16-DAY ECUADOR & GALAPAGOS MULTISPORT

Welcome to Quito! The biggest, best-preserved colonial city of America was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. The city is considered the Cultural Capital of South America and the second most important city of the old Inca Empire. Depending on arrival time, you can spend your day exploring the old town of Quito and the surrounding area. Adventure Journeys can help you organize a day trip. In the evening, one of our trip leaders will meet you at the hotel for a welcome briefing, providing plenty of time to discuss details and answer any questions you may have regarding the adventure. Our first day is an informational and acclimation day.

After breakfast, we leave Quito driving southwards along the beautiful Avenue of Volcanoes, enjoying the colorful Andean fields. We will reach an altitude of 12,000 feet. Upon arrival at Cotopaxi National Park, we will hike around Limpiopungo lagoon at the foothills of the Ruminñahui volcano. From here, you’ll have the best views of Cotopaxi Volcano, the highest active volcano in the world.

In the afternoon, we continue towards Llanganates National Park, known as the sacred mountain, until reaching the town of Baños, at the gateway to the Amazon. Here, you can enjoy the vibrant nightlife with cocktails and salsa dancing.

This morning we will go mountain biking from Llanganates National Park down to the Pastaza River Canyon, enjoying the beautiful scenery of the cloud forest. The route passes through Andean farms and a stunning canyon filled with many waterfalls.

While descending into the jungle, we will enjoy breathtaking views of Baños, a town famously situated at the foothills of the Tungurahua volcano, active since 1999 and a key attraction of the region. In the afternoon, there will be time to explore the town and enjoy its vibrant nightlife.

This morning we will hit the road of waterfalls. Our first stop is at the Bride’s Veil waterfall, where we will take the Tarabita (cable car) to cross the Pastaza River. Then we’ll hike down to the Pailon del Diablo waterfall, Ecuador’s second highest. Later, we venture deeper into the jungle inside Llanganates National Park. The name “Llanganates” means “beautiful mountain” in the local native language. Six hundred years ago, the Incas hid their golden treasure here, which explorers sought for years, though some of it remains lost in this pristine jungle.

We’ll enjoy a 3-hour hike through tropical jungle, climbing along several white-water waterfalls. This humid and warm area makes the trek more challenging, so be ready with rubber boots to fully enjoy the Ecuadorian Amazon’s magnificence. Our local native guide will share stories about the incredible nature and wildlife we’ll encounter. We will spend the night at a Local Basic Jungle Lodge.

We will greet the day by preparing our gear to paddle the wild waves of the Jatunyacu River, located one hour from the entrance of Llanganates National Park. The beauty of this river will inspire you and reveal the magic of the Amazon rainforest. After an important safety briefing from our rafting guides, we will start our class III rafting expedition down the Jatunyacu River, known for its clean water and thrilling rapids. Expect lots of fun with games and exploring one of the canyons. The journey ends with a picnic prepared by our guides.

We will conclude the day with a drive back up to the Andes, stopping at the paradise of hummingbirds in Guango Reserve, then continuing to the volcanic hot springs resort where we will spend the night.

After a 2-hour bird-watching tour through the cloud forest, we will travel across the Andes to visit Otavalo and its amazing indigenous handicraft market. Here, we will have a stop for shopping or exploring the market. Later in the afternoon, we will be transferred to the slopes of Imbabura volcano to enjoy a nice cultural encounter with the local people and learn the traditional way of living while sharing the daily activities with the families. In the evening, we will take part in an organic cooking lesson using local products. Our accommodation for the night will be a home-stay with different local families of the San Clemente community.

Hands on cultural experience – AJ Sustainable Sacha WarmiKuna women project

For lunch, we will head to Pijal, a small village located in the heart of the Andes to visit one of the AJ sustainable projects called Sacha WarmiKuna (women from the mountain). This fantastic effort supports local women by providing alternative income opportunities beyond housekeeping. At the project, you will immerse yourself in the true spirit of South-American women, learning their textile skills and culinary traditions passed down through generations. You will help prepare “Aji,” a local spicy salsa that forms part of their identity, share time with them, and enjoy a traditional lunch made with fresh, organic products harvested that same day. Later, we will learn about their weaving process and have the chance to buy handmade scarves. Afterward, we will arrive at the beautiful, historic hacienda of Pinsaqui, where we will stay overnight. Enjoy a typical Andean cocktail as a welcome and learn about the history of this place.

Today our challenge will be a 5-hour hike around the Cuicocha crater lake, with breathtaking views of the active volcano and of the amazing valleys located in Cotacachi-Cayapas ecological reserve. On this trek, we will reach an altitude of 11,880 ft and hike 9 miles around the crater.

At the end of our hike, we will take a boat ride to the center of the crater to observe the activity of this volcano, watching bubbles coming up from the center of the caldera. In the afternoon, we will drive back to Quito.

Today we will get ready to explore the most amazing archipelago in the Pacific coast and the place where Charles Darwin based his theory of the evolution of species. We will board a morning flight from Quito to the island of San Cristóbal. Once we arrive, we will have a transfer to the hotel in the town of Puerto Moreno and a short briefing about the next few days, before the adventure begins.

