Discover Ecuador Tour 17 Days
Hola!….So you’ve decided to treat yourself to a once in a lifetime trip somewhere in South America, Ecuador mainland is one of the breathtaking countries of this site of the world. Taking in as many sights and attractions as possible has to be your top priority as there is so much to see and do but what you might not have thought about is how you are going to get to these places. This is why we customized as much as possible to fulfill all your travel expectations, this is a complete program, that covers the most famous and scenery sights of the Ecuador Mainland. Come and discover what does Ecuador has for you….
Tour Information
Price per person
USD 2200
Tour length
17 DAYS
Physical rating
All year round
Season
All year round
Group size
1 – 16 pax
Travel style
Start
Quito
Finish
Quito
Tour code
GE-EPB-03
Tour highlights
Start and end in Quito! With the discovery tour Discovering Ecuador by Bus, you have a 17 day tour package taking you through Quito, Ecuador and 13 other destinations in Ecuador. Discovering Ecuador by Bus is a small group tour that includes accommodation as well as an expert guide, meals, transport.
Day 1
ARRIVAL TO QUITO
This is the arrival day for all of our tour participants , depending of your flights , you can have a day exploring one of the UNESCO heritage sites in world ( Quitos Old Town ) or simply rest at the Hotel before our Tour Guide meet you at the Lobby at 6:30 pm for our Orientation meeting and briefing before the starting of the tour. During this meeting you can clarify everything , you might be concern or curious to know about the tour overall.
Even that Guidecuador , dont provide any activity this day , we can still assist you arranging a full day in Quito or Surroundings if you let us know in advance.
Day 2
QUITO CITY TOUR
On this day we will explore Quito's Old town and its beauty. We will use public transportation to get to there . While in the old town we will visit the Presidential Palace , Main Square , the Cultural Center , Sagrarium Church , San Francisco Church and the famous Street knonw as " La Ronda " , at this point we can all enjoy a special ice cream with local rum, tequila or one of the local fruits flavors.
Then we will take a bus to go visit Panecillo Hill located at 10,000 ft. This is the best viewpoint in town!!!
After we will ride a local bus towards to the Equator site ( It will take us 1 hour approx. to get there )
There is two Equator Sites , so we will see both!!!
the first one is a Museum known as a Inti Nan , where you will see experiments related with the 0.0.0 latitud.The second one is a monument refering to the French Expedition leaded by Charles Maria Condamine who came to stablish the Equator on 1736. By the way here we can stop for some lunch.
Finally we will take the local bus back to the Hotel for overnight.
Day 3
OTAVALO TOUR
PUBLIC BUS TO OTAVALO CITY
This is time to say good bye to Quito!!!! We will take a local bus towards Otavalo City , it will take us 2 hours approx.
Onve we arrive , we will check in at the hotel , then you will have plentty of time to explore to beautiful village surrounded by volcanoes.
So the rest of the day will be on your own....
Overnight in Otavalo
Day 4
CUICOCHA LAKE FULL HIKE
Early in the morning , we will depart towards Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve , it is located 20 miles away from Oatavalo.
Once we arrive we will visit shortly the museum to clarify the entire trail around Cuicocha lake.
The total hike is 10 miles , the time approx. from 3 to 5 hours , it is a little bet active but , you will loved it..
This is one of the most beautiful protected areas in Ecuador and the views up there are fantastic. However the starting of the hike will be at 10,000 ft and the highest reached point will be 12,500 ft. but it is still possible to do with no issues at all.
This hike is the main attraction of the day , after this , we will take a bus back to Otavalo for overnight.
Day 5
PUBLIC BUS TO TENA
On this day , we will start at 6:00 am to be on time for our journey towards to Tena City.
It will take us pretty much all day , considering that we will take two local buses to get there.
Once we arrive to Tena , we will chance to have some lunch , then we will finally take a taxi to the Jungle lodge. Normally we get there by 4:30 pm , so you will still have some time to enjoy the rest of the afternoon realxing at the hotel pool or walking around the lodge.
At Night we will have briefing and dinner also is included at the lodge.
