8-DAY MULTISPORT ECUADOR ONCE IN A LIFETIME
8-DAY MULTISPORT ECUADOR ONCE IN A LIFETIME
8 DAYS
Trip type
Activity Level
Service Level
Small Group Departure
TRIP OVERVIEW
Are you looking for a challenge? Ecuador is home to a treasure of unique climates with some of the most biodiversity and spectacular geography on the planet. Witness the spectacular Avenue of Volcanoes while hiking and biking on the slopes of the Andes. Explore the waterfall canyons and raft along the Jatunyacu River whose waters flow into the mighty Amazon River. Trek the rim of the Cuicocha Crater Lake and spend an evening relaxing in the volcanic hot springs of Papallacta. Experience truly unique cultural encounters like spending an evening with an indigenous family in the Amazon, learning about their customs, food, knowledge and life-style. For the one with an adventurous spirit, this expedition is certain to serve your appetite.
TRIP ACTIVITIES





Are you looking for a challenge? Ecuador is home to a treasure of unique climates with some of the most biodiversity and spectacular geography on the planet. Witness the spectacular Avenue of Volcanoes while hiking and biking on the slopes of the Andes. Explore the waterfall canyons and raft along the Jatunyacu River whose waters flow into the mighty Amazon River. Trek the rim of the Cuicocha Crater Lake and spend an evening relaxing in the volcanic hot springs of Papallacta. Experience truly unique cultural encounters like spending an evening with an indigenous family in the Amazon, learning about their customs, food, knowledge and life-style. For the one with an adventurous spirit, this expedition is certain to serve your appetite.





Meet your AJ trip leader and group at 18:00pm.
Welcome to Quito! The largest, best-preserved colonial city of America – declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. The city is considered the Cultural Capital of South America and is located on the equator in a valley at the foothills of the Pichincha volcano.Depending on arrival time, you can spend your day exploring the old town of Quito and the surrounding area. ADVENTURE JOURNEYS can help you to organize a day trip (please request in advance). In the evening, one of our trip leaders will meet you at the hotel’s lobby for a welcome briefing at 18:00 hours. At this time we will discuss the details and questions you may have regarding the adventure. Our first day is an acclimation and information day.
Meals included: none.
After breakfast, we leave Quito driving southwards along the gorgeous Avenue of Volcanoes, getting the chance to see the colorful Andean fields. On our way, we will reach 12,000 feet. (3657 meters). After arriving at the Cotopaxi National Park, we will go hiking around Limpiopungo lagoon of the foothills of the Rumiñahui volcano. From here, we have the best views of Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world. In the afternoon we continue our drive towards the Llanganates National Park, known as the sacred mountain, until we reach the town of Baños, located at the entrance of the Amazon. Here we can enjoy the best night life by drinking cocktails and dancing salsa.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch.
This morning we will cross by mountain bike from the Llanganates National Park to the Pastaza River Canyon, enjoying the beauty of the special climate of the cloud forest. The road brings us through some Andean farms and a great canyon with many waterfalls, while descending into the jungle, we will have a breath-taking view of Baños, a town well known for its spectacular location right at the foothills of the Tungurahua volcano, which has been active since 1999. The volcano is the main attraction of this region. In the afternoon we will have some time to explore the town and also go to The Swing of the End of the World, where the winner of the 2014 National Geographic photo contest took his photo.
Meals included: Breakfast.
This morning we will hit the road of the waterfalls. The first stop will be at the Bride’s Veil waterfall, where we will take the Tarabita (cable car) to get across the Pastaza River. Then we will hike down to the Pailon del Diablo waterfall, the second highest in Ecuador, later, we will go deeper into the jungle inside the Llanganates National Park. The name “llanganates’ ‘ comes from “beautiful mountain” in the local native language. Here, 600 years ago, the Incas hid their golden treasures. Many explorers have spent years looking for these treasures, some have even disappeared with no luck in this dense pristine jungle. During a hike through the tropical rainforest, we will climb through several waterfall canyons. Our local native guide will teach about the incredible flora and fauna that thrive in this unequaled habitat, and we will spend the night at the Local Basic Jungle Lodge run by a kichwa indigenous family.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
We greet the day by preparing our gear to paddle the wild waves of the Jatunyacu River, located just a 5 minute drive from the homestead. The beauty of this river will inspire you and reveal the magic of the Amazon rainforest. After a very important safety briefing from our rafting guides, we will start our class III rafting expedition down the Jatunyacu River, well known for its clear waters and awesome rapids. We will have a lot of fun playing some games and also exploring one of the canyons. The end of the journey offers us a stop for a picnic, prepared by our guides. We conclude our day with a drive back up to the Andes to a spot called Papallacta, where we will stay the night and recharge in the volcanic hot springs high in the midst of the cool Andes.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch.
