Travel to Ecuador: Tucan trip to Ecuador packs the most adventure into Ecuador travel.

Saturday - Arrive Quito
Your trip begins in Ecuador’s capital city, Quito. If you’re flying in on day one of the trip, your ACTIVE SOUTH AMERICA trip leader will meet you at the airport at 2pm and take you to your accommodation. You’ll have a couple of hours to explore the sprawling parks, old colonial buildings, winding cobbled alleyways and local markets of this amazing city. Ecuador is also known for its awesome coffee and fresh juice, so if you have time, pop into a café and try some. Quito sits in a beautiful valley surrounded by towering volcanoes just 14 miles from the Equator, giving it a mild spring-like climate all year round. In the evening you’ll meet up with the rest of your group for a full briefing before our first dinner together.
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Reina Isabel, Quito (D)

Sunday - Hike Bellavista Cloud Forest
It’s an early start today as we head out of the city limits to the lush Bellavista Cloud Forest. This place is only a couple of hours away from Quito, but you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. It’s quiet and off the beaten track and you’ll be amazed by the diversity of the bird and plant life that thrive in this verdant area. We’ll spend the day hiking along steeply-forested slopes to look and listen for native birds. Bellavista is a hummingbird paradise and a stunningly beautiful retreat, whether you want to get your heart pumping on the hills or would rather stop and absorb the symphony of sounds in the misty forest. This evening, we’ll stay in a charming lodge surrounded by forest. The view from your room is so beautiful you won’t want to close your eyes!
ACCOMMODATION: Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge, Bellavista (B,L,D)

Monday - Hike Peguche Waterfall, visit Otavalo markets
From the peaceful retreat of Bellavista, we head north-east to explore Otavalo, a lovely town surrounded by volcanoes and fertile green hills. Otavalo is home to the Otavaleño people and their market is an experience not to be missed. It dates back to pre-Inca times and you can find all manner of things here as you walk through the stalls manned by locals in traditional embroidered blouses, long flowing skirts and brightly coloured ponchos. This is one of the most famous markets in South America and the economic cornerstone of this proud community, which has been exporting its fine textiles to the world for decades. After lunch, we’ll hike to La Cascada de Peguche, a beautiful waterfall above town. If you prefer not to hike today, you can continue to explore the market.
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Coraza, Otavalo (B,L,D)

Tuesday - Hike Lake Cuicocha, explore Ecuadorian ranch
This morning we’ll hike around Lake Cuicocha, an extinct volcanic crater known as ‘The Lake of the Gods’. This beautifully coloured lake lies at the foot of the immense Cotacachi Volcano, with views that will take your breath away! In the afternoon we’ll head to Cotopaxi, one of Ecuador’s most spectacular mountains in the heart of the Valley of the Volcanoes. Here we’ll make ourselves at home at Hacienda La Alegria, a typical, family-run Ecuadorian ranch, and meet our hosts, locals Gabriel and Patty. Try your hand at milking the cows, wander around and check out the amazing scenery, or just relax inside this beautiful home and enjoy Patty’s incredible cooking!
ACCOMMODATION: Hacienda La Alegria, Cotopaxi (B,L,D)

Wednesday - Cycle Cotopaxi Volcano
Today is definitely a highlight of the Tucan as we head into Cotopaxi National Park. The centrepiece of the park is the perfect cone-like, snow-capped peak of Cotopaxi (19,347 feet). Here we begin our cycling adventure down one of the world’s highest active volcanoes! Ride downhill at your own pace through the lunar landscape and beautiful lakes that encircle Cotopaxi, ending your ride at 10,000 feet. The scenery is magical. If you’re game, we’ll hike up to the snowline of this majestic volcano for some of the best views in Ecuador. Later we’ll drive to Baños, a beautiful mountain town in the Rio Pastaza Valley.
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel El Marquez Posada, Baños (B,L,D)

