Essence of Ecuador
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Highlights:
While Ecuador is not a large country in comparison with some of its neighbors like Brazil and Argentina, it does offer a wide variety of experiences including a stay in the Amazon, at an Estancia exploring the colonial heritage of Quito and Cuenca and the sheer adventure of a train ride in Riobamba. This program gives you a taste of Ecuador and you will definitely be back for more.
While Ecuador is not a large country in comparison with some of its neighbors like Brazil and Argentina, it does offer a wide variety of experiences including a stay in the Amazon, at an Estancia exploring the colonial heritage of Quito and Cuenca and the sheer adventure of a train ride in Riobamba. This program gives you a taste of Ecuador and you will definitely be back for more.
SKU:
Explore: Ecuador
Customizable Itinerary - 10 Days (from $4,461 / person)
Day 1: Arrival in Quito
Upon arrival at the airport in Quito you will be met by your Ultitude guide and escorted to your hotel which is located in the old part of the city and is itself a noted landmark. You will likely be arriving in the evening so you may want to head to your room to adjust to the altitude and catch up from the trip.
Day 2: Colonial Quito and the Equator
This morning your private guide will show you why Quito deserves its UNESCO designation. You will marvel at San Francisco Church and its museum of religious art. La Compania and the seven tons of gold gilding its glittering walls, and the bustling Independence Plaza, flanked by the Presidential Palace and the Cathedral of Quito. Lunch is at Hacienda Rumiloma, which occupies an incredible location on the slopes of Volcán Pichincha. The views over the city are fantastic, but the food and the ambiance are evening better. Be sure to take a few moments to explore Rumiloma’s impressive collection of antiques. After lunch you drive north to the Equator and the Inti Nan Museum, located on the true Equator, which displays examples of pre-Columbian life in Ecuador and offers demonstrations of the unique geography, astrology, and natural sciences of the area around the Equator.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 3: Drive to Hacienda Zuleta
You will be driven to the Hacienda and arrive after a drive through lush pastureland. With some luck you will have enjoyed stunning views of the snow-capped volcano Cayambe on your way, which are just a few miles away from Zuleta. Your host will welcome you personally and explain to you about the activities the hacienda offers. After, you will be shown around the main building and learn more about the hacienda’s history. As the sun sets, it gets chilly so enjoy some wine and farm-made cheese beside the fireplace in the library and read about the Hacienda’s horse breeding program or about the local culture in the highlands.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Driving the Avenue of the Volcanoes
This morning, your guide will take you to Cotopaxi following the “avenue of the volcanoes” until you reach your hacienda which is located in the shadow of Cotopaxi volcano. After checking into your suite and freshening up you enjoy lunch and then spend the afternoon exploring the area around the hacienda. Since it is a working farm you can expect to see Llamas in abundance. In the evening, a candlelight dinner marks the end of your day.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Exploring Cotopaxi National Park
While you are staying at the Hacienda, guided tours are included in your stay but you can do as much or as little as you want. You can explore Cotopaxi National Park and maybe endeavor the hike up to the Refuge 15.744 ft above sea level and even bicycle down the side of the volcano from the car park. Or you can drive into the region of the Ilinizas Ecological Reserve to enjoy a walk or horse ride with a delicious picnic and beautiful views. Another wonderful drive will take you to the crater lake of Quilotoa passing through the artists' village of Tigua and the local market of Pujili, or Ilinizas Ecological Reserve, Bellavista and the paramo of Anteojos Lakes (within Llanganates Ecological Reserve), or a visit to Chimborazo National Park to see wild vicuñas in their natural habitat.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Driving to Riobamba
After breakfast you will be taken to Riobamba where you will get a private tour of the city highlights. The city is surrounded by parks and plazas filled with colonial architecture. The history of this city is marked by its location, a key point linking the coastal and mountain regions of Ecuador. In 1830, when Ecuador became independent from Gran Colombia, the first constitution of the new Republic was signed in Riobamba. The main square, Maldonado Park, boasts a majestic fountain, the local government building and the Santa Bárbara Cathedral - its colonial stone design gives the square a truly European feel. Enjoy dinner at your Hacienda just outside the city.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Riding the Riobamba Espreso
