Explore Ecuador
14 days of adventure in stunning Ecuador!
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Group Size: Maximum group size 16, average 12
Trip code: SEIA
Duration: 14 days
This 14 day group tour brings together the best of Ecuador’s unique culture, rich wildlife and dramatic landscapes in one exciting package! Beginning and ending in the vibrant capital, this tour takes in everything from bustling city streets to small seaside towns and isolated indigenous villages. Follow your guide and learn about local culture with a homestay experience in the Amazon rainforest and soak up modern Ecuadorian life with its colourful markets and lively city nightlife. In each location, there is a huge variety of optional activities for you to choose from, including hikes, horse rides and relaxation in natural springs! This trip is the perfect way to meet new people while exploring some of the most spectacular natural landscapes in the world.
Trip highlights
- Stay with an indigenous community in the Amazon Rainforest
- Visit Cotopaxi National Park – home to the mighty Cotopaxi Volcano
- Experience the colour and clamour of Otavalo market
- Explore Cuenca on a guided tour
- Choose from a huge range of exciting optional activities in each location!
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- 13 nights’ accommodation
- All transport between included activities
- Internal flight
- Homestay experience in Amazon Jungle
- Cycle ride in Shandia
- Visit to Otavalo market
- Free time in Cuenca
- 11 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners
- Experienced tour guide
- 24 hour emergency support
- Flights
- Airport transfers
- Travel Insurance
- Some meals
- Drinks and snacks
- Optional activities
Day 1: Quito. Arrive into Quito at any time and make your way to your accommodation. Get to know your fellow adventurers and learn more about the exciting itinerary from your guide!
Day 2: Quito/Baños. Travel south to Baños, a vibrant town nestled between two towering mountain ridges. Breakfast included.
Day 3: Baños. Spend the day making the most of this fantastic town with some amazing optional activities. Perhaps wake up early to soak in natural hot springs or opt to jump on a mountain bike and cycle up the mountain trails.
Day 4: Baños/Tena. Travel north towards Tena. You will be staying with a welcoming Quichua family for 2 nights! Get a completely different perspective of life by engaging in local activities and learning about Quichua culture. Lunch and dinner included.
Day 5: Tena. Experience a full day as a resident of the homestay. Learn more about local life, hike through the rainforest, swim in waterfalls and enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner with the people from the village. An unforgettable slice of Amazonian life! Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Day 6: Tena/Papallacta. Say goodbye to your hosts and hop on a local bus up to Papallacta. Enjoy the laid-back vibes of this hot springs village and revitalize in the warm waters of the mineral pools.
Day 7: Papallacta/Quito. Enjoy a rejuvenating morning at the hot springs and then take a local bus up to Quito. Spend the afternoon exploring this buzzing city. Breakfast included.
Day 8: Quito/Otavalo. Leave Quito behind and head east to feast your senses on the sights and sounds of Otavalo market. Test your haggling skills and hunt for the best bargain – you’ll end up with some amazing souvenirs!
Day 9: Otavalo/Cotopaxi. Board a local bus to Cotopaxi National Park. Spend your time here hiking or mountain biking and sleep in a beautiful mountain lodge. Breakfast included.
Day 10: Cotopaxi/Cuenca. Spend the morning enjoying your final moments in Cotopaxi, before travelling on to Cuenca. Stop at a viewpoint overlooking the Andes for lunch. Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 11: Cuenca. Take a half day city tour of Cuenca this morning. Enjoy a free afternoon exploring some of the many local cafes. Breakfast included.
Day 12: Cuenca. Spend a free day exploring Cuenca. Breakfast included.
Day 13: Cuenca/Quito. Jump on an included flight back to Quito and spend the afternoon relaxing and exploring. Tonight, toast this awesome adventure with your group at one of the city bars.
Day 14: Quito. It’s time to say goodbye to this amazing adventure in Ecuador. You can depart at any time so spend some more time in the capital or head off immediately for more world travel.
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Online booking is unavailable for this trip
Online booking isn't currently available but if you'd like to enquire please use the form below. Alternatively if you'd like to discuss alternate trips or if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to contact us.Most expensive: £1,050 July, 2023
The tour begins and ends in Quito. Airport transfers are not included as part of the tour. These are easy to arrange so speak to us about your travel plans and we can advise you about transfers.
13 nights’ multi-share accommodation is included as part of this tour (9 nights in simple hotels, 2 nights in a rustic mountain lodge, and 2 nights in simple village accommodation)
11 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 2 dinners are included. You will be required to purchase the rest of your meals yourself. This provides an excellent opportunity to engage with local people and sample authentic Ecuadorian food.
The minimum age to join this trip is 18. This fantastic trip is an open-aged experience that caters for a mix of younger and older travellers. This means that you may travel with people who are outside your own age group. Such a mix of ages creates a great group dynamic and enhances the travel experience, as you get to know a range of people with different stories to tell!
A reasonable level of fitness is required to participate in this trip.
British nationals can stay in Ecuador without a visa for up to 90 days without a visa, so long as you have six months’ validity remaining on your passport from your first day in Ecuador. Visa rules and regulations are subject to change. Please check the relevant embassy websites for the most up to date visa information.
This trip is designed with your safety and wellbeing in mind. As a result of Covid-19, many of our suppliers and partners around the world are introducing new policies and procedures surrounding health and safety in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. As the state of travel is evolving these new safety measures will adapt over time, and will be different for each trip. Here are some of the changes you may see on your trip:
Arrival safety meetings
Most trips have an arrival meeting on the first day where the guide or local team will run through the trip, the safety protocols, and to answer any questions you may have. Now more than ever it is important you arrive in time for these meetings.
Proof of vaccination or negative covid test
For the safety of all travellers, at the start of some trips you may be required to show evidence that you are fully vaccinated (14 days after your second dose) and/or show evidence of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of the tour start date in order to join the programme.
Updated hygiene and safety procedures
Our suppliers and partners have health and safety procedures in place on all of our trips. These protocols will be updated and adapted as a response to the Coronavirus outbreak, dependent on local restrictions and laws.
Transport and accommodation choices
Our suppliers and partners choose the accommodation and transport on our trips very carefully, and you may see a change to what would normally be used as a response to the outbreak. This may involve such changes as enhanced use of private transport or quieter accommodation.
Trained and knowledgeable staff
Our staff in the UK are trained to help you with your trip before you depart and answer any questions you may have. In addition, the local team and guides on our trips are there to help with any health and safety concerns and to ensure our trips run safely and smoothly.
Reduced group sizes
Some trips will run with reduced group sizes to start with. You may find that trips are more intimate and chilled, whilst still being packed with fun and adventure.
Healthcare
Your guide or the local team will be on hand to help you seek medical attention should you require it during your trip. As medical facilities and standards can vary around the world, you should ensure you have adequate travel insurance in place before you depart to cover you for any medical emergencies.
24/7 emergency support
We operate an emergency phone line for our travellers abroad. This is operated by a UK based member of staff 24/7 if you have a genuine emergency or urgent matter that you need attending.
It is important that you take measures to make travelling safer for yourself and others around you. Ensure you frequently wash your hands, cover your face when you sneeze and cough, bring and use your own hand sanitiser and facial coverings/masks, and enable social distancing where necessary. You should also ensure you listen to the instructions and guidance of the local team at all times, and follow all local laws and restrictions.