Your Travel Experience with Galapagos PRO
Day 1
Quito
Welcome to Quito! The biggest, best-preserved colonial city of America was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. The city is considered the Cultural Capital of South America and the second most important city of the old Inca Empire. Depending on arrival time, you can spend your day exploring the old town of Quito and the surrounding area. In the evening, one of our trip leaders will meet you at the hotel for a welcome briefing and there will be plenty of time to discuss details and answer any questions you may have regarding the adventure. Our first day is an informational and acclimation day.
Accommodation: Anahi Boutique Hotel or similar
Day 2
TREKKING INTO THE QUILOTOA CRATER LAKE
Quilotoa crater-lake is our main goal today. After breakfast, we will drive through the Andes enjoying magnificent views of the Avenue of Volcanoes. Once we reach the Illinizas Ecological Reserve we start hiking down to the base of the crater for 1.2 km (0,75 miles). Following this path, you will have an awesome view of the lake and many chances to take pictures of the turquoise water-filled caldera. Once at the bottom of the lake we will have some time to explore the crater of this mythical, active volcano. If you wish, you can go for a swim in the volcanic waters or do some kayaking. For the way back up to the top, it is possible to rent a mule and ride the challenging steep trail.
Trekking time: 1 hour downhill from 13,000 ft. to 12,000 ft. and 1 hour and 20 minutes uphill same way back. Total steps: 14,094. Kayaking time (optional): 1 hour
In the afternoon we get a transfer to the town of Baños, which is located at the entrance of the Amazon. Here we can enjoy the best night life by drinking cocktails and dancing Salsa.
Accommodation: La Floresta Hotel or similar Meals included: Breakfast and box lunch
Day 3
BIKING IN THE LLANGANATES NATIONAL PARK
This morning we mountain bike from the Llanganates National Park down to the Pastaza River Canyon, enjoying the beautiful scenery of the cloud forest. The road brings us through some Andean farms and a beautiful canyon with many waterfalls. While descending into the jungle, we will have a breath-taking view of Baños, very well known for its spectacular location right on the foothills of the Tungurahua volcano, active since 1999, which is the main attraction of this region. At the end of our biking experience we hike down for 20 minutes to see ¨Pailon Del Diablo¨, the second largest waterfall in Ecuador. In the afternoon, we continue our journey to the Amazon rainforest to visit a small village called Misahualli, or ¨monkey town¨, an amazing place where monkeys have adapted to live together with people, and we finally head to an eco-lodge to spend the night.
Accommodation: Iyarina eco-lodge Meals included: Breakfast
Day 4
JATUNYACU RIVER RAFTING AND VOLCANIC HOT SPRINGS
We greet the day by preparing our gear to paddle the wild waves of the Jatunyacu River, located one hour away from the entrance of the Llanganates National Park. The beauty of this river will inspire you and reveal the magic of the Amazon rainforest. After a very important safety briefing from our rafting guides, we will start our class III rafting expedition down the Jatunyacu River, well known for its clean water and awesome rapids. We will have a lot of fun playing some games and also exploring one of the canyons. The end of the journey offers us a stop for a picnic, prepared by our guides. We conclude our day with a drive back up to the Andes, stopping to visit the paradise of hummingbirds in Guango Reserve and finally continuing up to the volcanic hot springs resort, where we will spend the night.
Accommodation: Termas Papallacta Spa & Resort Meals included: Breakfast and box lunch
Day 5
EXPLORING CAYAMBE-COCA ECO-RESERVE
In the morning, we put rubber boots on to explore the magic of the thick cloud forest, enjoying a 3 hour hike during which you will have plenty of opportunities to see an incredible diversity of birdlife, including toucans, hummingbirds, jays, hawks, parrots, quetzals, cook of the rock, etc. Flowers are abounding in this region, so have the cameras ready for photos of orchids, bromeliads, ferns, etc. After the hike, we soak in the volcanic hot springs at the Papallacta Spa Resort, enjoying the view of the majestic Andean mountains. Later on, we will transfer to Puembo, a small village close to Quito´s airport.
Accommodation: Hostería Airport Garden or similar
Day 6
Departure
International departures, end of services. Take with you memories and photos and leave a piece of your heart, as you will want to return to Ecuador soon to experience more of this enchanted land. We wish you a “buen viaje”!
Meals included: Breakfast