The tour’s starting point is at 07:00am, from our hotel in Quito. A private car will pick us up and take us to a viewpoint in the southern part of Quito, where you’ll be able to have an amazing scenic view of Quito and the surrounding mountains. We can take tons of panoramic pictures! Our next stop is Cotopaxi National Park, 50km outside of Quito, where we will admire the imposing Cotopaxi Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, that last eruption occurring in 2016. With an altitude of 5,911m, it is also among the world’s highest volcanoes and it makes part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Its shape is almost a symmetrical cone and it is very picturesque with its summit covered in snow.

After registering our visit at the park’s main entrance, we will learn about the area and the importance of preserving it at the interpretation center. Then we will drive to Limpiopungo Lagoon, at 4,000m above sea level, a beautiful mirror-like lake reflecting the Cotopaxi volcano, formed from water from the glaciers. The lake is home to many waterfowl and shorebirds, like Caracara, the Andean Lapwing, the Plumbeous Sierra finch or the Andean Coot. You can even spot entire herds of wild horses grazing nearby.

We can choose between a low-difficulty trail where we hike for 1:30 hours, and a medium one, on a bike. The first option, low difficulty, means hiking to 4,864m to reach the Jose F. Rivas refuge. From its backyard, you have amazing views of the glacier and the volcano’s summit, and of the Andean highlands and the surrounding mountains from the front yard. The second option, medium difficulty, means getting back to the parking lot to take the bikes and pedal downhill to the Limpiopungo Lagoon. At the lake, we will be serving a delicious lunch, as the lunch box is included in our tour. The end of our Cotopaxi Volcano Full Day Tour Hike & Bike will be around 4:30pm, when we return to the hotel.

Pululahua Crater is a short distance away from Quito, just a 50-minute drive, and it is a true wonder of nature. It is an inactive volcano, and it is unique because its crater is inhabited, and there are only two such volcanoes in the world, Pululahua being one of them. The volcano’s cone collapsed 2,500 years ago and the soil inside the 5km crater is very fertile. The Incans are believed to be the first people to have moved into the crater. Our tour starts at 07:00am, our private transportation will collect us from the hotel in Quito, and after a 50-minute drive, we will reach the Pululahua Geobotanic Reserve, the first national park in Ecuador and South America, created in 1,966. It is considered to be unique, with more than 2,000 species of flora and fauna. There are even over 60 species of orchid in the reserve. After we register at the main entrance we will take some time to prepare for our hike. We start our walk and after a 30-minute descent, from 2,800m to 2,450m, we have 2 hiking options that we can choose from:

Option 1 – Chivo trail – 1.1km, 1 hour. The trail take us through a beautiful pre-mountain forest to El Chivo, at 2,698m above sea level, which is actually a lava dome south of the Pululahua crater. We will take our time here to make tons of amazing photographs and savour our lunch, before descending.

Option 2 – Pondoña trail – 2.5km, 2 hours. This trail is longer and our goal is reaching the Pondoña Summit, a lava dome larger than El Chivo, at 2,975m above sea level. The view from the top is fabulous and rewarding.

We will continue for 50 minutes to get to the lookout, where you will be able to take incredible panoramic pictures. Our Pululahua Crater Hike Full Day Tour will end at 4:30pm, when we return to the hotel.

Our tour begins at the hotel at 08:00am, where we will be collected by our private transportation. On our way to the Pasochoa wildlife refuge, we will stop on a hill in the southern part of Quito that offers an amazing view over the city. We can take great scenic photographs here of Quito and the surrounding mountains.

The Pasochoa volcano is an extinct volcano 4,199m high and one of its distinctive features is that inside the crater with a diameter of 2km, that collapsed at the last eruption, grows a cloud forest. There are over 50 species of indigenous Andean trees and over 100 bird species, like the majestic Andean Condor, hummingbirds, the Mountain-Tanager and the Red-crested Cotinga. It is a beautiful and unique highland area, one of the few still untouched by cultivation and human intervention. The Pasochoa Wildlife Refuge, 45 minutes away from Quito, is a protected area preserving the Andean forest around the Pasochoa volcano and the plant and animal life within it. We will stop at the main entrance and register our visit, and then learn about the importance of preserving this region at the interpretation center. Our hike will take us through a beautiful pre-mountain forest at 2,800m altitude and we can choose from some trails ranging in difficulty from low to very high, like the Colibri pathway – 30min, Bosque para todos – 1 hour, Manguayacu – 2 hours, Palma de Cera – 4 hours or Los Pantzas Trails – 8 hours. Our goal is to reach the Pasochoa peak at 4,200m altitude, offering some of the most spectacular views, but it all depends on your physical condition. We will have lunch on the way, as the lunch box is included. After our hike, we can also have a taste of some traditional Andean dishes at a local restaurant. Our Private Pasochoa Hike Full Day Tour ends at 4:00pm, when we will return to the hotel.