Day 6
AMAZON JUNGLE EXPLORATIONS
Early in the morning we'll have breakfast. Afterwards we must prepare our gear: boots, raincoat so we can be ready to begin the adventure! We will board a canoe and start our journey downstream through the enchanted Amazon Jungle along the imposing Napo River. Arrive to Misahualli, where we make a short stop to check our papers with local Marina, so don't forget your passport!! Continuing our canoe-trip we arrive to Arajuno River. Visit to Animal Rescue Centre "AmaZOOnico" which is specialized in the rescue of wild animals for specie conservation and reintegration into the wild. In here we will observe a great variety of species such as: toucans, all kind of colourful parrots, various kinds of monkeys, jaguars, capybaras and much more!
Afterwards, we will enjoy a delicious lunch in the river shore, picnic style. We'll have the opportunity to swim in the river or just resting peacefully surrounded by a wonderful natural atmosphere.
After concluding this day's experience, we'll head back to the Lodge, but first we will visit a Quichua family and learn about their millenary culture and traditions such as gold rinse in the river shoreline, traditional pottery making, making of typical drink "chicha" made of yuca (a traditional Ecuadorian manioc), and the use of the "serbatana" (blowpipe for hunting use). Then we will return to the Lodge by foot over secondary jungle pads. Upon arrival enjoy a snack. At night, after dinner, we'll have our usual meeting around the fireplace to share our day's experiences
Day 7
AMZON JUNGLE EXPLORATIONS
After breakfast, we depart by canoe upstream for ten minutes, arriving to a small shore where we begin a fun and thrilling one hour walk, marvelling ourselves with the jungle's secondary forest diverse flora and fauna. After our short walk, we'll find ourselves in a breathtaking cascade "Las Latas" where we will take a refreshing bath in its clear crystal waters and enjoy the surrounding views, which mixed with the jungle sounds, makes it a unforgettable experience. We return to have lunch at the lodge.
After lunch we put on our "wet gear" (boots & rain coat) to start an exciting walk in the jungle forest ready to find the secret wonders of the mysterious hidden jungle, finding amazing plant species with medicinal properties, which will be fully explained by our expert native guide: their characteristics and how the jungle inhabitants used them in ancient times. We'll also observe a great variety of insects, short monkey groups weaving around the giant trees; we must stay very quiet to admire these beautiful creatures. Dozens of curious colourful birds tag along with us during our walk whistling beautiful notes delighting our senses. After about three hours of walking, we come back and arrive to the Lodge.
Day 8
PUBLIC BUS TO BAÑOS
After breakfast we will take a taxi back to Tena city for our bus ride towards to Baños, it will take us 3 hours approx. which means that you will have the rest of the day at leasure.
the estimated time of arrival in town is at 11:30 am.
Baños is a place to enjoy and offers many options as tours or relax.. We will also help you if you need to arrange a tour or you can also discover the town on your own.
Day 9
BAÑOS CITY FREE DAY
On this day , you can relax or maybe book a tour , for sure we will help you if you need some assistance. However the tours recomended in Baños are as follows:
White water rafting at Pastaza River ( Class III ) - Modearte 4 hours tour
Canyoing at Rio Blanco or Chamana - Moderate 3 hours tour
BIke Rental to visit the Waterfalls avenue - Easy 3 hours tour
Hike towards the Tree House - Demanding 4 hours tour
Horse Back ride - Moderate 3 hours tour
Motor Bike Ride - Moderate 4 hours tour
There is much more in town and for sure you will find an activity that fits in your plan....
Overnight in Baños
Day 10
CHIMBORAZO VOLCANO TOUR
Early in the morning , we will depart from Banos City towards Chimborazo volcano ( This part of the tour will be run with public transportation , it will take 3 hours to get there approx.
It is going to be the highest altitud that you will experience on the entire trip and who knows the highest elevation that you have been before ( 5,000 meters above sea level ) , this location is very high but it is fine for you to experience the altitud a little bet!!!
At the Park we will arrive up to the first basecamp located at 4,700 mts. from there we will start the hike up to the highest point well known as Whymper refuge.
From above you with enjoy the great Andean views , then we will continue our transportation towards to Alausi City for overnight.
Day 11
DEVIL'S NOSE TRAIN RIDE - CUENCA
On this day you will take the famous train ride trough the Andes well known as the Devil's Nose. This part was the most diffcult to be built by the Railway Company to conect Guayaquil and Quito City at the end of XIX. During the ride you will enjoy the breadtaking views and admire the famous ZIG ZAG rail part , surrounding the mountains to go down towards Sibambe Station. This ride will take 2 hours approx.
