ECUADOR ANDES ECO-ADVENTURE
ECO-ADVENTURE

10 day Nature & Cultural Tour- Soft Adventure

Andes Mountains
Trekking, Horseback Riding

• Day One - Upon your arrival at Quito Airport, you will be met by your escort and transferred to the beautiful San Jorge Eco-Lodge. Our 18th Century Ecuadorian farm with its own 200 acre Botanical Reserve will be your primary base for our expeditions.



• Day Two - Old Colonial Quito City Tour. We will explore the Capital of Ecuador, considered part of the Cultural Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO. During your visit you will learn about the colonial art in the churches, history, archaeology and folklore in the museums. Your private guide will provide complete information on the Baroque Colonial Art. Tour around the city visiting the most important areas: Plaza de la Independencia, Plaza San Francisco, Plaza Santo Domingo, La Merced, La Compania and Penecillo.



• Day Three - Horseback Riding Eco-Adventure to the high barren plains. Experience a slice of 17th Century life! Ride Mustang Horses with traditional saddles up to Guagua Pichincha. Visit the Andes potato and cattle farms. Great sightseeing! We will travel a Pre-Inca road (1500 BC) and ride up to the cloud forest (4700m osl).



• Day Four - Visit the famous Otavalo Indian Market. We will have the opportunity to shop for world famous handmade wool and alpaca products. Also, visit the Peguche Waterfalls, San Pablo Lake, Cotacashi (leather village), San Antonio de Ibarra (wood carving village), and Cuicocha (Sacred Indian Lagoon) We will take a boat trip around an active volcano and then visit the maintraditional production centers of woodcarving and leather handcrafts of Ecuador .



• Day Five - Sacred Waterfalls & Medicinal Plant Expedition. In the San Jorge Botanical Reserve we will trek to the highland tropical rainforest, visiting up to 5 sacred waterfalls. Here, we will learn about the medicinal attributes of the native plants, containing up to 250 varieties in the region. At the same time, you will take in the fabulous panoramic views of Quito, it's lush valleys and majestic mountains and the volcano peaks of Cayambe, Antizana, Pasochoa, Pululahua, Pichincha, and Illalo. We can observe 11 mountains from various points of San Jorge Botanical Reserve.



• Day Six - Cotopaxi Volcano Tour. The highest active volcano in the world. Drive through the volcanoes avenue crossing all the southern area of Pichincha Province. When in Cotopaxi National Park, you will visit shimmering Limpiopungo Lake and do soft hiking around the area. Visit and take from the garage of the refuge (4500m osl).



• Day Seven - Mindo Cloud Forest Trip (1500m osl). Visit the last wild virgin cloud forest around Pichincha Mountain and trek inside inside a natural paradise, observing a variety of birds along the way. This is considered a birdwatching paradise, of about 550 species. Visit the Middle of the World, hike in a virgin forest and visit an amazing orchidiary.
  Optional: Tubing the Nambillo River, in the middle of the cloud forest.
  
  
• Day Eight - Papallacta Natural Hot Springs- Journey through the Andes High Barren Plains (4000m osl) Drive the same route as Francisco De Orellana walked when he discovered the Amazon River. Visit Tumbaco, Cumbaya and Pifo Valley. We will climb up the Central Andes chain until we reach Papallacta Lake, where we will stop at the thermal springs. This is a wonderfully relaxing day. During the trip, your guide will give you a botanical and ecological explanation of the Coca Cayambe Reserve, which is considered an endemic Condors area.



• Day Nine - A day of relaxation at San Jorge Eco-Lodge. Enjoy the indoor swimming pool, sauna, Turkish bath and Jacuzzi.



• Day Ten - AM Transfer to Quito Airport

Includes: Lodging - based on double occupancy, 3 meals per day; days 2-9, transportation, transfers, bilingual guides and horses.

Excludes: Travel or medical insurance, personal expenses, extra meals, National park entrance fees