Tour
THE ANDES, PACIFIC OCEAN & THE AMAZON
During these 14 days tour (11 days of pure bike ride) you will experience one of the most diverse countries in the planet; you will travel along it´s 3 main regions. In the Andes with its high peaks, beautiful volcanoes, indigenous markets, national parks, Inca ruins, colonial cities, hot springs and magical valleys. At the same time you will have chance to enjoy the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean. And the magic biodiversity of the Amazon rain forest
- Total Distance Covered: approximately 2,300 kilometers / 1,430 miles
- Average distance per day: 266 kilometers / 156 miles
- 60% asphalt road / 40% dirt, gravel or cobblestone roads
- Experienced, multilingual tour guide
- Support vehicle all the time (more than 3 passengers)
Itinerary
14 DAYS / 13 NIGHTS
DAY 1: Thursday: ARRIVAL TO QUITO, ECUADOR
Arrival to Quito, where our guide will be waiting for you, transfer to the hotel.
DAY 2: Friday: QUITO CITY TOUR
After a good night of sleep and some time to adjust yourself to the time and altitude difference, you will visit Quito, the capital of Ecuador, one of the most beautiful cities of Ecuador. It is divided into the colonial city and the modern city, the Colonial Quito is still reminiscent of how it was 450 years ago. In the colonial Quito you will find narrow cobblestone streets and brown tile roofs. The integrity of colonial Quito was in 1978 declared by the UNESCO a World Cultural Heritage Site.
The Equatorial line or Mitad del Mundo is located just 30 minutes north of Quito, this monument is the closest point of this line from Quito. Archaeological evidence indicates both pre-Incan and Inca civilizations recognized and worshiped the path of the equator as the marker of the equinox
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DAY 3: Saturday: QUITO – EQUATORIAL LINE – MOJANDA - OTAVALO MARKET
Breakfast, loud up our bikes and some time to get use to them, departure to the north of Quito driving through the Equatorial line or Mitad del Mundo, short visit to the ethnographic museum and finally you will start our first off road ride, this is a portion that combines gravel, asphalt and cobblestone perfect to get a general idea of how your entire experience in Ecuador is going to be. You will be riding across different valleys and ecosystems, from the Andean dry forest to the high paramo region, box lunch on route. You will pass through interesting towns such as Perucho, Atahualpa and finally Otavalo, where you will have full afternoon to visit the famous Ponchos’ Market, here you can find colorful handicrafts, tapestries, rugs, clothes, Panama hats, pictures, jewelry, etc. Late afternoon our guide will drive you to your hotel where you will dinner and overnight.
(B.BL.D)
DAY 4: Sunday: OTAVALO – CUICOCHA CRATER LAKE – CLOUD FOREST OF MINDO
Today’s ride is a very interesting ride, you will drive from the high Andes (2.800 meters) to the magic cloud forest (1.600 meters), feeling the change when you cross the different ecosystems, vegetation and aromas, something that only a bike ride can give you.
After breakfast and clean your bikes, you will ride to the west range of the Andes visiting the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve, on route you will stop in Cotacachi town known for its famous leather handicrafts. Then you will continue to Cuicocha Lake, this lake lies inside the crater of an active volcano surrounded by native flora and fauna. You will continue descending and when the altitude of the mountains decrease you will observe different kinds of products that have been planted like bananas, papayas, pineapples, sugar cane fields and others; box lunch on route and you will continue towards the tropics driving across beautiful and peaceful villages like Apuela, Selva Alegre, Palmitopamba, Nanegal and Nanegalito. Then you will take a paved road arriving shortly to the town of Mindo, famous for its warm micro climate. If time permits you will visit a butterfly farm and observe more than 10 different species on their tree different stages, from larvae to caterpillar and to butterflies. Then you will drive to your hotel where you will dinner and overnight
(B.BL.D)
DAY 5: Monday: FROM MINDO TO THE COAST REGION: PEDERNALES – CANOA BEACH
You will begin your day with a delicious and healthy breakfast and then you will head out on your bikes and continue your ride through the cloud forest and the tropical grassland of La Concordia, famous for the palm oil production. After a ride through the coastal savannah grasslands, you will arrive to the Pacific coast in the city of Pedernales, where the delicious shrimp is one of its main products to export, lunch at a local restaurant to enjoy of the seafood, its specialty. After a delicious lunch, you will continue with your trip along the coast way with spectacular views of the Pacific ocean until you arrive to Canoa, a beautiful fishing town, famous for its warm water, wide beaches and specially for its incredible waves that are great for surfing; drive to Hosteria Canoa where you will overnight. Time to rest and enjoy of the wonderful beach or you can practice some exiting activities like surfing, paragliding, etc.
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DAY 6: Tuesday:CANOA- QUEVEDO CITY
After a great morning in the warm water of the Pacific Ocean, you will continue your trip along the coast to the south of Ecuador, driving trough many beautiful fishing towns like San Clemente, San Jacinto, Pichincha and also trough this fertile valley full of rice fields, shrimp farms and cacao plantations until you will reach Quevedo, dinner and overnight.
(B.L.D)
DAY 7: Wednesday: QUEVEDO-FACUNDO VELA- SALINAS- CHIMBORAZO
This day’s ride is one of the most amazing ones of your tour, you will drive from the tropics of the Pacific Ocean to the glaciers of the Andes, this is a very challenging day because most of the ride is an off road.
