Excursions

Colonial Quito

£25

This half-day guided tour takes you to the colonial heart of Quito, starting in the main square. You enter the church of La Compañia, with its spectacular gold leaf interior. You then visit the Alberto Mena Museum, where Ecuador’s fight for independence is represented in waxworks, and San Francisco church. A tour to the Quito School of Colonial Art shows how children are being taught to restore the city’s colonial heritage. Before returning to your hotel, you visit the hill of Panecillo, from where there are wonderful views of Quito and the surrounding volcanoes.

Otavalo

£60

This full day excursion leaves Quito in the morning, passing the beautiful Cayambe volcano. You stop at a rose farm and see the many varieties of roses which are grown in this near-perfect climate, and then packaged for export. After an early lunch at an old mill, continue to Otavalo town, where you have time to explore and shop in the famous crafts market. In the late afternoon you visit the wonderful ‘Cuicocha’, a turquoise green lake in an extinct volcanic crater, before returning to Quito in the evening.

Bellavista Cloud Forest

£70

You are collected early from your hotel in Quito, and driven through spectacular scenery as the road drops from the Andes towards the cloud forest. After two hours, you arrive at the Bellavista Lodge, high in the cloud forest at 2,200 metres, from where there are amazing views. After breakfast, you take a guided walk on one of the trails to explore the forest. You then have the rest of the day in Bellavista to explore the cloud forest at your own pace.

Bellavista Cloud Forest (2 days)

£100

If you would like to explore the cloud forest further, our two day excursion includes a night at the Bellavista Lodge. You leave Quito after breakfast, getting to Bellavista mid morning. As you have almost two full days at the lodge, you have more time to explore some of the longer, more adventurous trails, perhaps visiting one of the four beautiful waterfalls at Bellavista. One guided walk is included, and you can then follow the self-guided trails from the lodge or take another guided walk for a small additional cost. You are in the cloud forest at dusk and dawn, the best times for bird watching. Horse riding in the area is also available for an extra cost. Accommodation is either in the dome, or in one of the attractive adjacent buildings. Rooms are simple, but have electricity and hot showers. You will check out of your hotel in Quito for this night. You return to Quito in the evening of your second day at Bellavista. All meals from lunch on the first day to lunch on the second day are included at the lodge.

Papallacta Springs & Spa (2 days)

£125

This 2 day excursion begins with a 90 minute drive from Quito over the paramo, the last part on an unmade road. We arrive at the hot volcanic springs of Papallacta, at the foot of the Antisana volcano.

Our hotel, the Termas de Papallacta, has simple, comfortable rooms, with en-suite bathrooms. The pools of hot volcanic springs outside every room make this hotel particularly special.

After leaving your bags at the hotel, you can choose to take a beautiful three-hour walk with our guide, following the streams up the mountain and through a high altitude forest. A packed lunch is included. If you prefer not to take the walk, you can relax in the valley.

After returning from the mountain, enjoy a calming soak in the springs before dinner (included). You will check out of your hotel in Quito for this night.

The next day, you have a free morning. Entry to the spa is included; the hydrotherapy area consists of five hot thermal pools and one cold pool. There are hydromassages using water jets and air bubbles. You can also book a spa treatment, which include medicinal Andean mud, pressure massages, aromatherapy, therapeutic massages, face and body treatments.

After lunch, our driver picks us up for the return trip to Quito, arriving in the late afternoon.

Canyons & Craters Trail (2 days)

£210

This 2 day excursion begins with a drive from your hotel in Quito to the Cotopaxi National Park, where we may see wild horses on the foothills of this perfect volcanic cone. We then take a short trek towards the glacier on the volcano, reaching 4,800 metres above sea level. We descend to the valley, where we have lunch in the beautiful San Agustin de Callo, a hacienda built on the site of an old Inca temple, where the Inca walls are still visible. We then drive to our hotel in the Avenue of the Volcanoes, where we have dinner and spend the night. Rooms are simple but comfortable and have private bathrooms with hot showers. You will check out of your hotel in Quito for this night.

The following morning, we drive for approximately one and a half house through the Zumbahua highlands before we start our day trek by climbing to the top of the Quilotoa Volcano. Here, we get our first view of the amazing crater-lake several hundred metres below. After following the rim of the crater, the path drops to the village of Huayama and continues to the top of the impressive Sigui Canyon, where we have our packed lunch. The narrow trail descends to the bottom of the canyon before climbing steeply to the village of Chugchilan, the end point of our journey. Enjoy the fabulous views here before we drive back to Quito, arriving in the evening.

Our excursion includes a professional guide, driver and transportation. All meals from lunch on the first day to lunch on the second day are included.

The trail is approximately 10 kilometres long and involves steep descents and ascents. Therefore, a good level of fitness is required.

Special Offer: Add Colonial Quito & Otavalo to any two-day excursion

£60

If you would like to take one of our two-day excursions to the Bellavista cloud forest, the Papallacta volcanic springs or the Quilotoa trek, then you can add the Otavalo and Colonial Quito excursions for a special price of £60.

Excursion Packages - Special Offers

Colonial Quito, Otavalo & Bellavista (1 day)

£120

Book our three optional excursions to the Bellavista Cloud Forest, Otavalo and Colonial Quito for a special price of £120.