4-Days Andes and Amazon Journey

Day 1 · The Adventure Starts!

1. 1

   Quito

   one hour

   This journey is the best choice for first-time-travelers to Ecuador, or for guests with limited time on their journey. You will start early in the morning, at 8:00 a.m., towards the “Amazon basins”. After traveling through the Valley of Tumbaco across the eastern cordillera of the Andes and then descending through the cloud forest to reach the small village of Papallacta, you will stop to enjoy its hot springs! This waters give you the opportunity to enjoy its incredible healing and relaxing properties!

2. 2

   Termas de Papallacta

   one hour Admission included

   Papallacta is a small village located at an altitude of 3.300 meters above sea level (10,826 ft), in the Andes mountains, just off the Eastern Cordillera on the road from Quito that leads into the Amazon jungle. You will stop at a Hummingbirds' Paradise to experience the privilege to spot hundreds of them flying around you from a very close distance, then you continue towards Baeza, that is located in between three important national parks: Antisana, Sumaco-Napo-Galeras and Cayambe-Coca!

3. 3

   Baeza

   2 hours

   You will stop at the “Macao’s viewpoint”, from where you can appreciate a large green carpet with exuberant Amazon vegetation! Then you arrive to the dock where your motorized canoe awaits to take you to your lodge!

4. 4

   Napo Province

   8 hours

   After a 10 minutes ride you will arrive to Itamandi Lodge. Immediately you will have time to acclimatize and adapt to the new weather conditions. There you begin your Amazon adventure! Dinner, night walk and overnight at the Jungle Lodge.

Itamandi Lodge or Liana Lodge or Sayani Lodge

Day 2 · Discovering the Tropical Rainforest!

1. 1

   Napo Province

   2 hours

   Breakfast. You go on a canoe ride through the Arajuno River, enjoying stunning views of the jungle and its local communities. Then we do a walk into a primary forest in order to learn about the local vegetation and its particular local uses, as well to have a great taste about how is making a living in such extreme conditions!

2. 2

   Napo River

   4 hours Admission included

   Eventualy it will be possible to walk around a Quichwa Community, to learn more about their way of living, thoughts and believes, and also to keep watching local creatures in the wild. Then you'll be ready to try one of the most popular adventure water sports well-known as “tubing”! After your fascinating experience by yourself on the friendly waters of the river, you will go back to the lodge to have a tasty lunch.

3. 3

   Napo Province

   4 hours

   Eventualy it will be possible to walk around a Quichwa Community, to learn more about their way of living, thoughts and believes, and also to keep watching local creatures in the wild. Then you'll be ready to try one of the most popular adventure water sports well-known as “tubing”! After your fascinating experience by yourself on the friendly waters of the river, you will go back to the lodge to have a tasty lunch. During your walk in the jungle, you will enjoy the incredible landscape of the tropical rainforest! At night you will share your experiences at the pool area, which is located next to the bar! You will enjoy the lovely atmosphere of the lodge for the rest of the night.

Itamandi Lodge or Liana Lodge or Sayani Lodge

Day 3 · An exciting day, full of adrenaline!

1. 1

   Napo River

   2 hours Admission included

   Early in the morning, before breakfast, you'll have the opporutnity to take a canoe ride to visit a especial location where every morning a large group of parrots and parakeets join to lick stones rich in minerals, which is necessary to help them digest other products that they will eat on the rest of the day. You return back to the lodge to have breakfast.

2. 2

   Cascada El Pailon

   3 hours Admission included

   Then your next destination is Puyo, where you will learn all about the wooden carvings made out of balsa wood. Continuing with our trip you cannot miss the well-known and famous “Avenue of the Waterfalls”; where you will visit the “Devil's Cauldron”, where you will walk through narrow trails and hanging bridges, until you arrive to the 72-meters-tall waterfall, that give you the opportunity to enjoy three more waterfalls!

3. 3

   Cascada el Manto de la Novia

   30 min Admission included

   Going back to the Andes, you will stop to take a ride on a 500-meters-long cable car, which give you the privilege to admire another beautiful waterfall called “Manto de la Novia”.

4. 4

   Stop 4

   20 min

   You go through several tunnels built inside the mountains until you arrive to the “Agoyán waterfall”.

5. 5

   Banos

   one hour

   Finally you arrive to “Baños de Agua Santa”, wich is at the foothills of the majestic “Tungurahua Volcano” (5.016 m - 16,456 ft) that has been in activity since 1999! You will stay the overnight at Hotel Monteselva SPA & Resort, located in a privileged area of the city! Time to relax in the SPA or at the picturesque streets of Baños.

Hotel Monteselva or Hotel La Floresta

Day 4 · Back to the Andes!

1. 1

   Salasaca

   one hour

   After having a tasty and filling breakfast, you start your drive back to Quito. During your journey you will visit the “Salasaca's Indian Market”.

2. 2

   Cotopaxi National Park

   2 hours Admission included

   you go to Cotopaxi Volcano (5.897 m - 19,347 ft), which is a beautiful and unique national park to admire the local flora, lagoons, wild horses and the majesty of the second highest active volcano of the world! You also will enjoy the variations of landscapes while you walk around “Limpiopungo Lagoon” (3.800 m - 12,467 ft).

3. 3

   Cotopaxi National Park

   2 hours Admission included

   After your first hike, we drive up to the parking lot located at 4.500 meters above sea level (14,763 ft), and then you will have the opportunity to hike up to 4.800 meters above sea level (15,748 ft), where the "José Rivas refuge" is located, very close to the glaciers!!

4. 4

   Quito

   2 hours

   Then you start the drive back to Quito, and that is how we finish this unforgettable lifetime experience journey!