6-DAY BEAR WATCHING AND ANDEAN CONDOR SAFARI EXTENSION

The Otavalo market is South-America’s most famous Indian fair. We get an early departure from Quito through dramatic mountain scenery northwards. You will have ample time to stroll along the narrow cobblestone streets filled with Otavalo Indigenous people wearing blue ponchos, white trousers and long braided hair and to explore their handicraft market, with its wonderful textiles, native paintings, ceramics, jewelry, tapestries and more at bargain prices. Continuing the trip, we will go to Cotacachi, which is famous for its leather articles.

Then we will first visit Cotacachi Cayapas ecological reserve to see the breath taking scenery of the crystalline-clear waters of this active volcano and the amazing surrounding landscapes. We will enjoy 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.

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 is one fantastic effort developed by AJ and the local women with the main purpose to support their families and encourage the position of the women in the local society, providing them an alternative side work beside housekeeping, as a new option for an income. Once at the project you will experience an unforgettable cultural encounter, immersing yourself in the true spirit of the South-American woman and their skills for textiles and a deep culinary knowledge coming from the past generations. You will be part of the preparation of “Aji”, a local spicy salsa which is part of their identity, you will also share precious time with them and a tasty traditional lunch in which local women have used the fresh products harvested the same day from the surrounding organic fields. Later we will learn more about the weaving process of their textiles.

Don’t miss the amazing opportunity to have the chance to give back, by buying handmade scarfs here.

Today we will visit a true paradise on earth for those who love wildlife. Ecuador has many unique species, but one of the most amazing is the spectacled bear with its calm nature and fascinating way of living. The canyon where we will search for this animal is the only place where humans have finally understood the behavior of the spectacled bear. There are 45 bears that migrate from this canyon to the Cayambe-Coca reservation.

We will head to this bear sanctuary very early in the morning to make the most of the day. Once we arrive, we will start our search for this magnificent animal; the first stop will be the viewpoints around the sanctuary. This is a great starting point since the bear is not very active in the morning because of the heat and its thick fur, so they look for shade in the trees. This first sighting will be around 400 meters.

After lunch, we will go down the valley where the canyon already provides shade to the bears and they start to move around. We will need to be quiet and patient, but it will be worth it once we encounter the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take pictures of the spectacled bear at a distance of up to 60 meters.

After this, we will head to our accommodation to wrap up the day.

All of our days during this adventure will start early in the morning so we do not miss any sighting activity. These days are very similar since the behavior of the spectacled bear is consistent every day. We will begin in the morning at the viewpoints looking for activity in the trees while the bear is hidden from the heat.

In case of rain during the day, the best way to spot the bear is from the viewpoints because if we go down to the valley, they will be hiding from the rain. These viewpoints are located at 400, 200, and 60 meters.

One of the most important aspects of this trip is our focus on the conservation of the bear habitat, ensuring our activities do not disturb their way of living. For that reason, the maximum group size will be 4 people.

In the afternoon, we will return to the lodge to rest and eat.

In our last day of this wildlife adventure, we will wake up early in the morning, enjoy our breakfast, and head down a path to get close to the bear, up to 100 meters (328 ft). We will have the chance to watch them eat, climb trees, and be part of their daily activities for a few hours before heading back with great memories of being one of the luckiest ones to spend time with this magnificent and charismatic mammal.

Then we will head to one of the most beautiful haciendas of Ecuador, where the second part of our wildlife experience will continue. The next days we will learn about the Andean Condor.

Today we will have the opportunity to watch one of the emblematic birds of Ecuador, the Andean Condor. You will find this magnificent bird close to the Hacienda where they have a project to protect the species. This is a large black bird and it is the official bird of Ecuador. If we are lucky, we can see them flying around the forest and even standing on a tree. This is a predaceous bird characterized by having a partner for life. It is very active during the day, which increases the possibility of watching them, and it is an easy task because of their size — they can be spotted from a long distance. In the afternoon, we will head back to the hacienda to rest and recharge for our next stop.

Early in the morning we will leave the hacienda to head to Antisana, to try and see the Condor in the wild. But not only Condors can be found here, there is also the chance to see mountain tapir, Andean fox, peregrine falcon, and Curiquingue. The temperature of this place ranges from 3 to 17ºC and the altitude varies from 3300 to 4600 meters above sea level.

This is the best way to finish off the wildlife sighting tour, where we will learn about and watch the most important species of the Ecuadorian Andes.