfast, we check out of our hotel in Quito. We depart for the Equatorial Line Monument, known as Mitad del Mundo. Here we have the truly rare experience of standing in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres simultaneously. The Equatorial Monument, located as focal point of the park, marks the spot where an 18th-century French scientific expedition established the exact position of the Equator. The area has been built as a typical colonial town. We also visit the Ethnographical Museum, which shows the history of the Indian cultures of Ecuador. From here we transfer to El Pahuma Orchid Reserve, a 650 hectare (1600 acre) cloud forest reserve. The lush vegetation is fed by abundant moisture from the mist-laden air and provides a home to a multitude of epiphytes (air plants) including bromeliads, orchids, mosses, and ferns. The botanical garden celebrates the forest as habitat; no trees were cut to create it. The garden is a good place to see native orchids in bloom and learn about the diversity of montane forest plants with the aid of informative signs.
Later we continue our journey to Mindo. Check in to the hotel and spend the rest of the day at your own leisure. Overnight stay in Mindo.Our heads will be in the clouds today, as we set out on a full day tour of the Mindo Cloud Forest, which has one of the world’s greatest diversities of flora and fauna, and we will be able to enjoy an abundance of plants and flowers. Tour leader will be in his element here and you are more than welcome to test the extent of his knowledge of native orchids and countless other plants!
Overnight stay in Mindo.After breakfast, we leave the hotel in Mindo. Today we head back towards Quito, and then continue southwards, along the “Avenue of the Volcanoes”, which was given its name by Alexander von Humboldt. Traveling once again on the Pan American Highway, which winds its way through the Andean mountain chain, we should have a spectacular view of the snow-capped volcano Cotopaxi, at 5897m one of the highest volcanoes of the world. The 33.000 ha highland zone, protected since 1975, belongs to one of the most attractive ecological reserves of the country. On a walk near the shallow lake ‘Laguna de Limpiopungo’ at an altitude of almost 4000m, we will learn about the typical vegetation of the so-called ‘Páramo’ region, with stunning views of Cotopaxi in the background.
We continue our way south in the direction of Baños, passing through wonderful landscapes featuring some of the highest and most beautiful mountains and volcanoes of the Andes, arriving late in the afternoon at our accommodation in Baños. Overnight stay in Baños.Enjoy your breakfast. This morning we tour the town of Baños, known as ‘Gate to the East’ as it is barely 60km from the Amazonian rain forest and has almost tropical vegetation and climate. Attractions include the Cathedral, where one of the nation’s miraculous virgins is venerated; small street cafés, restaurants and inviting gift-shops. The volcano Tungurahua (5016m) provides an impressive backdrop.
Later we travel east of Baños following the Pastaza Canyon, where spectacular waterfalls are to be seen, on our way to Puyo. Here we will visit the Omaere Ethno Botanical Park (from Tuesday to Sunday) - Omaere means “nature of the rainforest” in the Waorani language, one of the indigenous groups of the Ecuadorian Amazon. We will learn about the importance of these plants to the indigenous cultures of the Amazon, as well as enjoying the peace and tranquility of the rainforest. Overnight stay in Baños.After breakfast, we leave Baños and visit the Chimborazo National Park, named after Ecuador’s highest mountain (6221m). As we climb higher the vegetation will change and we should see a number of alpine plants. With a bit of luck, we may also see wild llamas, alpacas, and vicuñas.
We will break our journey south in Riobamba, the capital of the province of Chimborazo where a great number of indigenous communities live. Overnight accommodation has been arranged in one of the atmospheric hosterías or lodging. Overnight stay in Riobamba.Following breakfast, we continue on our way to Cuenca. We stop en route for a visit to the Inca ruins of Ingapirca, the most important monument of pre-Spanish culture in Ecuador. The ruins are located on a grass-covered hill at an altitude of about 3100m and even before the construction of the sun-temple (1450-1480), this place is thought to have had an important spiritual significance for the Incas. In 1470, Yupanqui, the king of the Inca, subjugated the local Cañari tribe and built the town of Ingapirca. On a walk through the ruins where the Incas formerly lived and held their ceremonies, we will learn about their beliefs and rituals as well as the way the buildings were constructed – no mortar was used, instead the stones were cut to size and chiseled so that they fit perfectly together. The most significant building, the temple of the sun, is aligned so that on the solstice the sun would fall directly on the doorway of a small chamber on top of the temple. Later we continue to Cuenca, the third largest city of Ecuador, with some fine early 19th-century architecture.
Overnight stay in Cuenca.After breakfast, we are taken for a city tour of Cuenca, which was founded in 1557 on an Inca settlement, is redolent of the colonial period of Ecuadorian history. Many Ecuadorians themselves regard it as the most beautiful of their cities and it is noted for its arts, ceramics, Panama hats and gold and silver products. Among the sights are the historical buildings located along the Tomebamba River, the ‘Todos Los Santos’ ruins, the flower markets and the main square with the old and new Cathedral. We will also visit a Panama hat factory – as every schoolboy knows, the MCC member’s favorite headwear comes not from Panama but from here in Ecuador!
In the afternoon we will visit the biggest orchid center of Ecuador and have a tour through the greenhouses and showroom. Ecuagenera was born out of the search for the proper use and preservation of a natural resource of incalculable value for Ecuador and the world: the orchid. Recent field research suggests that more than 4000 orchid species live in the wilds of Ecuador. Overnight stay in Cuenca.On this, our final day of touring, we visit El Cajas National Park, located to the west of Cuenca stretched over an area of 28,544 hectares (70,500 acres). Humidity, relatively low temperatures, high altitude with low atmospheric pressure create an ecosystem that accumulates water-retentive organic material in the soil. The high grassland ecosystem (páramo) contains plants typical for high grasslands, 19 of them endemic to El Cajas, the dominant species being Calamagrostis intermedia (straw grass). Above 3300m the quinoa or "paper tree" (Polylepis) forest can be found - unusual trees with papery, continually-shedding bark. We also hope to see some of the bizarre puya bromeliads, whose flower spikes can grow up to 3m tall and support colorful flowers surrounded by protective ‘wool’.
We will transfer to Cuenca airport for our domestic flight to Quito. On arrival, we will be met by our coach and transferred to our hotel in Quito. Overnight stay in Quito.The trip through the pristine national parks and sanctuaries dotted with the archeological remains of the Incas and historical monuments of the Colonial period have come to an end. Our chauffeur will drop you at the airport for your safe journey back home.
At zerodegreel
every moment will someday make you look back and want to experience it all over again.