Today you will be taken to the station to begin your rail adventure. This train journey passes through a number of small mountain villages and extensive lands, arriving at the village of Alausi from where it begins the spectacular descent along the Devil’s Nose. Many travelers, under their own responsibility and risk, travel on the roof of the train to take full advantage of the amazing views that this splendid spot offers. We do not, however, recommend it. The engineers that constructed this unbelievable railway had to carve into the mountain, creating a series of zigzags down its side, so that the train could pass from 867 feet to 600 feet above sea level, the train moves back and forth zigzagging along the railway ascending and descending this sheer and steep mountain. This section of the Ecuadorian Trans Andean railroad united for the first time the coastal region with the high Andes, and allowed the consolidation of Ecuador as a country. Nowadays it offers the perfect opportunity for modern day explorers looking to discover more of the impressive Ecuadorian landscapes. At the end of the journey you are met by your guide and driven to Cuenca and your boutique hotel located in the heart of the town.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 8: The Scenic Joys of Cuenca
This morning you will join your Ultitude guide on a tour of the city starting with Turi viewpoint which offers a panoramic view of Cuenca and its surroundings. Continue to the Plaza San Sebastian, on the western edge of colonial Cuenca and make your way through the narrow lanes to the Museum of Modern Art, which features many of Ecuador’s contemporary artists. Continuing toward the city center, you arrive at Cuenca’s famous flower market. The Homero Ortega Hat factory is a can’t-miss destination since it produces the world’s finest toquilla straw hats, erroneously called Panama hats. Complete your tour with a snack at the traditional Panaderia de las Hermanas Villaci (Villaci Sisters’ Bakery). Founded in 1906, the bakery makes a delicious cup of coffee, perfectly accompanied by a muffin, tamale or a “mistella”, a sweet made of fine sugar shells filled with whiskey or anise liquor.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 9: El Cajas and the Continental Divide
After breakfast you will travel over the continental divide to visit the little-visited but fascinating El Cajas National Park. Situated in the Andean Mountain range, El Cajas is located at an altitude between 9,600 and 13,500 feet. Its 235 glacial lakes feed into breathtaking waterfalls, some headed towards the Pacific while others flow to the Amazon. You will stop for lunch in the park, which is blanketed with high altitude grasslands and the chance to wander through the pristine environment is something that will stay with you. After a stop for lunch you continue on to Guayaquil where you will overnight before taking a morning flight back to the USA.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 10: Return to USA
In the morning you will be transferred to the airport for the flight back to the USA.
Breakfast
Upon arrival at the airport in Quito you will be met by your Ultitude guide and escorted to your hotel which is located in the old part of the city and is itself a noted landmark. You will likely be arriving in the evening so you may want to head to your room to adjust to the altitude and catch up from the trip.
Day 2: Colonial Quito and the Equator
This morning your private guide will show you why Quito deserves its UNESCO designation. You will marvel at San Francisco Church and its museum of religious art. La Compania and the seven tons of gold gilding its glittering walls, and the bustling Independence Plaza, flanked by the Presidential Palace and the Cathedral of Quito. Lunch is at Hacienda Rumiloma, which occupies an incredible location on the slopes of Volcán Pichincha. The views over the city are fantastic, but the food and the ambiance are evening better. Be sure to take a few moments to explore Rumiloma’s impressive collection of antiques. After lunch you drive north to the Equator and the Inti Nan Museum, located on the true Equator, which displays examples of pre-Columbian life in Ecuador and offers demonstrations of the unique geography, astrology, and natural sciences of the area around the Equator.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 3: Drive to Hacienda Zuleta
You will be driven to the Hacienda and arrive after a drive through lush pastureland. With some luck you will have enjoyed stunning views of the snow-capped volcano Cayambe on your way, which are just a few miles away from Zuleta. Your host will welcome you personally and explain to you about the activities the hacienda offers. After, you will be shown around the main building and learn more about the hacienda’s history. As the sun sets, it gets chilly so enjoy some wine and farm-made cheese beside the fireplace in the library and read about the Hacienda’s horse breeding program or about the local culture in the highlands.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Driving the Avenue of the Volcanoes
