10-Day Ecuador Highlands & Amazon Discovery

Day 1: Arrival in Quito

Land at Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport, where your Explore! representative will meet you for the transfer to your hotel in the historic center. Quito sits at 2,850 meters, so take the afternoon to acclimatize. A gentle orientation walk introduces you to the colonial core: Independence Plaza with its changing of the guard, the ornate Archbishop’s Palace, and the Cathedral where Ecuadorian independence hero Antonio Jose de Sucre is entombed. In the evening, meet your guide and fellow travelers for a welcome briefing and optional group dinner. Overnight in Quito.

Day 2: Quito Colonial Quarter & Middle of the World

A full day exploring Ecuador’s capital. Begin with a guided tour of Quito’s UNESCO-listed old town. Visit La Compania de Jesus, whose gold-leaf-covered interior is one of the most lavish baroque churches in the Americas. Continue to San Francisco Church and Monastery, the largest colonial architectural complex in Latin America, built on the site of an Inca palace. Walk Calle La Ronda, a bohemian street lined with artisan workshops, traditional sweet shops, and courtyards filled with bougainvillea. After lunch, drive 25 kilometers north to the Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) monument, marking the equatorial line. Stand with one foot in each hemisphere, balance an egg on a nail at the Intinan Solar Museum, and watch water swirl in opposite directions just meters apart. Return to Quito for the evening. Overnight in Quito.

Day 3: Otavalo Market & Cotacachi Leather Town

Depart north through the dramatic landscape of the Pan-American Highway, passing snow-dusted Cayambe Volcano. Arrive at the Plaza de los Ponchos in Otavalo, the epicenter of South America’s most famous indigenous market. Otavalenos in traditional dress – women in white embroidered blouses and blue skirts, men with felt hats and calf-length white trousers – preside over stalls overflowing with alpaca wool blankets, tapestries, scarves, jewelry, wood carvings, and Panama hats. This is the place to buy your souvenirs and practice your bargaining skills. After lunch, drive to nearby Cotacachi, a town renowned throughout Ecuador for its leather goods. Browse shops selling handcrafted jackets, bags, and belts at remarkable prices. Return to the Otavalo area for an overnight stay at a charming hacienda with views of Imbabura Volcano.

Day 4: Papallacta Thermal Springs & Cloud Forest

Today’s route crosses the eastern cordillera via the Papallacta Pass at over 4,000 meters, where Antisana Volcano’s glacier-covered summit dominates the southern skyline. Descend into the cloud forest and arrive at Papallacta Hot Springs, a world-class thermal complex set in landscaped Andean gardens. The mineral-rich waters, heated by volcanic activity deep underground, emerge at temperatures up to 70C. Soak in a series of pools of varying warmth, surrounded by mist-shrouded mountains and the sound of rushing streams. The spa also offers massage treatments (optional, at own expense). After a revitalizing soak and lunch, continue descending through the cloud forest, watching the vegetation grow increasingly lush and tropical. Overnight at a cloud forest lodge near Papallacta.

Day 5: Amazon Jungle Adventure Near Tena

Descend further into the Amazon basin, arriving at the Napo River region near the town of Tena – a major gateway to Ecuador’s portion of the Amazon rainforest. After a briefing at the jungle lodge, board a motorized dugout canoe for a journey upriver. The Napo’s chocolate-colored waters wind through dense primary forest where howler monkeys announce their territory and colorful kingfishers dart along the banks. Disembark for a guided jungle trek led by a local Kichwa naturalist guide. Learn to identify medicinal plants, spot troops of squirrel monkeys crashing through the canopy, and marvel at the ceibo tree, the rainforest giant that rises above all others. After lunch at the lodge, you have the option to tube down a gentle river stretch, hike to a hidden waterfall, or relax in a hammock listening to the rainforest orchestra. Overnight at the jungle lodge near Tena.

