From the Andes to the Pacific by Train
$0.00
per item
Highlights:
This definitive journey through Ecuador is made all the more exciting with a luxury train added to the mix to take you from the Andes to the Pacific Coast.
Part of the journey is powered by a steam train. While you will stay at hotels and haciendas, the days on the train will include dining cars, observation cars and impeccable service. The rest of your adventure is by private car and driver.
You also get to experience the Galapagos in miniature as you snorkel with Sea Turtles and watch for humpback whales. Throw in some urban living in Guayaquil and Quito and you have a unique blend of experiences.
This definitive journey through Ecuador is made all the more exciting with a luxury train added to the mix to take you from the Andes to the Pacific Coast.
Part of the journey is powered by a steam train. While you will stay at hotels and haciendas, the days on the train will include dining cars, observation cars and impeccable service. The rest of your adventure is by private car and driver.
You also get to experience the Galapagos in miniature as you snorkel with Sea Turtles and watch for humpback whales. Throw in some urban living in Guayaquil and Quito and you have a unique blend of experiences.
SKU:
Explore: The andes to the pacific
Customizable Itinerary - 12 Days (from $5,868 / person)
Day 1: USA-Quito
You depart the USA and arrive in Quito in the late afternoon or early evening. You are met and taken to your hotel where the rest of the evening is left open.
Day 2: Highlights of Quito and the “Middle on the World”
After breakfast you meet your guide for a tour of the historic centre of Quito which is the largest in South America. You will visit colonial churches and cathedrals and the quirky Guapulo quarter before heading to old town. After lunch you will be taken to ‘La Mitad del Mundo” complex which provides a unique opportunity to straddle both hemispheres as you stand on the Equator (from which the country gets its name). This site occupies an important place in the solar-based Andean Cosmos vision since ancient Andean people were aware of its significance thousands of years ago. Finish the day at the “Panecillo” hillside with its superb views of the old and new city surrounded by the Andes Mountains. Return to your hotel.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 3: Route of the Volcanoes
In the morning you are transferred to Chambacalle station which is located in the south of Quito. Here you will board your special train for a journey that will take you through the mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Today you follow the route of the volcanoes. There are over 20 volcanoes along this stretch, most currently inactive. You will make a stop to enjoy a visit to an area where many of the world’s best roses are grown and exported to the rest of the world. After lunch you take a bus to Visit Cotopaxi National Park and Limpiopungo Lake. You will then be taken to your Hacienda where you will enjoy dinner and an overnight stay.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: The Journey to Riobamba
In the morning you will board a bus that will take you to the location where the train is waiting to take you to Ambato where incredible sights of the Andean Mountains are on full display. You also have the chance to view the Yambo lagoon. You will reach the highest point of the trip at 11,000 feet and have the chance to meet the last ice maker of Chimborazo. Visiting the Moya community you will learn about their traditions and customs. You will enjoy lunch made from fresh local ingredients before re-boarding the train as your ride continues to Riobamba.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: The Age of Steam and the “Devil’s Nose”
In the morning you will be transferred to Riobamba station where a large black steam engine will be pulling your train today. Your journey takes you through colorful fields of quinoa and beautiful landscapes. Traveling from Colta to Guamote you visit an authentic Andean market. Lunch is served on board as you make your way to Palmira. From there you are transferred to your hacienda making the hair pin turns on the road known as the “devil’s nose” before reaching the town of Alausi.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Arrival in Guayaquil
Your rail trip is coming to an end but not your adventure. The day starts with a bus ride to Huigra and then to Bucay where you enjoy an artistic show with a refreshing beverage as a welcome to the Pacific Coast. During the ride you will see plantations of banana, cacao, pineapples, coffee and other tropical fruits. Enjoy this bounty at lunch and then board the train for the final leg of the trip to Duran. You are met and transferred to your elegant hotel in Guayaquil.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Highlights of Guayaquil