After this we will take a public bus ride for 3 hours towards Cuenca City . Once we arrive , we will go to the hotel for check in and at night we will take you to the Pubs area for some coctels after a long day.
Day 12
CUENCA CITY TOUR
This day we will lead you trough the picturesque streets and plazas of Cuenca City!!! Get ready to enjoy and explore the magical Heritage Site declared by UNESCO since 1999.
This is a city that offers many options for everybody in the group , we will give you some advises that you can do on your own in the afternoon.
Day 13
PUBLIC BUS RIDE TO GUAYAQUIL
On this day we will take a publi bus ride to Guayaquil city , it will take us 4 hours approx.
Once we arrive to the hotel , you will get reay to explore Guayaquil's downtown and Las Penas Viewpoint.
This city is modern and huge close to 3 million people , but it is nice to walk around after a long bus ride.
Remmenber that Guayaquil is at the coast site located at 4 meters above sea level. So it will be warm enough after the days at the Andes.
Day 14
PUBLIC BUS RIDE TO PUERTO LOPEZ
Early morning public bus ride to Puerto Lopez , normally from Guayaquil takes around 5 hours. On this day we dont have any other actvity planned besides of enjoying the beach or relax at the hotel pool.
Late in the afternoon , we will do the coctel show at the hotel , then you will get to know more about our local coctels.
Day 15
ISLA DE LA PLATA TOUR
On this day we will visit the famous island called Silver Island or Isla de la Plata , located at 40 miles away by speed boat from Puerto Lopez.
This island is well knonw for having some of the Flora and Fauna that seen at the Galapagos such as: Blue Footted Bobbies , Albatros , Frigatte Birds , Red Fotted Bobbies and some other ones.
On this tour you will hike on the Island for 2 hours spotting the animals mentioned above , also if we are lucky , we will see the humpback whales that come from all over the world to the Ecuadorian Coast for their brieding season and matting too.
The whale watching season is between May until September every year and Machalilla National Park seems to be good an safe for them.
You will also snorkel near by the Island to see a great diversity of fish and other marine life.
After this return back to Puerto Lopez for overnight. At night we will go for some salsa clases....
Day 16
PUERTO LOPEZ FREE DAY
This day is free for several relax , walk around town , visit a local community , visit Los Frailes beach and much more.
If you like adventure , we can arrange a biking tour or a Diving Tour as you can tell Puerto Lopez has soo many things to do , we are sure you will find an activity that will fit in your idea.
Day 17
FLIGHT BACK TO QUITO END OF THE SERVICES...
Free morning , 1:00 pm check out and transportation to Manta City Airport to take a flight to Quito late in the afternoon , then transportation to the Hotel in Quito
Unfortunately we have to say good bye after we arrive in Quito and we invite you to see one of our other tours in Galapagos and Peru Tours..
However if you desire to add one more night in Quito City or extend your staying in Ecuador , we can always help you out with free advise to make sure you optimize the time and continue exploring this paradise called Ecuador.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT FOR TOMORROW CHECK OUT IS AT 12 am
TRANSFER OUT IS NOT INCLUDED IN PACKAGE
The program includes
- Hotel accommodations as mentioned in TWIN / Shared Room
- English Speaking Adventure Tour Guide will escort you through your entire journey
- American breakfast included everyday
- Lunch ( just at the jungle lodge )
- Dinner ( just at the jungle lodge )
- This Itinerary is based on Public Transportation, however there is few tours that we included private Transportation too in some parts of the tour.
Not included in Program
- Local Flight from Manta to Quito is not included, however, we recomend that you book it directly through us.
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Chimborazo MTB tour
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Diving at Puerto Lopez
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Biking tour at Puerto LopezPersonal ExpensesPhone CallsDrinksany activity no specified in programGratuities
GUARANTEED DEPARTS EVERY DAY !
24/7 Booking Phone Number: +1-888-469-2230
Tour Overview
AGE RANGE : 18 to 65 year old
ACCOMMODATION: Hostel, Jungle Lodge
MIN GROUP SIZE : 4 ( IF YOU ARE SOLO TRAVELER , PLEASE ASK FOR SINGLE RATE)
MAX GROUP SIZE : 16
TRANSPORTATION : Bus, Private Vehicle, Plane
PHYSICAL RATING : Moderated
TRAVEL STYLE : Discovery