After an early breakfast you will begin your journey through this tropical region across many banana plantations. Ecuadorian bananas are very famous around the world, more or less 20% of the world production comes from this region. Later, you will continue ascending to the cloud forest, passing along mountain towns like Moraspungo, Facundo Vela and Simiatug, where time seems have not passed through. Finally, you will arrive to the highlands of the Chimborazo volcano, the highest volcano in Ecuador (6.310 meters). After a short ride you will reach to your beautiful lodge where you will dinner and overnight.
(B.BL.D)
DAY 8: Thursday: CHIMBORAZO-INGAPIRCA RUINS-CUENCA CITY
After breakfast you will ride around the Chimborazo volcano where it is possible to observe tree of the four Andean camels (vicuñas, lamas and alpacas). Later you will continue your trip trough the southern Pan-American Highway to visit Guamote, a small town where every Thursday you can find an indigenous market. This market is consider one of the most spectacular in the country, hundreds of people wearing its traditional cloths, trade their goods and animals, just on the way they have been doing for centuries and without much presence of white people.
Later you will continue your trip to Ingapirca ruins, the most representative archeological site of the Incas in Ecuadorian territory, here you will learn about this amazing culture and its great carved stonework. Lunch on route and finally you will arrive to Cuenca, the third largest city of the country a famous for its well-conserved colonial town. Time to rest and overnight.
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DAY 9: Friday: CUENCA CITY TOUR-CAJAS- MACAS
After breakfast you will visit Cuenca a beautiful colonial city full of magnificent churches, pretty old buildings with wrought iron balconies and carved wooden doors, flower and handicrafts markets, art galleries, workshops and all the wonders that Cuenca, with its colonial style and pleasant atmosphere, offers to its visitors. You will also hike along the Tomebamba River, while you admire the ancient houses perched on the riverbank. Besides you can visit some modern neighborhoods and enjoy of a panoramic view of the city from the view point of Turi.
Lunch in a local restaurant and then you will continue your ride towards the Amazon region, this is also another amazing day in terms of climate and weather changes. You will experience from the cold of the Andes to the humid and warm of the Amazon rainforest. Later you will arrive to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
(B.L.D)
DAY 10: Saturday: MACAS- PUYO - CITY OF BAÑOS
After breakfast you will continue your ride to arrive to Baños city, on route you will visit the famous waterfall route where you can see beautiful waterfalls like Manto de la Novia waterfall where you will cross the Pastaza river by a rustic lift, hanging for more than 200 mts above the river, Pailon del Diablo, Agoyán and others. Then you will go to a local restaurant where a delicious lunch will be waiting for you.
Then you will ride to your hotel where you will have time to rest or you can enjoy of a relaxing time in one of the hot springs pools that Baños offers. Dinner and overnight.
(B.L)
DAY 11: Sunday: BAÑOS-TENA
After breakfast, time to enjoy of the different activities that Baños offers, bungee jumping, cannoning, or just visits some of the best spas of the city. At noon meet at the hotel to loud up your bikes and keep driving to Tena where you will dinner and overnight in a beautiful hotel located at the shores of the Napo River, one of the main rivers that will form the Amazon river. Time to rest and enjoy of the wonderful services of Cotococha lodge surrounded by the amazing nature.
(B.D)
DAY 12: Monday: A GREAT ADVENTURE WITH RAFTING AT UPPER NAPO - PAPALLACTA HOT SPRINGS
After breakfast you will ride to Tena city where you will contact to your expert guides for an exciting activity. You will be transferred to the Upper Rio Napo that is also known locally as the Rio Jatunyacu, which means “BIG WATER” in Quichua. “Big” is probably the best word to describe this river - BIG WAVES and BIG FUN! A great trip for both beginners and experts alike, it has the perfect combination of exciting rapids, calm pools, and fabulous jungle scenery to delight everybody. Being the headwaters of one of the two rivers that form the mighty Amazon River, this is a rafting adventure that should not be passed up! No previous rafting experience is necessary. Box lunch included.
Return to the hotel and then drive back to The Andes until arrive to Termas de Papallacta a beautiful hotel located on the foothills of the Antisana volcano, the fourth highest volcano on the country. This hotel has the best hot springs facilities and spa services on the region, dinner and overnight.
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DAY 13: Tuesday: PAPALLACTA HOT SPRINGS – COTOPAXI NATIONAL PARK - QUITO
After breakfast and time to relax in the hot springs you will continue your ride to the Cotopaxi National Park, where if the weather conditions permit, you will ride up to the Cotopaxi refuge (4,800 m. / 15744 ft) and then you will walk to the amazing glaciers of this volcano. Later you will go to a local restaurant where you will lunch admiring the majestic Cotopaxi volcano. Return to Quito to your hotel where you will have full afternoon to rest, overnight.
(B.L)
DAY 14: Wednesday: QUITO - INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT
After an unforgettable experience in Ecuador our guide will be waiting for you in order to transfer you to the airport to catch your international flight home.
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Rates
PRICE PER PERSON 2018
| HOTELS CATEGORY | 2-3 Pax |
4-5 Pax |
6-7 Pax |
8 Pax |
SINGLE SUPP |
| Economic | $12,375 | $7,600 | $6,840 | $6,450 | $315 |
| Tourist | $12,670 | $7,835 | $7,050 | $6,650 | $450 |
| Tourist superior | $12,920 | $7,999 | $7,180 | $6,790 | $599 |
| First class | $13,450 | $8,499 | $7,680 | $7,290 | $1,099 |
* Minimum 2 passengers
