Ecuador: Culture & Nature

Day 1 Quito

Upon arrival (most international arrivals will be late at night) you’ll be met at the airport by a Knowmad Adventures representative and taken to your accommodations centrally located in a historic Quito neighborhood.

• No meals – El Relicario de Carmen

Day 2 Quito

Head out with your guide to explore Quito following breakfast. Explore the historic Basilica before taking in the architecture of the Calle de Siete Cruces (street of the Seven Crosses), which was an Incan route to their center of worship, and consequently the avenue most transformed by conquering Christians and reflective of their architectural influence. The seven crosses erected were an effort to convert indigenous peoples. Walking along the avenue takes you to the Plaza de la Independencia where you visit one of the oldest cathedrals in South America: La Catedral de Quito where a plaque marks the spot where a former president was killed. Stop in at the Metropolitan Cultural Center and visit the Plaza de San Francisco and its church, which was the Tiaguez, or main market place, dating back to pre-Incan times. The church’s museum houses thousands of Latin American art which reflect the mix of indigenous and European styles.

Enjoy a delicious lunch at Plaza Grande, visit a typical sweet shop, and enjoy great people watching. Continue along historic Bolivar Street and La Ronda, said to be the first street built in Quito and a haven for artists and poets. Here you can visit artisan families, one specializing in candles for religious processions and another of hatmakers.

• B, L – El Relicario de Carmen

Day 3 Otavalo

Following breakfast you will make the two-hour drive north to Otavalo. En route stop at a historic hacienda and an adjacent rose plantation learning of their cultivation and worldwide exportation. Arriving in Otavalo, enjoy a traditional lunch at Hacienda Pinsaqui. Following lunch continue on to the Otavalo Market, the biggest and most important indigenous market in all Latin America. The colorful main handicraft and textile market spills into the streets from the central Plaza de Ponchos, the colorful produce market impresses by sheer number, and the cacophony of the animal market is to the outskirts of town. The friendly Otavalenos are more than happy to talk about their crafts and traditions. After exploring this feast for the senses, head back to your charming accommodations at Hacienda Cusin.

• B, L – Hacienda Cusin

Day 4 Otavalo Countryside

Following breakfast at the hacienda, you will set out into the surrounding countryside. Arrive to the active volcanic crater lake of Cuicocha taking a leisurely hike around the rim of the crater while spotting unique flora, myriad humming bird species and other birds and wildlife. Following a nice hike enjoy a luxurious lunch at La Mirage on the grounds of a lavish 200-year old hacienda. From there visit the small town Cotacachi, known for its leather goods, and also visit the village San Antonio de Ibarra known for its woodworkers.

• B, L – Hacienda Cusin

Day 5 Antisana Volcano

Head south back towards Quito this morning along the ‘avenue of the volcanoes’ arriving to the off-the-beaten path Antisana Volcano. Enjoy a light hike along the Antisana Gorge for an hour or so to the base of Chuzalungos (the name comes from an indigenous legend that speaks of mountain goblins), three peaks formed by an ancient horseshoe shaped crater. Watch for Andean condors while hiking through the gorgeous landscape. Following your hike, enjoy an exquisite gourmet lunch at a nearby restaurant before returning to the nearby Hacienda Santa Ana to enjoy the solitude of the Ecuadorian countryside.

• B, L – Hotel Santa Ana

Day 6 Amazon Jungle – Napo Wildlife Center

Getting an early start to the day, after a hearty countryside breakfast you will be taken to the Quito airport for a short flight (by jet) to Yasuni National Park in the Amazon Basin. After arriving to the dock, board a large, motorized canoe for a scenic two-hour trip downriver. Transfer to smaller dugout canoes and be paddled up the black water creek to the Napo Wildlife Center – an environmentally friendly lodge that offers a luxurious experience deep in an isolated setting perfect for spotting the flora and fauna the Amazon is famous for. Along the way it’s possible to see a variety of monkey species as well as large birds like toucans, parrots and macaws. After an hour or so the creek opens to an overwhelming view of the Anangu Lake where perched along the banks is the Napo Wildlife Center. Enjoy a welcome drink and briefing while your luggage is transferred to your private jungle cottage. After dinner you may choose to go on an excursion around the lake to spot caimans.

Your stay at the lodge includes gourmet meals and a variety of excursions to choose from according to your interests and preferences. The following is a sample itinerary.

• B, box L, D – Napo Wildlife Center

Day 7 Amazon Jungle – Napo Wildlife Center

Rise early to reach one of Ecuador’s best parrot clay licks. A total of 11 species of parrots, parakeets and macaws can be seen at the naturally created feeding ground. Later, hike along a forest trail to visit the Kichwa community of Anangu meeting villagers and learning of their culture, customs and traditions. Return to the creek and hike through the forest for half hour until arriving to the second parrot clay lick where you can find different bird species. Enjoy a tasty picnic lunch at the observatory before a late-afternoon return to the lodge.

• B, box L, D – Napo Wildlife Center

Day 8 Amazon Jungle – Napo Wildlife Center

A short morning hike on a jungle trail takes you to a 120-foot canopy tower. As you ascend the 12-floor tower pass through different levels of the forest emerging on top of a huge ceiba tree. Cross onto a platform built into the tree and view the Amazon as only the birds do. Flocks of colorful tanagers pass right through the canopy, blue and yellow macaws soar past, spicer monkeys search for fruit in nearby trees, two species of toucans make regular early-morning visits, and the life of the forest canopy opens before you. Birds virtually impossible to see from the forest floor are suddenly right beside you, oblivious to your presence. Have a gourmet lunch full of fresh local products back at the lodge, and enjoy an afternoon hike through primary forest watching for a variety of lizards and amphibians, colorful manakins and endemic golden mantle tamarin monkeys. Explore the lake and creeks by dugout canoe with great possibilities of seeing a giant otter (an extremely endangered species) and take in an Amazonian sunset.

• B, L, D – Napo Wildlife Center

Day 9 Amazon Jungle – Quito – Home

Watch for giant otters, monk saki monkeys and a variety of other rare birds while canoeing through the lake and black water creek to the Napo River. After using the restrooms return by motorized canoe and onward to the Coca airport for your flight back to Quito and onward home.

• B