5 Day Tour to Discover Tourist Places in Ecuador

Day 1 · City tour Quito: History, Culture and Gastronomy

1. 1

   Basilica del Voto Nacional

   2 hours Admission included

   The towers at the end of the world will surprise you! And not to mention this neo-Gothic style church built in the 18th century, considered the largest in Ecuador, its mixed style makes it unique in the world; It was the first church in the country blessed by a pope.

   Here we will visit the tower of the condors, we will tour the immensity of this church, we will admire every detail that makes it special.

2. 2

   Palacio Arzobispal

   20 min

   It is the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Quito and the official residence of the archbishop of Quito and primate of Ecuador. Its construction began in 1546.

   Currently, a kind of shopping center operates inside where some popular restaurants serving typical food predominate.

   Here we will walk through its corridors appreciating the architecture of this building.

3. 3

   Plaza de la Independencia (Plaza Grande)

   20 min

   It is the main square of the capital, the main square of Quito and the political and historical center of Ecuador. It is the reference point for the height of the city, located at 2818 m above sea level. n. m. You will have a historical explanation of this place and we will take photographs.

4. 4

   El Palacio de Gobierno

   10 min

   The Carondelet Palace is the seat of Government and official residence of the President of Ecuador. The history of this emblematic building dates back to the viceregal era, around the year 1570. Our visit will be through the exterior with the respective explanation of the place.

5. 5

   Catedral Metropolitana de Quito

   10 min

   Likewise, the visit will be on the outside, with its respective explanation of the historical overview.

   It is the headquarters of the Primate Archdiocese of Quito. In 1995 it was elevated to Primate Cathedral.

6. 6

   Calle de las Siete Cruces

   30 min

   Named after the concentration of churches that exist on this street, we will pass by visiting the outside of the Company of Jesus, well known for its interior ornamentation, which is completely covered in gold leaf.

   We will visit the typical candy stores where we will invite you to try "dog poop", yes! It's not a lie, we Ecuadorians eat this type of sweets.

7. 7

   Quito Old Town

   one hour

   It's time to recharge with a delicious lunch

8. 8

   Yumbos Chocolate

   one hour Admission included

   Yumbos were the merchants who were present in the pre-Inca, Inca and early colonial cultures and were dedicated to the exchange of products from all regions.

   But in this case it is not about a culture that we will visit, it is about an organization dedicated to making artisanal chocolate with the best cocoa in the world, we will carry out a tasting of various chocolates with quite peculiar flavors and in addition we will serve ourselves a delicious breed of chocolate .

9. 9

   Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco

   2 hours Admission included

   This is one of the largest architectural complexes in the country; It is here where the first school of education in Ecuador was developed and later the famous Quito art school was created, which is why inside it jealously keeps more than 3,500 pieces of colonial art. We will visit its museum, its towers and the church.

   Return to your hotel.

Main course and 1 drink.

Day 2 · Cable car and Middle of the World

1. 1

   TeleferiQo Quito

   2 hours Admission included

   Pick up at your hotel or lodging place at 9:00 am.

   We will begin our visit to the cable car located in the foothills of the Rucupichincha volcano, one of the highest cable cars in the world, the eighth highest mechanical lift in the world.

   Once we reach the high area, we will take a short walk to appreciate the paramo ecosystem and enjoy nature and if the weather is good we will be able to observe some volcanoes such as El Cayambe, Antisana, Pasochoa, Sincholagua, Cotopaxi, Rumiñahui, among others. .

2. 2

   San Antonio de Pichincha

   2 hours

   After this visit we will move to San Antonio de Pichincha, with an approximate time of 1 hour.

   Here we will serve our lunch.

3. 3

   Mitad del Mundo

   2 hours Admission included

   Recharged with energy, we will immediately go to visit the Mitad del Mundo tourist complex, this is where you can put your feet, one in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern hemisphere, we will visit the ethnogeographic museum and finally the craft stores.

4. 4

   Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve

   25 min

   Leaving this special place behind, we will move to visit the Pululahua geobotanical reserve where the second volcanic crater in the world to be inhabited is located. If the weather is good we will be able to observe the immensity of this crater.

5. 5

   Mindo

   2 hours

   At the end of the visit, we will begin our trip to Mindo; Once in Mindo we will check in at our hotel to take our well-deserved rest.

Menu type.