After breakfast your guide will take you on a tour of Guayaquil which is Ecuador’s largest city. The morning will focus on the administrative and ceremonial areas of the city. In the afternoon you visit Malecon 2000 which runs along the banks of the Guayas River and is a children’s play area and a place for adults to meet at a variety of restaurants and bars. After the tour you will be transferred to Salinas which sits on the Pacific Ocean.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 8: Day at Leisure
You have the full day to enjoy the beach and the amenities of the hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 9: Touring the Pacific Coast
Today you will meet your guide for a unique journey along the Pacific Coast. Named the “Spondylous Route”, it takes its name from the Spondylous shell which had significance to the ancient Valdivia culture in Ecuador. Evidence of this ancient culture and others has been uncovered in archaeological excavations that you can find on the route along with spectacular beaches, tranquil nature reserves, wildlife, majestic mountains and breathtaking scenery along the way. You finish the route in the town of Puerto Lopez.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 10: Galapagos in Miniature
Isla de la Plata sits a little more than an hour by boat from the Ecuadorian Coast. It is called ‘Little Galapagos” because of the variety of wildlife found on the island. If you take this program from June through September you will likely see humpback whales. You will be picked up in the morning and taken to the marina where you board a boat to take you to the island. After landing you will take a hike around the island. On this hike you will see blue-footed boobies, red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, frigate birds, Albatross and other tropical birds. You may also see sea lions. After your hike you proceed to Drake Bay where the boat will be waiting to take you to an area that is ideal for snorkeling. Here you may see tropical fishes and sea turtles. Toy then return to Puerto Lopez.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 11: Manta to Quito
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport in Manta where you board a flight to Quito. Upon arrival you are transferred to the hotel you stayed in at the beginning of the trip. Enjoy some free time to explore the neighborhood before dining at the restaurant.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 12; the Six Senses of Quito
Our partner in Ecuador has created a unique program that opens up undiscovered aspects of the city focused on the six senses. Use smell to enhance a visit to a Parfumerie that creates fragrances from local ingredients, use touch to copy the ways of craftsmen. Enjoy seeing (and capturing on Images) the unique sights of Quito as you ascend in a cable car, expand your taste buds by dining in a unique restaurant focused on indigenous food and hear the sounds of the local population of Quito. The last sense is love as you share the love with and for the people of this city. We will provide suggestions for places to dine on this your final evening.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 13: Quito Finale
You have a car and driver at your disposal for shopping or sightseeing. In the late afternoon you are transferred to the airport to check in for your overnight flight back to the USA.
Breakfast
Day 14: Arrival in the USA
You depart the USA and arrive in Quito in the late afternoon or early evening. You are met and taken to your hotel where the rest of the evening is left open.
Day 2: Highlights of Quito and the “Middle on the World”
After breakfast you meet your guide for a tour of the historic centre of Quito which is the largest in South America. You will visit colonial churches and cathedrals and the quirky Guapulo quarter before heading to old town. After lunch you will be taken to ‘La Mitad del Mundo” complex which provides a unique opportunity to straddle both hemispheres as you stand on the Equator (from which the country gets its name). This site occupies an important place in the solar-based Andean Cosmos vision since ancient Andean people were aware of its significance thousands of years ago. Finish the day at the “Panecillo” hillside with its superb views of the old and new city surrounded by the Andes Mountains. Return to your hotel.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 3: Route of the Volcanoes
In the morning you are transferred to Chambacalle station which is located in the south of Quito. Here you will board your special train for a journey that will take you through the mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Today you follow the route of the volcanoes. There are over 20 volcanoes along this stretch, most currently inactive. You will make a stop to enjoy a visit to an area where many of the world’s best roses are grown and exported to the rest of the world. After lunch you take a bus to Visit Cotopaxi National Park and Limpiopungo Lake. You will then be taken to your Hacienda where you will enjoy dinner and an overnight stay.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: The Journey to Riobamba