In the afternoon we will head to “La Loberia”, which is the home beach for large Galapagos sea lions. We can spot them launching over rocks or just lazy dozing in the sand. We will also get to see yellow warbler birds, frigate birds, and several species of Darwin finches along the beach. In between the rocks we can find marine iguanas, which you can only see in Galapagos. We will also have time to go for a refreshing swim, explore the waters with our snorkel equipment and enjoy the beach.

In the morning, we will take a speed boat to Kicker Rock, also known as the Sleeping Lion (Leon Dormido) because of its resemblance. This site is located off the coast of San Cristobal. The remains of a lava cone eroded by the sea, two vertical rocks rising 500 feet above the ocean, form a small channel that is navigable by small boats. This Galapagos Islands natural monument has become a favorite sight due to the many tropicbirds, frigate birds and boobies that fill the sky in this area. Beneath the sea, the crystal waters offer a brilliant show of colorful tropical fish, such as rainbow fish, and sharks, like hammerhead-, reef- and white tip sharks.

After lunch, we visited Cerro Brujo beach. This appropriately named island is ripe with noisy, frolicking, jolly sea lions who will welcome us to their home with open fins. This island also offers great snorkeling opportunities as well as the chance to see blue-footed and Nazca boobies.

In the morning, we will take a short flight to Isabela Island, the largest island in the archipelago and the place where the most volcanic activity in the Galapagos is reported.

The island is formed by six shield volcanoes, Alcedo, Cerra Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra and Wolf, five of them still active, and therefore the island is one of the most volcanically active places on earth.

In the afternoon, we will head out on our mountain bikes to explore the beautiful coastline on an exclusive trail, taking us through an incredible ecosystem with a wide variety of wildlife. We will start with a visit to the Wall of Tears, a massive wall built with lava rocks. This site dates back to the ’50s, when Isabela was used as a penal colony and prisoners were forced to build the wall to keep them from going mad, because of the isolation they experienced.

As we continue our ride along the coast, we explore pristine, white sand beaches, mangrove forests and lagoons. This area is filled with birdlife, including American oystercatchers, herons, flamingos, finches and many shore birds, as well as the ubiquitous sea lions and marine iguanas.

After dinner we can enjoy a breathtaking sunset on the beach of Puerto Villamil.

After driving up from Puerto Villamil to the trailhead, we will prepare our backpacks and hike into a young forest ecosystem, a world of recent geological history. Our destination is the rim of Sierra Negra Crater, an active volcano which last erupted in October 2005. Upon arrival, we take breathtaking views and explore the circumference of the massive, lava-filled crater, over six miles across at its widest point. If we feel energetic enough, we can continue our hike to Volcan Chico, a secondary crater that has a wild landscape of puffing fumaroles and colorful lava formations. These are great examples of the dramatic geological events that have forged the Galapagos Islands over millennia.

In the afternoon, we will return to Puerto Villamil and we will go kayaking in Tintoreras to watch sea lions, penguins, turtles and marine iguanas.

Today, we explore the amazing formations of lava created by the last eruptions of the Volcanic Island along the seashore. This magical place has been used by the staff of BBC /National Geographic for their documentaries. It is a labyrinth of lava arches inside the breakers with crystal clear water full of huge sea turtles, eagle rays, sea lions, fish, white tipped reef sharks and more. Turtles navigate their own highway from the mangroves to the open sea through “Los Tuneles”. Over here, we will have the best snorkeling opportunity with all these beautiful animals, including the curious Galapagos penguin playing around.

Before or after the trip, you can enjoy some optional activities such as snorkeling at “Concha de Perla” or just relax on the exotic white-sand beaches of Isabela Island. We recommend you to take some time to visit the giant tortoise breeding center.

In the morning we will embark on a fast boat from Isabela to Santa Cruz Island. Once we arrive, we will check in at the hotel. We will have time to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn more about many of the endemic species we met during our adventure, as well as the ongoing conservation and management efforts on the Galapagos Islands.

In the afternoon, we will head to the ‘El Chato’ Reserve in the highlands of Santa Cruz, which is home to the famous Galapagos tortoise. Hiking through El Chato’s beautiful scenery with those lumbering giants is an unforgettable experience! We also see other highland wildlife such as pintail ducks, egrets, flycatchers and finches on our hike. We can also observe frigatebirds which gather to wash the salt off their feathers at a freshwater lake. We will return to Puerto Ayora to spend the evening in Galapagos’ most populous town.

Today, you can experience the Galapagos at your pace! As an option, you can go on a self-guided exploration walk through a dry forest to Tortuga Bay (about 3 ½ miles long), a beautiful white sand beach and nesting site to thousands of marine turtles. This beautiful place invites swimming or snorkeling. Alternatively, you can join any of the optional activities (at an extra cost), such as a trip to Floreana Island, Bartolome Island or a scuba-diving day trip, just to mention a few.

After our final breakfast on the Galapagos Island and the last photos taken of sea lions, we will have a transfer to Baltra’s airport in time to catch the flight back to the mainland.

Today our trip will end and you will have your International departures. Take with you your memories and photos and leave a piece of your heart, as you will want to return to Ecuador soon to experience more of this enchanted land. We wish you a “buen viaje”!