Tour:
Date:
Ecuador at a Glance ‐ Superior (EPEEAGS) 10 March 2017, 8 Days
DAY 1 / FRIDAY: Arrival Quito ‐ Otavalo Upon arrival in Quito, you will be welcomed at the airport and escorted to your hotel in Otavalo (at 1 ½ hour aprox. distance). Meals: None DAY 2 / SATURDAY: Otavalo – Cotacachi ‐ Cuicocha Otavalo Market (main market is on Saturdays) A er breakfast, you will journey into the heart of Otavalo. Otavalo is home to around 50,000 inhabitants and is the capital of a canton of the same name. The village is well‐known due to its indigenous popula on, the Otavalos, many of whom travel around the world to sell their famous handicra s or play in Andean folk music groups. The Otavalos are considered the most economically successful indigenous group of La n America. The Plaza de Los Ponchos is a rainbow of tex les. Blankets, wall hangings, handbags, table runners, alpaca‐wool sweaters and scarves beam as brightly as the equatorial sun, ligh ng up the largest and finest cra market in South America. The scene at the market is one of contrasts, with tradi onally dressed Otavaleño stallholders surrounded by a modern town centre. The 4,630m‐
high Imbabura volcano, which gives its name to the province, rises nearby, and the capital city of Quito is just 90 km to the south, a journey that takes you over the equator and into the southern hemisphere. Cotacachi & Cuicocha Lake: In Cotacachi, you can visit a wide selec on of shops selling top‐quality leather products such as wallets, purses, belts, bags, shoes and clothing items. At the southern base of the Cotacachi mountain lies a beau ful lake named Cuicocha. Cuicocha is the Quichua word for guinea pig, and this name comes from the resemblance of one of its islands to the shape of a guinea pig. Meals: Breakfast DAY 3 / SUNDAY: Otavalo ‐ Cayambe – Cloud Forest The countryside area of Cayambe is surrounded by flower planta ons and farms. As soon as you get into town, you will see numerous shops selling tradi onal queso de hoja (a sort of string cheese) and bizcochos (local biscuits fingers). Bizcochos are long thin, yellowish biscuits, made by hand and baked in ovens. We can delight this biscuit dipped in “manjar de leche”, which is a like a milk marmalade, accompanied by a hot cup of coffee. A er, you will con nue to Tandayapa. Your head guide will leave you in the hotel and the local guide of your hotel in Tandayapa will welcome you. A er lunch, you will go on a shared excursion to the cloud forest. The Ecuadorian cloud forest, located on the western slopes of the Andes, is known around the world for its amazing biodiversity. Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner DAY 4 / MONDAY: Tandayapa ‐ Quito You will start your morning with an adventure hike through the cloud forest, where you can spot many species of birds along with a diverse selec on of flora and other fauna. In the a ernoon, you will drive back to the heart of Quito where you will spend the night. Superior: Shared transporta on if returning from Bellavista Lodge. Meals: Breakfast and lunch DAY 5 / TUESDAY : Quito – Middle of the World This fascina ng city tour takes you through diverse neighbourhoods of Quito, for an insight into the city in both modern and colonial mes. You will visit top Quito a rac ons including historic plazas, churches and colonial buildings, such as the Independence Square, the Presiden al Palace, the Archbishop Palace, the Municipal Building (City Hall) and the Cathedral. The visit to Compañia Church, one of the most impressive religious buildings of La n America, is a real highlight, as is San Francisco Church. Finally, you will head to the most famous hill in Quito, Panecillo Viewpoint; from this vantage point you can easily observe to the dis nct contrast between colonial and modern Quito. In the a ernoon, you will journey to the centre of the world. The origins of this site date back to the First Geodesic Mission which came to Ecuador with the purpose of studying and determining the exact curvature of the planet. The mission, managed by the French scien st Charles Marie de la Condamine and the Ecuadorian scien st Pedro Vicente Maldonado, determined the point at which the equator lies. You will have the opportunity to visit the In ñan museum which sits near and the Monument to the Equator, marking the exact loca on of the Equator (from which Ecuador takes its name). The museum shows what modern‐day GPS has proven to be the true site of the equator line. Here, your device will actually read zero degrees la tude and zero degrees longitude Meals: Breakfast DAY 6 / WEDNESDAY: Quito – Cotopaxi ‐ Lasso (Salcedo) Today’s adventure will start early in the morning with a drive through the Panamericana Highway, appropriately acknowledged as “The Avenue of the Volcanoes“. Your des na on is no other that the world’s highest ac ve volcano: Cotopaxi, which stands at 5,897‐meters. You will enter the Cotopaxi Na onal Park and learn about the regions biodiversity. You will then con nue the tour along the pine forest road to the Limpiopungo Lake, located on the slopes of the magnificent Cotopaxi Volcano. From here, you will go on a short hike. In the a ernoon, you will return to your hotel. Meals: Breakfast (Deluxe: breakfast and dinner) DAY 7 / THURSDAY: Lasso (Salcedo) – Quilotoa ‐ Papallacta Today you will visit Quilotoa Crater Lake (located around 1½‐hour away from Lasso). Quilotoa is a beau ful lagoon at the top of Quilotoa volcano, considered one of the most spectacular places in the Ecuadorian Sierra. The mineral water of the lagoon is a striking colour, varying from a bluish green to almost yellow depending on the season. You can enjoy stunning views and take fantas c photos from the border of the crater. A er, you will visit the small village of Tigua, known around the world for the colourful pain ngs that locals make on sheep leather. A er, you will con nue up the Eastern Cordillera, travelling over a 4065‐
meter high mountain pass. Though it can be foggy at these great heights, clear weather reveals breathtaking views of the An sana Volcano and the surrounding paramo wetlands. You will reach Termas de Papallacta, Ecuador’s most beau ful thermal hot springs Resort and Spa, situated by the spectacular mountain forests of the Eastern Andes slopes. You can enjoy the soothing waters of the hot springs or op onal health and beauty treatments in Termas de Papallacta. A er, you transfer back drive back to Quito. This day tour to Papallacta is with English speaking driver/guide Meals: Breakfast. DAY 8 / FRIDAY: A er breakfast, your guide will collect you from your hotel and drive you to Quito’s airport for your flight home or to your next des na on. Meals: Breakfast Included: l
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Private transporta on during all the tour (except on Day 4 if returning from Bellavista Lodge). Assistance of English‐speaking guide during all the tour (except in Tandaya where the lodge provides his/her own guide). Accommoda on in double standard rooms with breakfast in chosen category (subject to availability). Men oned meals in the program Men oned ac vi es and excursions Entrance fees during city tour of Quito and Middle of the World (Panecillo, La Compañia church and In ñan museum). ACE Insurance Interna onal flights Not included: l
Spa treatments at Termas de Papallacta l
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Drinks, ps and personal expenses Meals not specified in the program Entrance fees besides men oned Extras