HIGHLANDS OF ECUADOR FROM QUITO TO CUENCA 10 DAYS / 9 NIGHTS

Visit to Quito Old Town & Middle of the World Monument (equator)

After breakfast, we will visit one of the largest and best preserved colonial centers in South America, Quito’s “Old Town” area was declared the first “World Heritage Site” by UNESCO, in 1978. The tour of historic Quito will start with a panoramic view of the city from El Panecillo Hill with “Virgin of Quito” monument on the top. This visit will give you a chance to appreciate Quito from above, and – if the weather permits – to catch a view of the spectacular “Volcano Avenue,” two parallel mountain ranges containing eight of the country’s ten highest peaks.

We will continue on to the always vibrant Plaza Grande (“Independence Square”), which is surrounded by the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Municipal Building and the Archbishop’s Palace.

We will pass through the San Francisco which is the oldest and most significant religious site in Ecuador. The vast complex includes 13 cloisters, three churches, a plaza, more than 3,500 works of religious art, and a library holding thousands of books and historic documents.

From here, we will continue our journey 15 miles north of Quito to the Mitad del Mundo (“Middle of the World”), the monument on the equator that was built to commemorate the French scientists who in the 1830s made history by determining the shape of the planet thanks to their studies at this location.

The highlight of this visit is the equatorial line running along latitude of 0° 0’ 0.” Here, you will be able to stand with one foot in each of the earth’s hemispheres – a great photo op! We will also visit the Intiñan Solar Museum, where you will have the opportunity to perform various unusual experiments like balancing an egg on a nail, losing weight in a second, or straddling the equatorial line that separates the two hemispheres. After the visit, we will drive you back to your hotel.

Accomodation: Hotel in Quito
Meals included: Breakfast - Lunch

Visit to Cotopaxi National Park

After breakfast, we will drive south along the Pan-American Highway past scenic valleys and plains filled with multicolored fields. After an hour and a half, we will reach the main entrance of Cotopaxi National Park, a spectacular ecological reserve covering 139 square miles (36,000 hectares). Within this area is the magnificent Cotopaxi Volcano, which rises 3.66 miles (5,897 meters) above sea level. Your guide will then explain the culture and natural history of the Andean ecosystems here.
After a few more minutes of travel, we will make our way to the edge of Lake Limpiopungo to admire a variety of birds and occasionally even wild horses. On clear days, you can spot the magnificent cone of Cotopaxi, which appears like a postcard-perfect sight. A short walk around the lake will also allow you to admire the Andean plant and animal life of the area.
Accomodation: Hotel in Baños
Meals included: Breakfast - Lunch

We will have a traditional Andean lunch at a local restaurant before driving to Baños for the night.

Chimborazo Reserve

Today, we´ll visit the Chimborazo Reserve. The Chimborazo, the highest mountain in Ecuador, is the face of this reserve. The colossus is 6,268 meters high and is surrounded by an immense sandy area with a rather dry wasteland, different from most.
The reserve houses an important population of vicuñas reintroduced from Peru and Chile in 1988. There are also llamas and alpacas, domestic animals native to Ecuador that were used by the ancient inhabitants of the Andes before the Spaniards introduced horses, sheep, cows and donkeys. The reserve was created to protect these animals and their historical legacy, as well as the strange wasteland of which they are a part.
The Chimborazo is the main attraction of the reserve. The snow is massive, broad and giant. Several naturalists visited it in the 18 and 19 centuries, including Alexander von Humboldt, who left us drawings where he compares the vegetation he observed on the different altitudinal levels of Chimborazo and Cotopaxi. That study today is considered the basis for phytogeography, a science that studies the distribution of plants on Earth.
In the afternoon we will drive back to the local hacienda to spend the night.

Accomodation: Local Hacienda
Meals included: Breakfast - Lunch

Visit to Cuenca city and sourrunded artisanal towns

After breakfast, we will begin a tour that explores a city declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and discover its cultural and architectural diversity, the colonial center of Cuenca.
The tour starts at the Plaza San Sebastian, which constitutes the western colonial border of the city of Cuenca. Next, we visit the modern arts museum, where many contemporary artworks are displayed. We walk by the downtown historical area to visit the San Francisco market, the flower market, the culture house, the Abdon Calderon Park, and the old cathedral (from the outside). We enter the new cathedral, the biggest in the country, and observe the famous gold leaf canopy.
We continue the tour to the Homero Ortega Panama Hat factory to observe the complete process of manufacturing the Panama hat, which is undoubtedly most important to our country. Later, we visit the barranco with its colonial-style terraced houses located next to the Tomebamba River.
We also observe the broken bridge, and we pay a visit to the viewpoint Turi, where we can see a panoramic view of the whole city of Cuenca. Take in the history and architecture of the city on this picturesque tour!
In the afternoon, we will visit Chordeleg (from chorro de oro, meaning “waterfall of gold”), a town known around the country for its ceramic, gold, and silver jewelry and above all for the fine filigree work made of gold and silver threads. Here, you have the chance to go shopping, and the artisans show us the way they elaborate the jewelry. While in Chordeleg, we also take a walk around its central plaza, where we can explore countless crafts and shops.

Later, we continue to Gualaceo to visit two important markets that are known for their variety of products and the colorful scenery. Then we visit a textile shop where we can observe the back strap loom and the horizontal loom weaving techniques the artisans use and learn how a variety of products are made. The artisans also show us the Hispanic technique of ikat to make shawls and ponchos.
After this wonderful day of local arts and crafts, we return to the city of Cuenca.
Accomodation: Hotel in Cuenca
Meals included: Breakfast - Lunch

Transfer to airport

At proper time we will go to the airport for international flight back home.

Accomodation: Not included
Meals included: Breakfast