This morning, your guide will take you to Cotopaxi following the “avenue of the volcanoes” until you reach your hacienda which is located in the shadow of Cotopaxi volcano. After checking into your suite and freshening up you enjoy lunch and then spend the afternoon exploring the area around the hacienda. Since it is a working farm you can expect to see Llamas in abundance. In the evening, a candlelight dinner marks the end of your day.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Exploring Cotopaxi National Park
While you are staying at the Hacienda, guided tours are included in your stay but you can do as much or as little as you want. You can explore Cotopaxi National Park and maybe endeavor the hike up to the Refuge 15.744 ft above sea level and even bicycle down the side of the volcano from the car park. Or you can drive into the region of the Ilinizas Ecological Reserve to enjoy a walk or horse ride with a delicious picnic and beautiful views. Another wonderful drive will take you to the crater lake of Quilotoa passing through the artists' village of Tigua and the local market of Pujili, or Ilinizas Ecological Reserve, Bellavista and the paramo of Anteojos Lakes (within Llanganates Ecological Reserve), or a visit to Chimborazo National Park to see wild vicuñas in their natural habitat.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Driving to Riobamba
After breakfast you will be taken to Riobamba where you will get a private tour of the city highlights. The city is surrounded by parks and plazas filled with colonial architecture. The history of this city is marked by its location, a key point linking the coastal and mountain regions of Ecuador. In 1830, when Ecuador became independent from Gran Colombia, the first constitution of the new Republic was signed in Riobamba. The main square, Maldonado Park, boasts a majestic fountain, the local government building and the Santa Bárbara Cathedral - its colonial stone design gives the square a truly European feel. Enjoy dinner at your Hacienda just outside the city.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Riding the Riobamba Espreso
Today you will be taken to the station to begin your rail adventure. This train journey passes through a number of small mountain villages and extensive lands, arriving at the village of Alausi from where it begins the spectacular descent along the Devil’s Nose. Many travelers, under their own responsibility and risk, travel on the roof of the train to take full advantage of the amazing views that this splendid spot offers. We do not, however, recommend it. The engineers that constructed this unbelievable railway had to carve into the mountain, creating a series of zigzags down its side, so that the train could pass from 867 feet to 600 feet above sea level, the train moves back and forth zigzagging along the railway ascending and descending this sheer and steep mountain. This section of the Ecuadorian Trans Andean railroad united for the first time the coastal region with the high Andes, and allowed the consolidation of Ecuador as a country. Nowadays it offers the perfect opportunity for modern day explorers looking to discover more of the impressive Ecuadorian landscapes. At the end of the journey you are met by your guide and driven to Cuenca and your boutique hotel located in the heart of the town.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 8: The Scenic Joys of Cuenca
This morning you will join your Ultitude guide on a tour of the city starting with Turi viewpoint which offers a panoramic view of Cuenca and its surroundings. Continue to the Plaza San Sebastian, on the western edge of colonial Cuenca and make your way through the narrow lanes to the Museum of Modern Art, which features many of Ecuador’s contemporary artists. Continuing toward the city center, you arrive at Cuenca’s famous flower market. The Homero Ortega Hat factory is a can’t-miss destination since it produces the world’s finest toquilla straw hats, erroneously called Panama hats. Complete your tour with a snack at the traditional Panaderia de las Hermanas Villaci (Villaci Sisters’ Bakery). Founded in 1906, the bakery makes a delicious cup of coffee, perfectly accompanied by a muffin, tamale or a “mistella”, a sweet made of fine sugar shells filled with whiskey or anise liquor.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 9: El Cajas and the Continental Divide
After breakfast you will travel over the continental divide to visit the little-visited but fascinating El Cajas National Park. Situated in the Andean Mountain range, El Cajas is located at an altitude between 9,600 and 13,500 feet. Its 235 glacial lakes feed into breathtaking waterfalls, some headed towards the Pacific while others flow to the Amazon. You will stop for lunch in the park, which is blanketed with high altitude grasslands and the chance to wander through the pristine environment is something that will stay with you. After a stop for lunch you continue on to Guayaquil where you will overnight before taking a morning flight back to the USA.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 10: Return to USA
In the morning you will be transferred to the airport for the flight back to the USA.
Breakfast
