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 drive back to Quito (rest of the evening to relax).

Day 5 (includes breakfast, lunch and dinner) After breakfast we will drive towards Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas. We will check in at a lovely lodge surrounded by nature at a lower altitude than Quito. Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas is the entrance to the coastal region of Ecuador. In this area is where a lot of the tropical fruits are grown, bananas, pineapples, mangoes, etc. In the afternoon we will visit a Tsáchila Community. The Tsáchila people are indigenous that kept their costumes and traditions and learn to adapt to the way of the live of the colonos. However most Tsáchilas communities keep some of their traditions suchs as dying their hair red with a natural color seed. Also some of them still live of basic agriculture, hunting and fishing in the rivers. While in their community we will learn all of these facts. We will stay for the night in Santo Domingo.

Day 6 (includes breakfast, lunch and dinner) After breakfast we will drive to Bahia de Caraquez, which is a little city that lies on the shore of the Pacific Coast. We will check in the hotel at noon, and after lunch we will have the rest of the afternoon to get to know the city and interact with their inhabitants (watch the sunset from the boardwalk recommended).

Day 7 (includes breakfast, lunch and dinner) After breakfast we will drive towards Montecristi, which is a little town along the coast, where the famous Panama hats are manufacture. We will have the opportunity to admire how the talented artist hand weave the hats from scratch and it comes out into a beautiful hat. In Montecristi we will visit the “Asamblea Constituyente” where the country last constitution was written. We will head to Manta for lunch which will be at the boardwalk in front of the Ocean (seafood of course) and finally we will drive back to Bahia (approx. 1,5 hour)

Day 8 (includes breakfast, lunch and dinner) Today we will visit the fragile mangrove ecosystem. We will paddle in boats and observe hundreds of birds in the mangroves. Also a visit to a typical shrimp farm in the estuary is included. We will learn about the process of growing shrimp and why not try some.

Day 9 (includes breakfast, lunch and dinner) We will leave the coast after breakfast and drive back to Quito. Of course on the way we will have several stops to stretch, take pictures, relax, eat, etc. We will arrive to Quito late afternoon. Rest of the evening to relax.

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 price 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 price 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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