Duration: 11 days

Itinerary

Day 1 (includes lunch and dinner) Arrival in Quito. Pick up from airport and transfer to hotel. Depending on arrival time, lunch and free afternoon to rest. After dinner briefing about the program by our tour leader.

Day 2 (includes breakfast, lunch and dinner) After breakfast we will start our trip towards San Pablo Lake. On our way we will stop at Calderon to observe the talented old ladies manufacture the “mazapan dolls” (bread dough figures). Of course we will have the opportunity to manufacture one. We will arrive to San Pablo lodge for lunch, and after checking in and recovering we will visit the village of Peguche, where they manufacture wind music instruments from the Andes. Also in Peguche we will walk to the waterfall in the border of a National Park.

Day 3 (includes breakfast, lunch and dinner) After breakfast we will visit a rose farm plantation where you can admire all the rose varieties you can imagine and get to know the process from the time they are grown until they arrive to a flower store in the USA or Europe. Each of us will receive a small bouquet as a present. We will enjoy a typical lunch in a nice restaurant. After lunch we will visit the Cuicocha Lake, which lies inside the crater of a volcanoe. We will finish the afternoon by visiting the town of Cotacachi, which is famous for its leather manufacture products (jackets, vest, gloves, pants, etc). We will have dinner at our lodge in front of the lake.

Day 4 (includes breakfast, lunch and dinner) After breakfast we will visit Otavalo, the most famous indigenous market. We will experience a mix of exotic colors, sounds and smells. Hundreds of local artists offer their products in this market. We can learn about the process of manufacturing the handicrafts, while we have a conversation with the indigenous. We will have a typical highlands lunch. In the afternoon we will enjoy the beautiful sight from our lodge in the lake (rest of the evening to relax).

Day 5 (includes breakfast, lunch and dinner) After breakfast we will drive towards the Amazon. We will stop at a town called Baeza, which is one of the entrances to the ecuatorian amazon region. We will visit an Environmental Center, where we will be lecture about the hazards in conservation for that region. We will continue our trip and visit local people that produce oyster mushrooms in order to increase their income and not cut the trees. We will finally arrive at Huasquila Amazon Lodge at late afternoon, check in the lodge and enjoy a delicious dinner.

Day 6 (includes breakfast, lunch and dinner) Today we will take a hike into secondary forest. We will admire the deep vegetation of the Amazon and learn from our guide the different uses of natural plants. The hike will last for 2,5 to 3 hours. Of course we will have several stops along the hike and we also have several points where we can stop and quickly return to the lodge. Our native guide will show us how talented he is in recognizing the different flora of the forest. After lunch we will relax at the lodge pool, gardens or huts.

Day 7 (includes breakfast, lunch and dinner) After breakfast we will visit the Petroglyphs (stone carved figures) in the Sacret Valley of Cotundo. We willl learn how indigenous in the past associate their drawings with things like God, good harvest, proeperity, etc. After lunch we will visit an Animal Rescue Center, where animals from illegal trade are brought in order to reinsert them into nature. This hardly happens due to the fact that most animals are injured, but we will have the opportunity to admire local animals such as ocelots, boas, birds, monkeys, etc. Rest of the evening at the lodge to enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.

Day 8 (includes breakfast, lunch and dinner) Today we will raft down a very calm amazon river that is an affluent of the great Amazonas river. During the raft we will have the chance to admire flora and fauna on both sides of the river. This is one of the best ways to experience how amazing the Amazonia is. We will have the chance to swim in the river. The experience is very safe, we will all have vest, plus we will have 2 emergency kayaks joining us at all time. At night in the lodge we will have the visit of a traditional indigenous dancing group. We will observe several typical dances.

Day 9 (includes breakfast, lunch and dinner) We will leave the amazon region after breakfast and drive back to Quito. On our way we will have a stop for lunch at one of Ecuador´s hot spot for birdwatching (beautiful sights from this area). We will arrive to Quito late afternoon and have the rest of the evening to rest.

Day 10 (includes breakfast, lunch and dinner) Visit to Quito’s Colonial Center, declared World Culture Heritage by UNESCO. Visit the churches and squares and get to know their history and most interesting facts. Then we will visit the Middle of the World monument, which is located on the Equator and where you can actually move between the southern and northern hemispheres in one second. We will visit the Inti-Ñam museum where we will observe some experiments that prove we are in the Middle of the World. After dinner we will have an overview of the trip, and we will present all the pictures taken during the trip. Each guest will be given a CD with all the pictures taken during the trip.

Day 11 (includes all meals prior departure)

Departure

The TOUR includes:

• All tours and activities specified in program
• Accommodations specified in program
• All entrance fees during tours and activities specified in program
• All meals specified in program
• Transportation specified in program

The TOUR doesn’t include:

• International airfares and airport taxes
• Any expenses not specified in program (personal expenses, alcoholic beverages, souvenirs, laundry, etc)
• Equipment rental or supply (if necessary)
• Personal insurance
• Any medical expenses

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