Thursday - Free day in Baños
Baños, nestled between the Rio Pastaza canyon and Tungurahua volcano, is a playground for adventure activities. There are lots of optional activities here, including canyoning, biking, rafting, horse riding and even salsa dancing lessons! The magnificent, subtropical cloud forest environment of Baños offers incredible hikes too, and the town itself is charming. There are hot springs, great cafés, a beautiful town square and rows of little stores where the locals weave melocha (toffee) on the sidewalk.
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel El Marquez Posada, Baños (B)

Friday - Cycle Rio Pastaza Valley, hike Pailon del Diablo waterfall
Today we’ll bike east out of Baños, riding down the Rio Pastaza Valley. This is some of the most unforgettable cycling you’ll ever do. The high cloud forest gives way to lush rainforest, sweeping all the way down the canyon walls into the river below as we descend into Ecuador’s Amazon jungle lowlands. Along the way, we’ll stop for a cable car ride over the canyon and hike down to Pailón del Diablo waterfall. Our day ends at the idyllic Shangri La Jungle Lodge, overlooking the Upper Napo River in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
ACCOMMODATION: Shangri La Jungle Lodge, Upper Napo River (B,L,D)

Phil: "Ecuador isn’t exactly crowded with travellers, which is great for us! But I can’t understand why it isn’t a renowned adventure destination yet – places like Shangri La Lodge offer truly unique activities, an amazing setting and is a must for any adventure lover!"

Saturday - Caving, river tubing and hiking on the upper Napo River
Launch straight into the action with a hike into pristine virgin jungle, where we’ll venture deep into an elaborate canyon system. These canyons become a series of caves and limestone cliffs. With bats as spectators, we’ll hike through the canyons back to Shangri La Lodge. After lunch, we’ll head out on to the Upper Napo for river tubing. This involves floating down the river on inflated rubber tubes – all you have to do is kick back and enjoy the ride. Using your arms and feet as paddles, we’ll float eight miles downriver to the take-out point before heading back to the lodge.
ACCOMMODATION: Shangri La Jungle Lodge, Upper Napo River (B,L,D)

Sunday - Jungle hike and reverse canyoning
Using 4x4 trucks, we’ll travel deeper into the rainforest where we’ll take a short hike along a jungle trail to our first waterfall climb. The climb up these waterfalls is a lot of fun, even for absolute beginners at the art of reverse canyoning – which is typically everyone! Once we climb above the waterfalls, we traverse a rainforest ridge to rustic Amarongachi Lodge, where we’ll have lunch. Later we’ll hike to a beautiful lagoon for a swim.
ACCOMMODATION: Shangri La Jungle Lodge, Upper Napo River (B,L,D)

Monday - Hike to local Amazon community
Today we visit a community of indigenous people living in the rainforest. We’ll take a dugout canoe across the Napo River, then hike two hours into the jungle to the village. This is a real highlight of the trip – you’ll learn how these small indigenous communities maintain their traditional ways of life and get some sense of the important role the rainforest plays in their lives. After this unique visit, we’ll head to the Amazon frontier town of Tena.
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Travelers Lodging, Tena (B,L,D)

Tuesday - Raft the Rio Napo
We have another exciting day today, rafting the Rio Napo. We leave Tena for a short drive into the jungle to the put-in, where you’ll get a familiarisation and safety briefing. Then we’re off! We’ll be descending Grade III and IV rapids, interspersed with calm stretches to catch our breath and take in the scenery. In between paddling the rapids, sit back and take in the magnificent rainforest environment – it’s hard to beat.
ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Travelers Lodging, Tena (B,L,D)

Wednesday - Return to Quito, depart for home
Today is the last day of your 12-day trip around Ecuador with ACTIVE SOUTH AMERICA. We’ll get back to Quito around lunchtime, and if you have time to spare, we’re happy to help with some ideas for what you can do for the rest of your time here. If you have a flight this evening, we’ll be sure to get you back to the airport on time. You’ll return home relaxed and refreshed from all the great activities, fine food and friendly people you’ve met while travelling with us in Ecuador! (B)

What's included and other important information for the Tucan trip