Ecuador Avenue of the Volcanoes
Program
12-Day program
Starting at $3465 per person (Lower group price)
Other
information
travel style
Luxury
Highlights
Volcanic Landscapes
Indigenous Communities
Local Markets
Fitness level
Fair conditions
Beyond the unforgettable memories, the package also features:
Accommodation in 4 stars hotels
English speaking guide
Exclusive private transportation
All meals described in the itinerary
All excursions described in the itinerary
Entrances fee described in the itinerary
DETAILED ITINERARY
DAY 1
UIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – QUITO
Welcome to Quito! As soon as you pick up your luggage, we will be waiting for you. Transfer to your hotel.
- Accommodation: 4 stars hotel
- Meals: not included
DAY 2
OTAVALO (Cochasqui pyramids, Cuicocha lake)
After breakfast at your hotel, we will head north towards Otavalo, and we will make a stop at Cochasqui Pyramids. These pyramids were constructed between 950 CE. Their construction is attributed by archaeologists to the Quitu-Cara culture of the Cara people and/or the Caranqui people. The Cara and the Caranqui may have been the same people. Prior to the Inca conquest in the late 15th century. Here you do a small trek, with chances to feed lamas, and learn about the people used to live in the area.
Let’s head to Cotacachi. An entire town dedicated to leather goods. Here is where we will have lunch, in a local restaurant with peacocks in their gardens. After lunch, we will continue to Cuicocha Lagoon or Lagoon of the Gods that is part of Cotacachi – Cayapas ecological reserve. Cuicocha has an altitude of 3.068 meters above sea level. Here time and weather permitting we will trek around the lagoon on a demanding trail or we could take a boat and do a 30 min. boat tour. Before sunset let’s head back to your hotel.
- Accommodation: 4 stars hotel
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 3
OTAVALO (Otavalo market, Peguche)
After breakfast meet your guide at the lobby for a deep introduction to local culture at the Otavalo market. Saturdays are the best day to visit the market, as that day not only souvenirs and textiles re sold, if not indigenous people from the surroundings come to sale their goods too. A complete local experience. In Otavalo’s main market you can admire some Ecuadorian crafts, after making a short tour of the market, will lead to some craft workshops dedicated to the manufacture of Andean instruments wind, as crawlers, panpipes, flutes, recorders, among others. They also make string instruments like charango, mandolins, and guitars. These products are sold in stores and during the fair in town.
Depends on how long you wish to visit the market, we can have the opportunity to enjoy and learn about the Indian Culture can visit the peaceful village of Peguche. It is located just outside of Otavalo. There once was a time when the village was bustling with traffic and visitors, as a railway line used to run through the village; but now, as the lines have been unused since the 1980s, tranquility has blanketed Peguche.
Even though it is not as busy as it used to be, there is still more than enough reasons to visit this picturesque location and its friendly locals, who make a living out of agriculture, as well as weaving. Over and above the residents of Peguche boasting great weaving and farming skills, they are also known to be talented musicians. While visiting the village a host of traditional and cultural features and rites can be experienced. Before sunset let’s head back to your hotel.
- Accommodation: 4 stars hotel
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 4
ANTISANA
Today we will take a drive to the east, to the Antizana National park, located in the surroundings of the volcano that bears the same name, which is one of the refuges of the Andean condor. Antisana is a stratovolcano of the northern Andes of Ecuador. It is the fourth highest volcano of the country (5.753 m – 18,874 ft), and is located 60 kilometers southeast from Quito. It is a perfect volcanic cone, compound by two volcanic cones; the oldest one was eroded by an old glacier.
At 3.810 meters (12,500 ft), you have big opportunities to spot very interesting fauna, like eagles, carunculated caracaras, white tail deer, foxes, and of course the majestic Andean Condor, considered the biggest flying bird of the world and one of the rarest species that probably had survived since the age of the mega beasts (10.000 years approx.).
You will take a hike through the Andean slopes until the Mica Lake (4.050 m – 13,287 ft), product of the end of the last ice age; in order to have a better view of the volcano and to watch beautiful water birds like Andean lapwings, Andean gulls, Andean coots, Andean ducks, and black-faces ibis, that curiously live in Chile and only in the Antisana Volcano in Ecuador.
Drive back downhill through the Isco canyon, until local restaurant for lunch. Have some leisure time at Papallacta.
- Accommodation: 4 stars hotel
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 5
Cotopaxi
After late breakfast, we will take a drive of south along the Pan-American Highway also named the Avenue of the Volcanoes by Alexander Von Humbold. The highlight of todays is the magnificent, Cotopaxi volcano (5.897m -19.460ft above sea level), considered the highest active volcano in the world! Here you will be able to do a hike around Limpio Pungo Lagoon, full of flora and fauna. There are high chances to see Condors flying, foxes, deers, rabbits, among other birds.
Lunch will be in a local restaurant at the park. Lunch at a local hacienda. And if time permits, we will visit a rose plantation. Ecuador is the world’s third largest cut flower exporter in the world, and nearly three-fourths of the blooms shipped are roses. Amazing when you consider the country encompasses only about 1% of the earth’s surface and is roughly the size of Colorado.
Despite the relatively small size of the country, Ecuadorian roses are gaining popularity. With bright colors and fragrant scents, the rose industry provides jobs for thousands of local Ecuadorians and spreads beauty and love throughout the world.
- Accommodation: 4 stars hotel
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 6
Quilotoa
Today’s tour takes us to the stunning emerald crater lake of Quilotoa volcano, an impressive 3 km wide caldera filled with turquoise water, set at an elevation of roughly 3800 meters (12,467 feet). Quilotoa offers an unparalleled view of the crater and the Andean surroundings. This will be a rewarding but lengthy tour with about 4 1⁄2 hours of travel through a trail of Andean volcanoes and mountains.
