Ecuador Avenue of the Volcanoes Trek

Day 1 • Arrive Quito • 9,350 feet

Arrive Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito, Ecuador (UOI). Most flights arrive in Quito in the late evening. Our driver will be waiting for you at the airport and will take you to the hotel.

Accommodations: Hotel Reina Isabel in Quito

Day 2 • Tour Quito • 9,350 feet

We spend the day exploring the old town of Quito, with its 16th century architecture, leafy plazas and narrow, colorful streets. We may visit the Museum of the City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in a historic hospital built in 1565 by King Phillip II of Spain, as well as Independence Plaza at the center of the city, and the famous statues and colonial churches of El Panecillo Hill. Return to hotel.

Accommodations: Hotel Reina Isabel in Quito
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch (B, L)

Day 3 • Santa Rita • 10,758 feet

We drive south for an hour from Quito to our trailhead in the Ecuadorian high country. Our trek follows the Pita River through a lush cloud forest, over bridges and past waterfalls, until we come to a large waterfall at the head of the valley. We eat lunch and then hike back to our starting point. Another short hike from the trailhead takes us to our takes us to our hacienda.

Trekking Time: 3 hours roundtrip to summit, 30 minutes to our hacienda

Accommodations: Hacienda CotopaxiPungo
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (B, L, D)

Day 4 • Pasochoa • 13,780 feet

Today we trek up an extinct volcano in the Guayllabamba River Basin named Pasochoa (13,780 ft / 4,200 m). Our trail leads through Ecuador’s rolling high plains until we scramble onto a rocky promontory with steep, forested cliffs dropping away below us. On a clear day, we might see condors and wild horses, as well as the distant pyramids of Ecuador’s famous glaciated volcanoes. We eat lunch on the summit and then take a short drive to Hacienda los Mortiños.

Vertical gain climbing: 1,800 feet
Trekking Time: 6 hours roundtrip

Accommodations: Hacienda Los Mortiños or Hacienda El Porvenir
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (B, L, D)

Day 5 • Cotopaxi Glacier • 15,700 feet

We awake to spectacular views of Cotopaxi rising above the Ecuadorian highlands. We eat breakfast in our cozy hacienda, then trek up to the Jose F. Rivas Refuge on the flanks of Cotopaxi. Another 30 minutes of hiking takes us to the edge of Cotopaxi’s glaciers with views of Ruminahui, Sincholahua and other volcanoes such as Antisana if the weather is clear. We descend and drive to Hacienda la Cienega, a beautifully restored 17th century colonial estate where we spend the night.

Vertical gain climbing: 1,000 feet
Trekking Time: 5 hours roundtrip

Accommodations: Hacienda La Cienega
eals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (B, L, D)

Day 6 • Baños de Agua Santa • Hot Springs

In the morning we drive south through the Ecuadorian countryside to the resort town of Baños de Agua Santa at the base of the 16,480-foot Tungurahua Volcano. Tungurahua’s geothermal activity feeds the many famous hot springs in Baños. We may rent bicycles to use around town or drive to a resort perched on a ridge high above the valley with hot pools, massages and fine dining. We sleep in a hotel in Baños. (Hot springs admission, bicycles and other amenities not included in trip fee.)

Accommodations: La Floresta Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (B, L, D)

Day 7 • Waterfalls • Itamandi Eco Lodge

After breakfast, we leave the Andes Mountains and drive down into the Amazon River Basin. After a stop to admire waterfalls along the way, we arrive at the Arajuno River, one of Ecuador’s largest rivers and one of the principle sources of the Amazon. In motorized canoes, we travel swiftly upriver to Itamandi Eco Lodge, where we eat lunch, meet our local guide and begin to explore the jungle. Activities may include an afternoon tubing trip down the river and a wildlife hike to see frogs, tarantulas, lizards and other wildlife in the rainforest after dark.

Accommodations: Itamandi Eco Lodge
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (B, L, D)

Day 8 • Itamandi Eco Lodge Tour

Today we immerse ourselves in the rich biodiversity of the Amazon Basin. In the morning, our guide takes us to a gathering place for dozens of parrots, parakeets and other birds. We visit a local community, where we learn about their culture and sample local food, including cassava, fresh fish, local chocolate sweetened with pineapple juice, and – if we are brave enough – roasted palm weevil larvae. In the afternoon, we may take an ethnobotanical walk in the rainforest or simply relax by tubing in the river or lounging by the swimming pool. We may see many species of birds, monkeys, insects and other animals.

Accommodations: Itamandi Eco Lodge
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (B, L, D)

Day 9 • Termas Papallacta • Depart Quito

After breakfast we take our canoes back down the river and drive to the Papallacta Hot Springs on the edge of the Quito Valley, where we relax before transferring to the airport for flights home. Most international flights arrive from the United States late evening and depart Quito slightly after midnight. (Hot springs admission fee not included.)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (B, L)