Ecuador Vacation

Transfer Airport – Hotel After your arrival in Quito, the transfer from the airport to the hotel takes place. Your vacation begins in Quito. - The charming and uniquely beautiful city is surrounded by snow-capped volcanoes. However, it is only 22 kilometers from the equator. Due to its many churches and monasteries, Quito has earned the nickname „Monastery of America“. Mid-range: Overnight stay at Hotel Mercure Alameda 4* Comfort class: Overnight stay at Swissôtel 5*

Included meals: Breakfast Half-day city tour including equator monument & chocolate tasting (6h) Today, you will get a comprehensive first impression of this city located 2,800 m above sea level during a city tour. The focus is on visiting the historic old town, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its wealth of Spanish, Flemish, Moorish, and pre-Columbian architecture. You will pass by the Plaza de Independencia with the government palace and the cathedral. Visit the Church of La Compañia, which has an ornate facade and a richly decorated interior. You will then get to know the Church of San Francisco. Enjoy a chocolate tasting and learn useful information about the production of high-quality chocolate. Discover interesting facts about the history of cocoa and why Ecuador is the best country in the world for producing high-quality cocoa. Afterward, you will drive to the equator monument „Mitad del Mundo“ („Middle of the World“), located about 25 km away. At the marked line, you can stand with one foot in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern hemisphere at the same time. The 30 m tall monument crowned with a huge brass globe indicates exactly latitude 0. Inside, there is a small, very tasteful ethnographic museum that illustrates the colorful mix of peoples from the various Ecuadorian regions and ethnic groups in the country. After that, return to the hotel. Mid-range: Overnight stay at Hotel Mercure Alameda 4* Comfort class: Overnight stay at Swissôtel 5*

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch Visit to the Quilotoa crater lagoon and the town of Tigua Transfer to Latacunga Today, you will visit one of the most beautiful places in the highlands of Ecuador: Quilotoa, the lagoon in a crater. The name comes from the words „Quiru“ and „Toa“, which means „Tooth“ and „Queen“ in Quechua, referring to the lagoon's unique shape. Quilotoa is located at an altitude of 3,900 m. Most of the time, the color of the water is green. The water contains many minerals and is not suitable for consumption. Enjoy the beautiful landscape around the lagoon, including a wide variety of plants and different animal species, and gain insight into the lifestyle of the inhabitants. Get to know another traditional art form from Ecuador: The artists of Tigua are famous for their colorful paintings that depict village life in the mountains of rural Ecuador. This beautiful folk art, where paintings are made on sheepskin using chicken feathers, pays tribute to life in the mountains with its festivals, legends, and traditions that have evolved over centuries. Families in this area still largely live as their ancestors did, herding sheep and llamas, growing potatoes and grains, and living in small communities on the wind-swept slopes of the Andes. Their language is Quechua, the language of the Incas. Although they have adopted many modern ways of life, their customs and, indeed, their paintings still reflect their ancient heritage. Mid-range: Overnight stay at Hotel REEC Latacunga 3* Comfort class: Overnight stay at Hotel REEC Latacunga 3*

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner Visit to Cotopaxi National Park Visit to the Salasaca community including lunch (from 4 passengers) Transfer to Riobamba After breakfast, you will drive south towards the „Avenue of Volcanoes“. You will visit Cotopaxi National Park: The highland area, protected since 1975, is certainly one of the most attractive nature reserves in the country, covering 33,000 hectares. During a walk near the flat lake „Laguna de Limpiopungo“ at an altitude of almost 4,000 m, you will learn about the typical vegetation of the so-called “Páramos”, with the majestic Cotopaxi (5,897 m) in the background. This is a treat for all photographers! Visit to the Salasaca community including lunch (from 4 passengers): Today you will visit Salasaca, a Kichwa village between Ambato and Baños. The indigenous Salasaca people are among the most independent in Ecuador and have largely preserved their original traditions to this day. First, visit the village museum, where a local will introduce you to the various traditions and customs, and you will also learn more about the history. After that, you will continue to Huasalata. Watch as the indigenous people traditionally weave their fabrics and make ponchos. Also, watch the traditional „Poncho-Treten“. The women spend most of their time spinning and making ponchos. You will be warmly invited to observe and practice. Traditional lunch. Transfer to Riobamba. Dinner at the hotel. Mid-range: Overnight stay at Hacienda Abraspungo 3* Comfort class: Overnight stay at Hacienda Andaluza 3*

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch Visit to the Riobamba market Transfer to Cuenca including visit to Ingapirca Today starts with a visit to the Riobamba market. Here you can learn all about typical products from the Andes as well as local customs. Afterwards, you will embark on the 5.5-hour journey towards Cuenca. On the way, you will visit the ruins of Ingapirca (in Cañari „Stone walls of the Incas“), the most significant monument of pre-Hispanic cultures in Ecuador. The site is located on a grassy hill at 3,100 m elevation and was significant for the Incas long before the construction of the sun temple between 1450 and 1480. In 1470, Inca king Yupanqui conquered the Cañari tribe and likely built the city of Ingapirca atop the ruins of one of their cultural sites. During a walk through this former ceremonial, residential, and resting place, you will learn about the beliefs and rituals, as well as the construction of the puma-shaped sanctuary, which the Incas referred to as „direct descendants of the sun god“. Lunch in Ingapirca. Upon arrival in Cuenca, you will check in at the hotel. Cuenca – In the third-largest city in Ecuador, founded in 1557 at the site of the Inca settlement of Tomebamba, the colonial air of Ecuadorian history can still be felt today. For most Ecuadorians – and for many travelers alike – this center of handicrafts, ceramics, Panama hats, as well as gold and silverware, located at an altitude of 2,530 m, is considered the most beautiful city in the country. Due to the special atmosphere and architecture of the late colonial period, i.e., the early 19th century, Cuenca was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in November 1999. Mid-range: Overnight stay at Hotel San Juan 3* Comfort class: Overnight stay at Hotel Santa Lucía 4*

Included meals: Breakfast City tour through Cuenca (3h) Transfer to Guayaquil During the city tour through Cuenca, which was once a larger Cañari settlement, we will show you some of the historical buildings along the Rio Tomebamba, the Todos Santos ruins, the flower market, as well as the main square with the old and new cathedral. There is still time to visit a Panama hat museum. Guayaquil – With its 3 million inhabitants, it is the economic and financial center of the country, located on the west bank of the Río Guayas, about 56 km from its entry into the Gulf of Guayaquil. The river, on which the ocean giants from the Pacific enter the harbor through the Gulf of Guayaquil, is the transshipment point for 90% of all Ecuadorian imports as well as half of all exports and thus the most important trading and exporting port on the southern Pacific coast of South America. Mid-range: Overnight stay at Hotel Unipark 4* Comfort class: Overnight stay at Hotel Wyndham Guayaquil Puerto Santa Ana 5*

Included meals: Breakfast Transfer Hotel – Airport Guayaquil Your colorful Ecuador vacation is coming to an end, but we are sure you have great stories to tell when you return home! Transfer to the airport for the return flight to Europe or the option of a Galapagos extension package.