Hotel Cantalarana three stars, tourist class

Day 3 · Mindo tropical cloud forest

1. 1

   Santuario de Cascadas

   2 hours

   After breakfast, we will go in search of our first adventure, which will be crossing a tarabita over the Mindo River; and then begin a walk through the cloud forest until you reach the waterfalls, and if you wish you can take a refreshing bath. After this visit we will return to take our transportation to continue to the next attraction.

2. 2

   Mariposas de Mindo

   one hour Admission included

   After the adventure in the forest, we will visit the Mariposas de Mindo butterfly farm, it is a butterfly farm for exhibition, reproduction and conservation of the species in the cloud forest of Mindo. Here you can enjoy a pleasant moment in the midst of countless butterflies.

3. 3

   Mindo

   one hour

   Time to gather the strength invested in the morning with a delicious lunch.

4. 4

   San Tadeo Birding

   2 hours Admission included

   In this place you will delight your eyes with the countless hummingbirds and other birds that frequent this sanctuary. You will also enjoy having them very close to the hummingbirds when you can give them water to drink; Additional from here we have the panoramic view of all of Mindo.

5. 5

   Quito

   3 hours

   Once our visit is over, we will begin the return trip to Quito.

   Already in Quito check in and rest.

Menu type · Served at the hotel

Night at the David hotel, three-star tourist class

Day 4 · Cotopaxi Park and Quilotoa Lagoon

1. 1

   Cotopaxi National Park

   3 hours Admission included

   Pick up at your hotel 06:30 am.

   And we will begin the trip to Cotopaxi National Park, along the famous route of the volcanoes or Panamericana Sur, crossing beautiful Andean landscapes.

2. 2

   Laguna de Limpiopungo

   one hour Admission included

   Once in Cotopaxi Park we will visit the Limpiopungo lagoon, from where we have a privileged view of the volcano as long as the weather is with us; Here we also took a short walk learning about the flora and fauna of this natural park.

3. 3

   Quilotoa

   2 hours

   Once our visit to the Cotopaxi National Park is over, we begin the trip to Quilotoa.

4. 4

   Canon del Rio Toachi

   30 min Admission included

   After having traveled through green Andean valleys of multicolored hues due to the varied production of agricultural foods that are grown in this area.

   We will arrive at the Toachi River canyon, a geological formation thousands of thousands of years old. Here we will visit its viewpoint and walk along its narrow paths observing the immense formation of this place.

5. 5

   Laguna Quilotoa

   2 hours Admission included

   Once in the indigenous community of Quilotoa, we will first recharge our batteries with lunch.

   Later we will go to the viewpoint of the famous emerald lagoon embedded in the crater of a potentially active volcano, located in the western mountain range; We will descend a little to observe the lagoon from another viewpoint, the glass one.

6. 6

   Banos

   2 hours

   Once our visit is over, we will begin our journey to Baños de Agua Santa.

   Once in Baños we will check in at our hotel to take a well-deserved rest.

Menu type · On the way we will stop to serve ourselves this food

Mi Pueblo three-star tourist class hotel

Day 5 · Holy water baths

1. 1

   Stop 1

   20 min Admission included

   Baños is the capital of adventure and its main protagonist is water.

   Breakfast

   This day we will travel the route of the waterfalls and in one of them we will cross the Pastaza River on a tarabita

2. 2

   Cascada el Manto de la Novia

   15 min Admission included

   As we had mentioned, water is the protagonist of this place and we will visit a waterfall plus the Bride's Mantle due to its similarity to a bridal veil.

3. 3

   Banos

   30 min

   Afterwards we will have a sweet view since we will know the place where the famous sweet marshmallow typical of Baños is made by hand, made from sugar cane, an agricultural product that occurs in large quantities in the area.

4. 4

   Cascada El Pailon

   one hour Admission included

   Advancing with the route we will arrive at Rio Verde where the famous "Pailon del Diablo" is, one of the largest waterfalls in Ecuador; It is a spectacle that you will experience when you can witness and feel the force of falling water just a few meters from you.

5. 5

   Banos

   one hour

   Once all that energy has been spent, we will serve our lunch (menu type) to resume the missing activities.

6. 6

   La Casa del Arbol

   2 hours Admission included

   Once the battery is charged again, we will begin a visit to the famous Tree House, a place that has become famous for its swing built in a tree and which has a cliff down; But don't worry, here you can feel for yourself the adrenaline that swinging in this famous place feels like; with this great adventure in Baños.

7. 7

   Quito

   4 hours

   Finishing our visit to the capital of adventure, we begin our return to Quito.

   End of services.

Served at the hotel · Menu type.

Night at the David hotel, three stars tourist class