In the morning you will board a bus that will take you to the location where the train is waiting to take you to Ambato where incredible sights of the Andean Mountains are on full display. You also have the chance to view the Yambo lagoon. You will reach the highest point of the trip at 11,000 feet and have the chance to meet the last ice maker of Chimborazo. Visiting the Moya community you will learn about their traditions and customs. You will enjoy lunch made from fresh local ingredients before re-boarding the train as your ride continues to Riobamba.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: The Age of Steam and the “Devil’s Nose”
In the morning you will be transferred to Riobamba station where a large black steam engine will be pulling your train today. Your journey takes you through colorful fields of quinoa and beautiful landscapes. Traveling from Colta to Guamote you visit an authentic Andean market. Lunch is served on board as you make your way to Palmira. From there you are transferred to your hacienda making the hair pin turns on the road known as the “devil’s nose” before reaching the town of Alausi.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Arrival in Guayaquil
Your rail trip is coming to an end but not your adventure. The day starts with a bus ride to Huigra and then to Bucay where you enjoy an artistic show with a refreshing beverage as a welcome to the Pacific Coast. During the ride you will see plantations of banana, cacao, pineapples, coffee and other tropical fruits. Enjoy this bounty at lunch and then board the train for the final leg of the trip to Duran. You are met and transferred to your elegant hotel in Guayaquil.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Highlights of Guayaquil
After breakfast your guide will take you on a tour of Guayaquil which is Ecuador’s largest city. The morning will focus on the administrative and ceremonial areas of the city. In the afternoon you visit Malecon 2000 which runs along the banks of the Guayas River and is a children’s play area and a place for adults to meet at a variety of restaurants and bars. After the tour you will be transferred to Salinas which sits on the Pacific Ocean.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 8: Day at Leisure
You have the full day to enjoy the beach and the amenities of the hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 9: Touring the Pacific Coast
Today you will meet your guide for a unique journey along the Pacific Coast. Named the “Spondylous Route”, it takes its name from the Spondylous shell which had significance to the ancient Valdivia culture in Ecuador. Evidence of this ancient culture and others has been uncovered in archaeological excavations that you can find on the route along with spectacular beaches, tranquil nature reserves, wildlife, majestic mountains and breathtaking scenery along the way. You finish the route in the town of Puerto Lopez.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 10: Galapagos in Miniature
Isla de la Plata sits a little more than an hour by boat from the Ecuadorian Coast. It is called ‘Little Galapagos” because of the variety of wildlife found on the island. If you take this program from June through September you will likely see humpback whales. You will be picked up in the morning and taken to the marina where you board a boat to take you to the island. After landing you will take a hike around the island. On this hike you will see blue-footed boobies, red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, frigate birds, Albatross and other tropical birds. You may also see sea lions. After your hike you proceed to Drake Bay where the boat will be waiting to take you to an area that is ideal for snorkeling. Here you may see tropical fishes and sea turtles. Toy then return to Puerto Lopez.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 11: Manta to Quito
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport in Manta where you board a flight to Quito. Upon arrival you are transferred to the hotel you stayed in at the beginning of the trip. Enjoy some free time to explore the neighborhood before dining at the restaurant.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 12; the Six Senses of Quito
Our partner in Ecuador has created a unique program that opens up undiscovered aspects of the city focused on the six senses. Use smell to enhance a visit to a Parfumerie that creates fragrances from local ingredients, use touch to copy the ways of craftsmen. Enjoy seeing (and capturing on Images) the unique sights of Quito as you ascend in a cable car, expand your taste buds by dining in a unique restaurant focused on indigenous food and hear the sounds of the local population of Quito. The last sense is love as you share the love with and for the people of this city. We will provide suggestions for places to dine on this your final evening.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 13: Quito Finale
You have a car and driver at your disposal for shopping or sightseeing. In the late afternoon you are transferred to the airport to check in for your overnight flight back to the USA.
Breakfast
Day 14: Arrival in the USA