In the morning we will do a hiking exploration in the nearby Cayambe Coca Ecological Reserve in the cloud forest, where there are beautiful flora that include colorful orchids, and if walking slowly and quietly, you may see some beautiful birds too. Later we will travel across the Andes to stop by the equatorial line to witness this great attraction and to stand on both hemispheres at the same time. Your guide will suggest a place to eat before going to the Otavalo Indigueous Market and spend some time shopping and learning about this ancient culture that is still lively here today.
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 in-come. 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. Later we will arrive at the beautiful, historical hacienda of Pinsaqui where we will stay overnight. Enjoy a typical Andean cocktail as welcome, and learn about the history of this place.
In the late afternoon we will be transferred to the hacieda and enjoy a welcome cocktail and a delicious dinner.
NOTE – This morning if you do not want to go hiking, you can book a spa treatment and pay directly to the Hotel, make sure you organize this the night before just by calling from your own room to the spa.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Today after a very healthy breakfast we have a very short drive to the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve, the main attraction here is the Cuicocha Crater Lake. Our adventure will take us on a trek around this still active volcano, your guide will present many beautiful flowers to you along the trail, 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, witness bubbles coming up from the center of the caldera.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch.
What’s Included?
- Activities: 3 hours hiking in Cotopaxi National Park in the Andes, 3 hours biking in the Llanganates National Park, 4 hours white-water rafting on Jatunyacu River in the Amazon rainforest, 3 hours canyoning at Pimpilala waterfalls, bird watching and hiking exploration in the cloud forest, soaking in Papallacta hot springs, 5 hours trekking the loop of Cuicocha Crater Lake, share time with local indigenous people in the Amazon, making chocolate, salsa lesson.
- Accommodation based in double occupancy: 5* hotel in Quito, 3 star hotel in Baños, home stay in the Amazon, 4 star Spa Resort in Papallacta, Colonial Hacienda in Imbabura.
- Transportation: Private and comfortable land transportation.
- Meals: 6 breakfast, 4 lunch, 2 dinner.
- Trekking or Hiking: Black Diamond trekking sticks
- Biking: Trek X Caliber MTB (hydraulic disc brakes, front Rock Shock suspension), Bontrager helmets, full finger gloves.
- Canyoning: rubber boots, ropes, harnesses.
- Rafting: Aire and NRS 7-people- rafts, NRS life jackets, NRS paddles, splash jackets.
- Trip Leader: Certified AJ expert English-speaking adventure trip leader and local guides.
What is not included?
- International flights.
- My own room supplement – estimated budget usd $471 usd.
- Airport transfers.
- Travel insurance (mandatory).
- Meals not described in the itinerary – estimated budget usd $120 usd.
- Tips for guides, drivers and hotels. – estimated budget usd $150 usd
ITINERARY
Meet your AJ trip leader and group at 18:00pm.
Welcome to Quito! The largest, best-preserved colonial city of America – declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. The city is considered the Cultural Capital of South America and is located on the equator in a valley at the foothills of the Pichincha volcano.Depending on arrival time, you can spend your day exploring the old town of Quito and the surrounding area. ADVENTURE JOURNEYS can help you to organize a day trip (please request in advance). In the evening, one of our trip leaders will meet you at the hotel’s lobby for a welcome briefing at 18:00 hours. At this time we will discuss the details and questions you may have regarding the adventure. Our first day is an acclimation and information day.
Meals included: none.
After breakfast, we leave Quito driving southwards along the gorgeous Avenue of Volcanoes, getting the chance to see the colorful Andean fields. On our way, we will reach 12,000 feet. (3657 meters). After arriving at the Cotopaxi National Park, we will go hiking around Limpiopungo lagoon of the foothills of the Rumiñahui volcano. From here, we have the best views of Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world. In the afternoon we continue our drive towards the Llanganates National Park, known as the sacred mountain, until we reach the town of Baños, located at the entrance of the Amazon. Here we can enjoy the best night life by drinking cocktails and dancing salsa.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch.
