Discover Ecuador’s culture, history, and landscapes in 5 days. Visit colonial centers, volcanic slopes, waterfalls, and more. Experience the adventure of a lifetime.
City tour Quito: History, Culture and Gastronomy
Basilica del Voto Nacional - The towers at the end of the world will surprise you! And not to mention this neo-Gothic style church built in the 18th century, considered the largest in Ecuador, its mixed style makes it unique in the world; It was the first church in the country blessed by a pope. Here we will visit the tower of the condors, we will tour the immensity of this church, we will admire every detail that makes it special.
Palacio Arzobispal - It is the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Quito and the official residence of the archbishop of Quito and primate of Ecuador. Its construction began in 1546. Currently, a kind of shopping center operates inside where some popular restaurants serving typical food predominate. Here we will walk through its corridors appreciating the architecture of this building.
Plaza de la Independencia (Plaza Grande) - It is the main square of the capital, the main square of Quito and the political and historical center of Ecuador. It is the reference point for the height of the city, located at 2818 m above sea level. n. m. You will have a historical explanation of this place and we will take photographs.
El Palacio de Gobierno - The Carondelet Palace is the seat of Government and official residence of the President of Ecuador. The history of this emblematic building dates back to the viceregal era, around the year 1570. Our visit will be through the exterior with the respective explanation of the place.
Catedral Metropolitana de Quito - Likewise, the visit will be on the outside, with its respective explanation of the historical overview. It is the headquarters of the Primate Archdiocese of Quito. In 1995 it was elevated to Primate Cathedral.
Calle de las Siete Cruces - Named after the concentration of churches that exist on this street, we will pass by visiting the outside of the Company of Jesus, well known for its interior ornamentation, which is completely covered in gold leaf. We will visit the typical candy stores where we will invite you to try “dog poop”, yes! It’s not a lie, we Ecuadorians eat this type of sweets.
Quito Old Town - It’s time to recharge with a delicious lunch
Yumbos Chocolate - Yumbos were the merchants who were present in the pre-Inca, Inca and early colonial cultures and were dedicated to the exchange of products from all regions. But in this case it is not about a culture that we will visit, it is about an organization dedicated to making artisanal chocolate with the best cocoa in the world, we will carry out a tasting of various chocolates with quite peculiar flavors and in addition we will serve ourselves a delicious breed of chocolate.
Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco - This is one of the largest architectural complexes in the country; It is here where the first school of education in Ecuador was developed and later the famous Quito art school was created, which is why inside it jealously keeps more than 3,500 pieces of colonial art. We will visit its museum, its towers and the church. Return to your hotel.
Cable car and Middle of the World
TeleferiQo Teleferico Quito - Pick up at your hotel or lodging place at 9:00 am. We will begin our visit to the cable car located in the foothills of the Rucupichincha volcano, one of the highest cable cars in the world, the eighth highest mechanical lift in the world. Once we reach the high area, we will take a short walk to appreciate the paramo ecosystem and enjoy nature and if the weather is good we will be able to observe some volcanoes such as El Cayambe, Antisana, Pasochoa, Sincholagua, Cotopaxi, Rumiñahui, among others.
San Antonio de Pichincha - After this visit we will move to San Antonio de Pichincha, with an approximate time of 1 hour. Here we will serve our lunch.
Mitad del Mundo - Recharged with energy, we will immediately go to visit the Mitad del Mundo tourist complex, this is where you can put your feet, one in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern hemisphere, we will visit the ethnogeographic museum and finally the craft stores.
Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve - Leaving this special place behind, we will move to visit the Pululahua geobotanical reserve where the second volcanic crater in the world to be inhabited is located. If the weather is good we will be able to observe the immensity of this crater.
Mindo - At the end of the visit, we will begin our trip to Mindo; Once in Mindo we will check in at our hotel to take our well-deserved rest.
Mindo tropical cloud forest
Santuario de Cascadas - After breakfast, we will go in search of our first adventure, which will be crossing a tarabita over the Mindo River; and then begin a walk through the cloud forest until you reach the waterfalls, and if you wish you can take a refreshing bath. After this visit we will return to take our transportation to continue to the next attraction.