There are some striking viewpoints along the way where you can stretch your legs and appreciate the scenic landscape. There are a few activities offered while in the crater; travelers can hike down to the edge of the lake (approximately a 30-minute hike per way), rent a mule or trek in the surroundings.
After lunch at the traditional food restaurant in Quilotoa, we can visit Shalala community which has a great viewpoint right over the Quilotoa Crater Lake. Here you can take amazing pictures and enjoy the nature before we head to Baños.
- Accommodation: 4 stars hotel
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 7
Baños (Baños Waterfalls)
Today we will explore Baños breathtaking waterfalls. One of the most popular waterfalls is called El Pailon del Diablo (The Devil’s Cauldron) and is located only 17 kilometers from Baños in a small settlement Rio Verde. This 80-meter waterfall is awe-inspiring, and the location on Rio Pastaza guarantees a constant water supply. Simply put, Pailon del Diablo is one of the most powerful waterfalls you can find near Baños, a must-see destination.
- Accommodation: 4 stars hotel
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 8
Chimborazo (Chimborazo trek)
Today you hike through the Chimborazo volcano. You pass little lakes, moorlands and observe many wild vicuñas. These cute animals are the smallest kind of the Camelids family and a relative of the llama. Only in the Chimborazo area do you find them in Ecuador. The higher you go, the drier the ambience.
This day you often hike cross-country through sandy and stony terrain. You’re wondering how the vicuñas survived in this desert-like environment. Surprisingly, they find enough food and need little water. After a fun hike you reach the refuge of Chimborazo, from where you will be able to find an interesting path from Carrell refuge to Whimper refuge and back to the first base camp. (6-7 hours trek over 4800 meters = 15,000 ft).
- Accommodation: 4 stars hotel
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 9
Cuenca (Ingapirca)
Today, we invite you to engage with the local community. Depart from Riobamba to Ingapirca, it is a town in Cañar Province and the name of the older Inca ruins and archeological site nearby.
These are the largest known Inca ruins in Ecuador. The most significant building is the Temple of the Sun, an elliptically shaped building constructed around a large rock. Lunch today will be provided at a local restaurant in the area before continuing to Cuenca for a short sightseeing tour of the city.
We can walk along different trails, for example the Intihuayco trail – or Quebrada del Sol – and during the walk we will closely observe some very striking rock formations, with the Face of the Inca – on the wall of the hill – being the stellar view at the end.
- Accommodation: 4 stars hotel
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 10
Cuenca (Cuenca city tour)
Cuenca is Ecuador’s third-largest town is possibly it’s most beloved. Ancient history tells of an impressive Incan center with the finest temples covered in gold sheets and magnificent palaces, but little remains of this glory. The town’s present-day charm is due largely to its impressive colonial architecture, cobbled streets, plazas, and churches – including the blue-domed Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception – and its setting above the grassy banks of the Rio Tomebamba. The town center was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 and is a popular place for writers, poets, and artists.
Today is an immersive experience of local life in Cuenca. Starting the day with a visit to a workshop that produces the famous “toquilla” hats, or as they are more widely known, Panama Hats, which originated in Ecuador. During your visit to the workshop, observe the entire process to produce the popular hats. Continue to the city and its avenues, where you will visit a ceramic workshop, pottery is a representative of local culture.
Then we will visit a local restaurant, to try traditional foods in ancestral clay pans cooked on an open fire. This delicious meal is served to your table. After this culinary experience, continue with a walking tour of the historic district of Cuenca. Your first visit will be to the neighborhood of Todos Los Santos, primarily known in Cuenca for producing traditional bread in wooden ovens. Continue strolling through this beautiful city, learning of its history and unique architecture. While on your walk, while visit some of Cuenca’s most attractive sites, such as City Hall, the Parque Calderón, the modern Cathedral.
- Accommodation: 4 stars hotel
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 11
Cuenca (Cajas National Park)
Your route will take you through Cajas National Park, a bewitchingly beautiful protected area of 70,500 acres with various ecosystems ranging from cloud forests to rocky lunar-like landscapes. It also has over 200 lakes and lagoons, making this national park one of Ecuador’s most truly unique, especially given that most of it is at an altitude of 4000 meters above sea level.
The higher elevations of Cajas are quite impressive. The moorlands and mountain peaks, occasionally white frost from the night before, are spotted with wild llamas and lagoons. Take time to explore the park with a hike if you like Watch the park transform in front of your eyes from the sunlight and shadows of the clouds. While hiking, be on the lookout for hummingbirds, rabbits, deer, and foxes, all native to the area. Warm clothing is suitable as temperatures can lower to 12 Celsius (53 F), and you might also experience wind or rain.
Then we will have a well-deserved lunch, in a local restaurant with splendid views and delicious local cuisine, then we will come back to the hotel.
- Accommodation: 4 stars hotel
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 12
Cuenca
Depending on your international flight back home, we can coordinate a day at leisure or assist you with a transfer to Cuenca’s airport for your domestic flight to Quito with enough time to connect with your international flight at the same airport.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
A NOTE ON THE ORDER OF THE ITINERARY:
Itinerary subject to change based on local conditions. It could be flexible according to the client’s interests and what your guide considers feasible within the framework of your trip. Your guide has the final decision on what can and cannot be done beyond the scope of this itinerary, and in light of any changing circumstances on the ground.
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Ecuador Avenue of the Volcanoes
Avenue of Volcanoes Tour in Ecuador
Product SKU: AvenueVolcanoes
Product Brand: Dana Tours
Product Currency: USD
Product Price: 3465
Price Valid Until: 2026-11-25
Product In-Stock: InStock
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