Day Tours & Amazonas Expeditions
Volunteering in the Cloud Forest
Explore the country in your free time. Join our organized weekend trips and our Amazonas or Galapagos Islands tours tailored to your needs
Cotopaxi:
Cotopaxi Volcano with an altitude of 5987m (19.347.11 ft.), is the highest active volcano in the world and thousands of tourists visit it every month because it is the main tourist attraction near Quito. The most popular activities are climbing to the top, hiking, horseback riding, and biking. Our 1-day tour, combines up to 3 activities, starting with the hike to the Jose Rivas refuge 4864m (15748.03 ft.). It’s easy to climb to this height without technical equipment and without experience because our transportation brings you to the parking lot. After descending from the refuge, we have an optional bike ride down from the upper part of the volcano parking lot to the lower part of the park to the Limpiopungo Lagoon 3850 m (12.631.23 ft.). Another option is a horseback ride in the camping and springs area.
Otavalo:
Otavalo is located in the Imbabura province known as the Province of the Lakes, a few minutes from our main destination. We will stop to see the view of San Pablo lake and Imbabura’s beautiful mountains. Then we go to the biggest and most important indigenous handicraft market in South America open everyday of the week. Our 1-day tour coincides with the biggest days of the market with the maximum number of artisan vendors in the La Plaza de los Ponchos. Here we have 2 hours for shopping in Otavalo. Following Otavalo we will go to Cotacachi, a small artisan town specializing in leather products with 45 minutes for shopping. Our last destination is the Cuicocha Lagoon located at 3068m (10.065.62 ft) in an active volcanic crater with islets or domes and plant observation.
Mindo:
Mindo is an attraction near Quito. This tour will pass the famous Middle of the World monument and arrive in Mindo. Mindo has a hot and humid climate and is located on the border between two regions; the Andes and the Ecuadorian coast. Its cloud forest is home to many bird species; biologists, bird watchers, scientists, and outdoor adventurers. Our first visit will be to the Butterfly House and Orchidarium, then we will take a cable car over the canopy of the cloud forest. If we are lucky we will be able to see some types of birds flying next to us. We will also hike the waterfalls and trails. After this refreshing adventure we return to the village to visit the artisan chocolate factory to learn about the process of making chocolate.
Papallacta:
is a small town located at 3,250 m in the Andes near the Eastern Mountain Range on the road from Quito, which leads to the Amazon rainforest. The tourist route from Quito to Papallacta passes through several small towns and villages before ascending to a maximum of more than 4,000 meters where the mountains and glaciers are visible. In Papallacta you can enjoy the soothing thermal waters.
Quilotoa:
Quilotoa is a couple of hours away from Quito in the capital of the Province of Cotopaxi, canton Latacunga and there are two important indigenous markets in the area. The Thursday tour visits the Saquisilí market and Sunday’s tour visits the Pujilí market. Next we reach the highest point of the highlands 3800m (12467.19 feet) where we will visit an indigenous house in the highlands to learn about daily life. As we begin our descent we will arrive at the community of Tigua. Most of its people live from agriculture, livestock, handicrafts, and traditional painting. Tigua’s paintings and handicrafts are world famous – with brightly colored wooden animal masks and paintings on sheepskin. We will stop to take photos from the viewpoint of the Toachi river canyon. The Quilotoa lagoon is located inside a volcanic crater and has emerald-colored water. The beautiful landscape draws many people from all over. Many weddings and engagements have been photographed in front of the impressive lagoon. The lagoon has two viewpoints; the viewpoint of Shalalá and the viewpoint of the community. In our 1-day tour, we will visit the community’s lookout point that has its access to the crater and we can hike to the lagoon. Adventure lovers can practice kayaking at 3914 m (12.841.21 ft) and the more adventurous can even swim in its cold waters.
Galápagos:
The Galapagos Islands are a volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean and one of the best destinations in the world for wildlife viewing. It is a province of Ecuador and is located about 1,000 km from mainland Ecuador. Its isolated terrain is home to a diversity of animal and plant species, many of which can only be found in the Galapagos. Charles Darwin visited in 1835 and his observation of Galapagos species later inspired his theory of evolution.
Cuyabeno Jungle:
The Amazon region is characterized by large expanses of tropical forest where trees such as ceibo, sande, and mahogany can easily reach more than 50 meters in height. However, there are areas where water replaces solid ground, rivers suddenly become narrow channels, large and medium-sized lagoons appear, and the canoe is the only way to move between the trees and vegetation. This flooded forest of the Amazon is largely protected within the Cuyabeno reserve. The protected area takes its name from the Cuyabeno River, which in its middle course overflows, creating a complex of 14 lagoons and forming the largest wetland in the Ecuadorian Amazon. These flooded forests are the territory of pink dolphins, manatees, caimans, anacondas and otters, and of the water guarango, the most unique tree in the reserve. Thanks to its special adaptations, it can grow on the banks of rivers and lagoons, creating a magical and mysterious environment that attracts thousands of visitors every year. The reserve is also considered one of the protected areas with the greatest cultural diversity in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Here there are the following indigenous communities: Siona, Secoya, Cofán, Kichwa and Shuar. (Copied from Cuyabeno Fauna Production Reserve)