The departure hour for our Cayambe Coca Reserve Hiking Papallacta Hot Springs Full Day Tour is 07:00am, when our private car will collect you from the hotel in Quito. There will be several stops on the way. We could have the chance of seeing the impressive Andean condor, an endangered species that has become a symbol for Ecuador, present even on its national flag. Our next stop is 38km from Quito, at the Cayambe Coca reserve, a national park that preserves the Sierra or the Andean Highlands, the Amazon basin, and miles of spectacular cloud forest between them. There are two hiking options that you can choose from.

Option 1 – The 7.5 km Agua y Vida Trail will take approximately 4-5 hours of hiking with box lunch included.

Our Cayambe Coca Reserve hike will start at the pass antenna, at 4,194m altitude. The trail takes us by several lagoons, like the Black Lagoon, the Parcacocha Lagoon, beautiful lakes surrounded by lush vegetation, and the Andean Bear Lagoon, named after the elusive animal that can sometimes be spotted in this area, the Andean Bear, also known as the spectacled bear. The path will then take us through the Polylepis forest to the Baños Waterfall or the Milagrosa waterfall, one of the area’s attractions. Its name comes from the belief that it was used by a shaman in his rituals. The driver will pick us up from the east entrance, at 3,700m altitude, to take us to our next stop, Papallacta Hot Springs, a gorgeous haven in the Andean cloud forest, an incredible spa with relaxing hot spring pools.

Option 2 – The 8km Andean Bear (spectacled bear) Trail will take 5 hours of hiking, with box lunch included. We will begin from the highway, pass by some amazing lagoons, trying to catch a glimpse of the shy Andean bear, also known as the spectacled bear, because of the marking on its face that makes it appear that it’s wearing spectacles. Sighting one of these bears is truly an experience, as it is the only bear species native to South America. As we hike through the Polylepis forest, we will reach the next stop on our list, one of the reserve’s attractions, Baños Waterfall, or the Milagrosa waterfall, deriving its name from the belief that a shaman used it in his rituals. Our hike will end at the east entrance, at 3,700m, where our driver will be waiting to take us to Papallacta Hot Springs, a first-rate spa and a real oasis of relaxation.

After our hike, we will stay for a few hours at Papallacta Hot Springs, where you can enjoy a relaxing soak in one of the hot springs after hours of hiking, still in the middle of nature, with mountains in the background. Upon reservation, you can also book Essential spa treatments that will make you feel completely relaxed and rejuvenated.

Our tour will end 5:00pm, when we return to the hotel.

The beginning of our Pichincha Mountains Hiking Day Tour is at 08:00am in Quito, when our private transportation will take is from the hotel to the teleférico cable car. It will be a 20-minute drive, north-west of Quito. The teleférico takes you from 3,117m to 4,100m, making it one of the highest aerial lifts in the world, and offering incredible views over Quito and its surrounding mountains. We will make a stop to prepare and then we will start our 14km hike into the Andes mountains, that will take around 7 hours.

The trail will take us by the Rucu Pichincha Summit, Padre Encantado, and Guagua Pichincha, the three summits of the active of the Pichincha volcano. Rucu Pichincha is at a 4,696m altitude and the views from the top are amazing. Padre Encantado (The Enchanted Father) is at 4,520m, between Rucu Pichincha and Guagua Pichincha. At 4,776m, Guagua Pichincha is the highest peak. We will be stopping for lunch somewhere on the way, as the lunch box is included in our tour. Our transportation will pick us up from the Guagua Refuge, a Civil Defense hut at 4,557m, located on one of Ecuador’s highest roads, and we will return to the hotel around 17:00 pm.

