Rondreis Ecuador | Travel like a local

Upon arrival, our guide will welcome you to Ecuador´s capital, Quito.

The way from the airport to the hotel will take 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the location of your stay and traffic hours.

This interesting city tour goes through diverse neighborhoods and shows you both the colonial and the modern part of Quito. You will visit top attractions of Quito such as the square of Independence and the Presidential Palace.

You will do a panoramic visit to the main churches and finally head to the most famous hill of Quito, the Panecillo viewpoint, where you will notice the contrast between the colonial and the modern part of the city. In the afternoon, you continue to visit the Yunguilla Community located only an hour from the north of Quito in the parish of Calacalí.

The community is located in the cloud forest at an altitude of 2650 m. This community program is managed by a group of people committed to the development of sustainable economic alternatives based on the concept of community tourism.

Afterwards, your next destination is the middle of the world, the origins of this place go back to the first Geodesic Mission, which came to our country for the purpose of studying and they determine the exact curvature of the planet.

Early in the morning, you will have a transfer to Otavalo. On the way there is a chance to stop at Cayambe to visit a rose farm in order to learn about the production process of Ecuadorian roses, which are known as the best roses on earth!

Then you will visit an hacienda where the local people will show you how to prepare a local biscuit called “bizcocho”. Afterwards you will continue to the Cuicocha Lake with its beautiful crystal-colored water, which has two small islands created by volcanic domes and a depth of approximately 200 m. Finally, you will visit the town Cotacachi. In the vicinity of the city you will find a wide variety of shops with top quality leather, such as wallets, purses, belts, bags, shoes and clothes. Overnight at Otavalo.

Today you will visit the market of Otavalo, it is famous for its indigenous population, the so-called Otavaleños, many of which are travelling around the world to sell their famous handicrafts or to play in music groups for Andean Folk. The Otavaleños are considered the most successful indigenous group, economically, of Latin America. The Plaza de los Ponchos is located between the Sucre and the Jaramillo street, where people of indigenous and mestizo backgrounds from Otavalo and surrounding communities sell their handicrafts. You will find a wide range of weavings, jewelry, clothes, wood and stone carvings, paintings, Panama hats, and some products from our neighbor countries Peru and Colombia.

Rugs and shoulder bags are made of sheep wool; do not expect many products of Lama Wool, as Lamas never occurred as far north as Otavalo and most products are from the Imbabura province. Table clothes are usually made of some kind of artificial fiber, woven on machines, but probably still produced at someone’s home or house atelier. You continue to visit San Antonio de Ibarra, known for its handicrafts and sculptures. Finally, you will continue to Papallacta.

You will spend morning relaxing in these divine pools that range from frigid to scalding hot in temperature. The thermal waters are rich in minerals and sulfates, and are said to provide numerous health and beauty benefits.

You can also set up optional spa treatments for the ultimate relaxation experience (Optional).

At mid-day you will continue driving down the Eastern Cordillera, where you will drive from 3000 m to 600 m heights. It can be foggy up here but when the weather is clear, you will be amazed by the magnificent views of the basin amazon. You continue our journey through the last hills of the Eastern “Cordillera”. After the long drive, you arrive to the hotel and will have time to relax for a while in the beautiful spacious bungalows built in a rustic native design and surrounded by gardens full of amazing jungle plants and flowers. A delicious dinner will be served in a romantic candlelight-setting at the beautifully decorated restaurant. Afterwards you will enjoy a special welcome drink while relaxing at the fireplace, to coordinate and discuss next day’s activities with the local crew. You will feel very much comfortable in this lovely, peaceful setting filled with nightly sights and sounds of the Amazon jungle.

After breakfast, you depart to take the canoe upstream for ten minutes, arriving to a small shore where you begin a fun and thrilling one-hour-walk, enjoying the diverse flora and fauna of this secondary forest. After a short hike, you’ll find yourself in a breathtaking waterfall “La Cascada de Latas” where you will take a refreshing bath in the crystal-clear waters and enjoy the surrounding views, which, mixed with the jungle sounds, make it an unforgettable experience.

You return through the same way to have lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon you’ll visit a nearby community where you will share the daily activities with the locals. Once you arrive, you will notice the great amount of medicinal plants and fruit trees as well as small manioc, banana, coffee and cocoa plantations.