Day 6: Amazon Morning & Journey to Banos

Wake to the dawn chorus of tropical birds. After breakfast, a final Amazon activity: visit a Kichwa community to learn about traditional ways of life, including cassava cultivation, blowgun hunting, and the preparation of chicha, the fermented yucca drink central to Amazonian hospitality. Participate in a cleansing ceremony led by a community elder. Mid-morning, bid farewell to the jungle and begin the drive west, climbing back through cloud forest into the highlands. The vegetation thins, the temperature drops, and soon you are in Banos de Agua Santa, a lively town draped across the foothills of Tungurahua Volcano. After checking into your hotel, the evening is yours to explore: soak in the public thermal baths that give the town its name, sample the stretchy melcocha taffy made fresh on door hooks, or people-watch from a cafe balcony. Overnight in Banos.

Day 7: Banos Waterfall Route & Adventure Activities

A full day in Ecuador’s adventure capital. Begin at the famous Casa del Arbol, home to the Swing at the End of the World – a simple wooden swing that arcs out over a vertiginous canyon with Tungurahua Volcano as the backdrop. Continue along the Route of the Waterfalls, a scenic drive through the Pastaza River gorge. Stop at the Mantle of the Bride cascade, the Agoyan hydroelectric dam viewpoint, and finally Pailon del Diablo, the Devil’s Cauldron. Here you descend a series of staircases and cross a suspension bridge to stand meters from Ecuador’s most powerful waterfall. The afternoon is free for optional activities: zip-lining across the Pastaza River canyon, canyoning down waterfalls, mountain biking, or simply relaxing and sampling Banos’s cafe culture. Overnight in Banos.

Day 8: Devil’s Nose Train & Ingapirca Inca Ruins

Depart Banos early and drive south through the central highlands, passing Riobamba, known as the Sultana de los Andes. At Alausi, board the Nariz del Diablo (Devil’s Nose) train for one of the world’s most dramatic railway journeys. This engineering marvel, built in the early 1900s, descends a near-vertical rock face through a series of tight switchbacks, offering spectacular views over the Chanchan River valley. After the train ride, continue south to Ingapirca, Ecuador’s most significant Inca archaeological site. The elliptical Temple of the Sun, built with perfectly fitted stone blocks without mortar, aligns precisely with the solstices – testament to the Inca’s astronomical sophistication. A guided tour explains the site’s history as both a Canari settlement and an Inca imperial outpost. Overnight in Cuenca.

Day 9: Cuenca Colonial City & Panama Hat Workshop

Cuenca is widely considered Ecuador’s most beautiful city, and for good reason. This morning’s walking tour explores the UNESCO World Heritage historic center, beginning at the blue-domed New Cathedral with its iconic skyline. Wander cobblestone streets past whitewashed colonial buildings with wrought-iron balconies, flowering courtyards, and hidden plazas. Visit the Old Cathedral, the Flower Market in front of Carmen de la Asuncion church, and the riverside Tomebamba with its hanging houses built into the cliff face. The highlight: a visit to a Panama hat workshop where you will discover that these iconic hats are actually Ecuadorian, not Panamanian. Watch master weavers at work, learn about the grading system (the finest Montecristi superfinos can cost thousands), and try on your own. Afternoon at leisure – Cuenca’s museums, art galleries, and cafes reward exploration. Overnight in Cuenca.

Day 10: Guayaquil City Tour & Departure

After breakfast, drive through the dramatic descent from the Andes to the Pacific coastal plain, crossing Cajas National Park’s cloud forest and hundreds of glacial lakes en route to Guayaquil. Ecuador’s economic hub and largest city offers a striking contrast to the Andean highlands – tropical, bustling, and proud. Walk the Malecon 2000, a 2.5-kilometer riverside boardwalk with gardens, monuments, and the iconic La Rotonda monument commemorating the historic meeting between liberators Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin. Climb the 444 steps (or take the elevator) to the top of Santa Ana Hill in the colorful Las Penas neighborhood, Guayaquil’s oldest district with wooden houses painted in bright Caribbean colors. The lighthouse at the summit offers panoramic views over the Guayas River and the city beyond. Transfer to Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport for your departure flight, completing a comprehensive 10-day journey through Ecuador’s highlands, Amazon, and coast.