This morning we will cross by mountain bike from the Llanganates National Park to the Pastaza River Canyon, enjoying the beauty of the special climate of the cloud forest. The road brings us through some Andean farms and a great canyon with many waterfalls, while descending into the jungle, we will have a breath-taking view of Baños, a town well known for its spectacular location right at the foothills of the Tungurahua volcano, which has been active since 1999. The volcano is the main attraction of this region. In the afternoon we will have some time to explore the town and also go to The Swing of the End of the World, where the winner of the 2014 National Geographic photo contest took his photo.
Meals included: Breakfast.
This morning we will hit the road of the waterfalls. The first stop will be at the Bride’s Veil waterfall, where we will take the Tarabita (cable car) to get across the Pastaza River. Then we will hike down to the Pailon del Diablo waterfall, the second highest in Ecuador, later, we will go deeper into the jungle inside the Llanganates National Park. The name “llanganates’ ‘ comes from “beautiful mountain” in the local native language. Here, 600 years ago, the Incas hid their golden treasures. Many explorers have spent years looking for these treasures, some have even disappeared with no luck in this dense pristine jungle. During a hike through the tropical rainforest, we will climb through several waterfall canyons. Our local native guide will teach about the incredible flora and fauna that thrive in this unequaled habitat, and we will spend the night at the Local Basic Jungle Lodge run by a kichwa indigenous family.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
We greet the day by preparing our gear to paddle the wild waves of the Jatunyacu River, located just a 5 minute drive from the homestead. The beauty of this river will inspire you and reveal the magic of the Amazon rainforest. After a very important safety briefing from our rafting guides, we will start our class III rafting expedition down the Jatunyacu River, well known for its clear waters and awesome rapids. We will have a lot of fun playing some games and also exploring one of the canyons. The end of the journey offers us a stop for a picnic, prepared by our guides. We conclude our day with a drive back up to the Andes to a spot called Papallacta, where we will stay the night and recharge in the volcanic hot springs high in the midst of the cool Andes.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch.
In the morning we will do a hiking exploration in the nearby Cayambe Coca Ecological Reserve in the cloud forest, where there are beautiful flora that include colorful orchids, and if walking slowly and quietly, you may see some beautiful birds too. Later we will travel across the Andes to stop by the equatorial line to witness this great attraction and to stand on both hemispheres at the same time. Your guide will suggest a place to eat before going to the Otavalo Indigueous Market and spend some time shopping and learning about this ancient culture that is still lively here today.
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 in-come. 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. Later we will arrive at the beautiful, historical hacienda of Pinsaqui where we will stay overnight. Enjoy a typical Andean cocktail as welcome, and learn about the history of this place.
In the late afternoon we will be transferred to the hacieda and enjoy a welcome cocktail and a delicious dinner.
NOTE – This morning if you do not want to go hiking, you can book a spa treatment and pay directly to the Hotel, make sure you organize this the night before just by calling from your own room to the spa.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Today after a very healthy breakfast we have a very short drive to the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve, the main attraction here is the Cuicocha Crater Lake. Our adventure will take us on a trek around this still active volcano, your guide will present many beautiful flowers to you along the trail, 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, witness bubbles coming up from the center of the caldera.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch.
What’s Included?
- Activities: 3 hours hiking in Cotopaxi National Park in the Andes, 3 hours biking in the Llanganates National Park, 4 hours white-water rafting on Jatunyacu River in the Amazon rainforest, 3 hours canyoning at Pimpilala waterfalls, bird watching and hiking exploration in the cloud forest, soaking in Papallacta hot springs, 5 hours trekking the loop of Cuicocha Crater Lake, share time with local indigenous people in the Amazon, making chocolate, salsa lesson.
- Accommodation based in double occupancy: 5* hotel in Quito, 3 star hotel in Baños, home stay in the Amazon, 4 star Spa Resort in Papallacta, Colonial Hacienda in Imbabura.
- Transportation: Private and comfortable land transportation.
- Meals: 6 breakfast, 4 lunch, 2 dinner.
- Trekking or Hiking: Black Diamond trekking sticks
- Biking: Trek X Caliber MTB (hydraulic disc brakes, front Rock Shock suspension), Bontrager helmets, full finger gloves.
- Canyoning: rubber boots, ropes, harnesses.
- Rafting: Aire and NRS 7-people- rafts, NRS life jackets, NRS paddles, splash jackets.
- Trip Leader: Certified AJ expert English-speaking adventure trip leader and local guides.
What is not included?
- International flights.
- My own room supplement – estimated budget usd $471 usd.
- Airport transfers.
- Travel insurance (mandatory).
- Meals not described in the itinerary – estimated budget usd $120 usd.
- Tips for guides, drivers and hotels. – estimated budget usd $150 usd