Our pick-up point for the Private Rucu Pichincha Hiking Day Tour is at the hotel, at 08:30 am, where you will be collected by our private transportation. After a 20-minute drive, we will arrive at the teleférico cable car, one of the world’s highest aerial lifts, taking you from 3,117m to 4,100m. You can take amazing photographs of Quito from above and of the surrounding mountains. After we take some time to prepare, we will be starting our 9km hike into the Andes mountains, which will take approximately 5 hours.

The trail takes us by the Bear Cave and the Arenal, and you’ll be able to admire the local fauna, like the White-throated Hummingbird, the Carunculated Caracara and wildflowers. We will go up to 4,696 altitude, to the Rucu Pichincha Summit. Rucu Pichincha is actually one of the three peaks of the active Pichincha volcano. At the top, you will be rewarded with stunning and impressive views. We will stop on the way and have lunch, as the box lunch is included in our tour. The end of our Private Rucu Pichincha Hiking Day Tour will be around 3:00 pm, when we will get back to the hotel.

The starting point for our Private Cuicocha Hiking Day Tour will be at 07:00am, at your hotel, where our private transportation will pick you up to take you to our destination, the Cotacachi Cayapas Reserve, in the Imbabura Province. Along the 2-hour drive, we will make some stops to taste the local specialty called biscochos or other traditional delicacies. Our tour will be registered by our guide at the entrance to the reserve, which is at an altitude of 3,050m. This beautiful natural reserve, covering 752,235 acres, is famous for comprising several bio-zones, like the Andean biosphere, the rainforest and the sub-tropical biosphere.

After registering, we will take some time to prepare for our 12km, 5-hour hike in the Andes, on the Cuicocha loop around the Cuicocha Lake. It’s a great trail, offering stunning views of the Avenue of the Volcanoes, the crater lake and Otavalo. There is a variety of flora and fauna that you can admire here, so keep your eyes open for orchids, lupins, hummingbirds or hawks. Las Orquideas is the highest point on our hike, at 3590m altitude. We will stop to have lunch along the way, as our tour includes the lunch box.

Afterward our hike, our next stop will be either Cotacachi, also known as the City of Leather, where more than 50 artisanal leather shops display their wares, like leather bags, purses, shoes, jackets or souvenirs, or the Otavalo Indigenous Market, one of the largest markets in South America, where hundreds of merchants and artisans sell a multitude of products, from handicrafts to musical instruments and woven clothes. Our tour will end around 5:30pm, when we will return to the hotel.

Half an hour from Quito, in the Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve, the Pululahua Volcano will be the tour’s first stop, one of the world’s few volcanoes whose crater is inhabited by people. You will discover a breathtaking scenery from the viewpoint, where you can take great photos of the amazing Valley of La Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World). We will be traveling down the valley and admire an impressive number of flower species, like fuchsias, bromeliads and orchids. Mitad del Mundo souvenirs will definitely be on your to-do list, so we will make a stop at the Gallery, where you’ll be able to admire and purchase beautiful gifts and mementos. Afterward, we cannot miss a stop for a taste of the delicious and iconic Salcedo ice cream, made from fresh fruit and cream.

Our next stop will be at the Museo Intiñan near Quito, also known as the Sun Path Museum. If you stand in front of the painted red line and check your GPS coordinates on your phone, it will show you 00° 00’ 00’’. You will officially be in the “Middle of the World”. You will watch some demonstrations of the effects of the equator, like walking the equatorial line or the Coriolis effect. The museum also displays exhibits from Ecuador’s native tribes, like huts replicas, aiming to preserve and explain the rituals, the religion and the solar culture of the indigenous people. Next to the museum is the Mitad del Mundo Monument (Middle of the World Monument), commemorating the site where the earth’s equatorial line was calculated in the 18th century. It’s a perfect place to take memorable photographs and you’ll be able to set foot in each hemisphere.

Quito’s Historical Centre is next on our list, one of the city’s highlights that shouldn’t be missed, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978. You can visit the center’s beautiful churches: Basilica del Voto Nacional, where you can climb up inside and have a bird’s eye view over the entire plaza; San Francisco Church, with an amazing interior decorated with colonial art; La Compañia, a masterpiece of the Spanish Baroque architecture. You can go shopping at the Handcrafts market, the biggest in Quito, famous for the variety of things you can find there, but you have to cancel a visit to one of the churches.

We will be stopping for lunch in the Historical Centre in one of the places recommended by our guide.