Mariposas de Mindo - After the adventure in the forest, we will visit the Mariposas de Mindo butterfly farm, it is a butterfly farm for exhibition, reproduction and conservation of the species in the cloud forest of Mindo. Here you can enjoy a pleasant moment in the midst of countless butterflies.
Mindo - Time to gather the strength invested in the morning with a delicious lunch.
San Tadeo Birding - In this place you will delight your eyes with the countless hummingbirds and other birds that frequent this sanctuary. You will also enjoy having them very close to the hummingbirds when you can give them water to drink; Additional from here we have the panoramic view of all of Mindo.
Quito - Once our visit is over, we will begin the return trip to Quito. Already in Quito check in and rest.
Cotopaxi Park and Quilotoa Lagoon
Cotopaxi National Park - Pick up at your hotel 06:30 am. And we will begin the trip to Cotopaxi National Park, along the famous route of the volcanoes or Panamericana Sur, crossing beautiful Andean landscapes.
Laguna de Limpiopungo - Once in Cotopaxi Park we will visit the Limpiopungo lagoon, from where we have a privileged view of the volcano as long as the weather is with us; Here we also took a short walk learning about the flora and fauna of this natural park.
Quilotoa - Once our visit to the Cotopaxi National Park is over, we begin the trip to Quilotoa.
Canon del Rio Toachi - After having traveled through green Andean valleys of multicolored hues due to the varied production of agricultural foods that are grown in this area.
We will arrive at the Toachi River canyon, a geological formation thousands of thousands of years old. Here we will visit its viewpoint and walk along its narrow paths observing the immense formation of this place.
Laguna Quilotoa - Once in the indigenous community of Quilotoa, we will first recharge our batteries with lunch. Later we will go to the viewpoint of the famous emerald lagoon embedded in the crater of a potentially active volcano, located in the western mountain range; We will descend a little to observe the lagoon from another viewpoint, the glass one.
Banos - Once our visit is over, we will begin our journey to Baños de Agua Santa.
Once in Baños we will check in at our hotel to take a well-deserved rest.
Holy water baths
Agoyan Waterfall - Baños is the capital of adventure and its main protagonist is water. Breakfast This day we will travel the route of the waterfalls and in one of them we will cross the Pastaza River on a tarabita
Cascada el Manto de la Novia - As we had mentioned, water is the protagonist of this place and we will visit a waterfall plus the Bride’s Mantle due to its similarity to a bridal veil.
Banos - Afterwards we will have a sweet view since we will know the place where the famous sweet marshmallow typical of Baños is made by hand, made from sugar cane, an agricultural product that occurs in large quantities in the area.
CASCADA EL PAILON - Advancing with the route we will arrive at Rio Verde where the famous “Pailon del Diablo” is, one of the largest waterfalls in Ecuador; It is a spectacle that you will experience when you can witness and feel the force of falling water just a few meters from you.
Banos - Once all that energy has been spent, we will serve our lunch (menu type) to resume the missing activities.
La Casa del Arbol - Once the battery is charged again, we will begin a visit to the famous Tree House, a place that has become famous for its swing built in a tree and which has a cliff down; But don’t worry, here you can feel for yourself the adrenaline that swinging in this famous place feels like; with this great adventure in Baños.
Quito - Finishing our visit to the capital of adventure, we begin our return to Quito. End of services.
- Private transportation
- Tasting of typical sweets detailed throughout the excursion
- Lunch
- Breakfast
- Tickets to the attractions to visit
- Dinners
- Gratuities
On this excursion you will be able to live and learn about culture, history, gastronomy and the most beautiful landscapes of Ecuador. Starting your tour through the streets of the largest and best preserved colonial center in South America; You will be able to put your feet on the equinoctial line where you will verify through gravitational experiments that you are at the center of the world; You will have the opportunity to hold hummingbirds in your hands by giving them water to drink, you will recharge your energies in the waterfalls of the Choco Andino forest, “ecological sanctuary”; You will reach the slopes and the refuge of the most dangerous volcano in Ecuador due to the way its volcanic waste emanates; The indigenous communities will welcome you with open arms when you visit the emerald of the western mountain range; Finally you will be surprised by the devil’s pot that waits for you so that you can see its greatness, to begin the return to your country, without first going through the end of the world swing where you will feel that your soul is coming out as you swing on it.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.