After breakfast you will catch the last glimpse of the Ecuadorian upper Amazon basin with a little hike. After this walk and a refreshing natural fruit juice, prepare yourself for your departure to Baños. On the way you will stop at the Pailon del Diablo waterfall, an impressive cascade surrounded by subtropical vegetation and colorful orchids. The adventurers of the group can descend down to the bottom of the waterfall for a closer look whilst others can appreciate the overwhelming force and sound of the rushing waters from a viewpoint.

On your way you will come first to Baños, one of the most touristic towns in the country. In the afternoon a really interesting activity awaits you: Baños is famous for its sweets which are sold in many candy shops around the city. At a storefront you will witness how to make them, pulling and twisting the sweets from a wood stub on the wall.

After breakfast you leave Baños to visit the Salasaca community, which is a small indigenous community in the Ecuadorian Andes, located between the cities of Ambato and Baños. It has about 6,000 inhabitants and the primary occupations are agriculture and weaving. Salasaca is known for being one of the most traditional indigenous communities in Ecuador. Once here, you´ll visit an organic farm where local people cultivated medicinal plants, used for medical purposes. Another option is to go shopping at the local markets along this route, which will not only allow you to buy one-of-a-kind handicrafts directly from artisans, but also to take part in centuries-old traditions. At the Salasacas Market, for example, you will see gorgeous tapestries, woven by hand on looms. Afterwards you continue to the Chimborazo National reserve where you will see the highest Ecuadorian Mountain, the Chimborazo.

Finally, we´ll continue to Alausí.

From here you start descending to the amazing “Devil’s Nose” (train does not operate on Mondays)with an incredible zigzag part which you pass until arriving to the station of Sibambe. Here you can visit a local museum in order to know the history of the Ecuadorian railways and to then return to Alausí. Afterwards, you continue by visiting the amazing Ingapirca Inca Ruins, which are known as the Temple of the Sun. They include old storage chambers, observatories and roads, each with their own purpose.

The temple is a fascinating part of the complex and is located in the center of the archeological site. Finally,you will drive to the Colonial city of Cuenca, known as “the city of the four rivers”. Overnight at a cozy hotel in the center of the city.

Today you will have the opportunity to stroll around this charming colonial city, declared a Cultural Heritage site of Mankind by the UNESCO. The city quickly feels familiar with its colonial buildings with beautifully decorated courtyards, its nice and friendly inhabitants and the cozy atmosphere.

The trip up to the Mirador de Turi is one of the most popular excursions in Cuenca. Turi is located in the perfect place to bask in the breathtaking panorama of the entire city of Cuenca. Mirador means “viewpoint”; “Turi” means “brother” in Quechua, the language of the pre-colonial indigenous people of the same name. Near the city center, you will also visit a Panama hat fabric. These hats, made of the local ‘Paja Toquilla’ palm leaves, are originally Ecuadorian hats and Cuenca is one of the main cities exporting this worldwide-known product. Afterwards you´ll visit local bakeries as Cuenca is famous for its bread. Before you even come to this bakeries “panaderias” you can smell loaves of breads, rolls, donuts, pastries, cakes and cookies baking in the oven. There are bakeries all over the city which offer a smell of fresh bread in the air. It is hard to resist stopping and trying up some.

Today, you will visit El Cajas National Park, located only 30 minutes from Cuenca. This national park is host to some of Ecuador’s most important water sources. In this area, there are beautiful farming areas where you will experience the great diversity of products that are grown in the lowlands. The guide will explain more about these products along the way and about the importance of these products for the local economy.

Afterwards you will continue going down towards the coast where the landscape change drastically into a tropical climate. Once you have arrived, you will admire hundreds of banana and cacao farms. Here you will stop for a typical Ecuadorian lunch cooked by a local community member. At the final part of the tour, you will go to a local organic cacao farm and learn the process of making chocolate from cacao beans. Eat the cacao raw, see the different stages of the tree sizes, each step of the process, and of course, try some 100% cacao, as well as processed chocolate. Finally you will continue to the biggest Ecuadorian city.

After breakfast, you will be picked up by the driver to go to the airport to catch the plane to fly back home or to take an extension trip to one of 3 destinations such as;, Peru, Colombia or Bolivia.