Ecuador Family Tour

Arrival at Mariscal Sucre, Quito international airport. 

Meet and greet with your English-speaking private guide. 

Transfer to the city centre and check in at your hotel (50 min).

Free evening.

Overnight at your hotel in Quito. 

Discover with your guide the least-altered and best-preserved Latin American capital. 

Quito, was the first city in history listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. 

Take a walk to visit the colonial churches and monasteries of this urban jewel starting at the Independence Square, flanked by the Presidential Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace, the City Hall and the Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito. 

Take the opportunity to climb the cathedral's bell tower and cupolas. 

A block away is the Church of the Society of Jesus, one of the most remarkable in Latin America. The central nave is profusely decorated with gold leaf, gilded plaster and carved wood panels. The combination of the baroque and mudéjar styles makes it the most ornate church in South America. 

Next make your way to the City Museum, located in the oldest building of the city inaugurated on 1565, Quito's first hospital. The Museum is a great place to experience the daily life of Ecuadorians through colonial times and the republican period as well as learning about the architecture of the renovated area of the ancient hospital. 

On your stroll through the historic district of Quito passing La Ronda Street with its craft workshops, have a break and treat your whole family to a 'Helado de Pailataste', the famous local ice cream.

Drive up to the top of the Panecillo hill for breathtaking panoramic views of Quito. 

In the afternoon, drive out of the city to the Equatorial Valley (50 min), north of the capital, where you will visit the Middle of the World monument.

Visit the Intiñan museum, where you can have fun with some practical and didactic experiments to learn about the unique aspect of the laws of physics of the Middle of the World. 

Drive back to your hotel in Quito (50 min). 

Evening and overnight at your hotel in Quito. 

Drive to the Otavalo province in the north of the country (2 hours). 

Stop at the 'Parque Condor' on the way. Perched on the steep hillside of Pucara Alto you can meet eye to eye with the Andean condors, as well as eagles, owls, falcons and hawks. 

The Foundation in charge of the park works with all these birds of prey to help with their conservation. If the weather allows it, you will have the opportunity to attend a free flight demonstration. 

Drive to Otavalo (15 min) to discover its indigenous market, one of the largest and most colorful in South America that comes alive every day of the week.

There you can find all types of handicrafts: woven rugs, alpaca sweaters, shirts, wall hangings, bags, paintings, clay figurines, silver jewelry and many other local souvenirs. 

On Saturdays only, locals come to trade livestock and other agricultural goods. The market is also very busy on Sundays and Wednesdays. Many stall owners belong to the Otavalo community and can be recognized by their traditional clothes. The many sights of women dressed in long skirts and embroidered blouses while men proudly wear hats to cover their long hair make this market a great opportunity for beautiful pictures.

Overnight at your hotel. 

To make your stay easier, we recommended to only take a small back pack with your travel essentials for your 2-day stay in the Amazon Jungle. Your larger items of luggage will be locked and stored safely on the bus, under the supervision of the driver.

On the way to the Amazon, we'll stop to visit a hummingbird farm where you may see more than 14 different species in one hour, including the sword-billed hummingbird, which has a unique and long beak.

We continue our journey to the Amazon. The road ends at Punta Ahuano, a small port town on the north bank of the Napo River, where canoes await for a 15-minute ride to the lodge. We arrive in time to settle in and enjoy the sunset from the pool with a welcome cocktail.

After a delicious dinner, we will get ready with our flashlights and cameras for a night excursion, which will allow us to capture and listen to the sounds of the jungle, we will be able to observe grasshoppers, toads, frogs, spiders, tarantulas, bats, insects and possibly snakes.

On our return if the sky is clear we will enjoy a large number of stars.

Overnight at your lodge.

Early in the morning we will leave by canoe (5 minutes) to La Isla for bird watching, during this activity, the passengers together with the guide will make a walk specifically focused on the sighting of different species of birds.

Return to the lodge for breakfast.

Excursion and walk in the Amazon rainforest, where you can observe the Amazonian flora with our local guide who will accompany us to offer explanations about the Amazonian ecosystems. We will navigate the Napo River where we will reach several excursion sites.

In the afternoon, we will go on an excursion consisting of caiman watching in the lagoon, followed by the experience of the artisanal chocolate process with the indigenous community in La Isla, which can also be accessed by motorized canoe.

Free evening in the rainforest.

Overnight at your lodge. 

Visit AmaZOOnico Animal Rescue Center. Observe animals native to the region that are difficult to see in the wilderness. Your visit will help guarantee the protection of the center’s residents, which struggled to re-adapt to the wild after they were taken by poachers and sold on the black market. Then, flote down the Arajuno River to enjoy a peaceful and relaxing ride in an inner tube. A guide will accompany you in a motoraized canoe to bring you back a the end of the run.

Visit a local Kichwa family that will show you how to prepare chicha, a local drin, and invite to taste it. Watch an indigenous woman mold clay from the riverbed into a beautiful bowl. She will demonstrate how the community creates ceramics from natural materials found in the forest, and the techniques used to seal and decorate them.

Free evening in the rainforest.

Overnight at your lodge. 

After a 30-minute canoe ride back to the road, head over to Puyo by car.

Journey to the Andean region through the 'Route of the Waterfalls', on your way to the province of Baños.

Stop en route at el Pailón del Diablo, the 'Devil's Cauldron', a spectacular waterfall with an impressive 260-foot drop (80 m) splitting over rocks.

Depending on the weather you might be able to see the 'Manto de la Novia', a ravishing twin waterfall. 

A 20-minute drive from Baños, pull over at la Casa del Arbol (the Tree House). Originally used to monitor the activity of mount Tungurahua the views of Baños and its surrounding mountains are spectacular.

Anyone over 5 years can launch themselves into the air on the 'Swing at the End of the World', hanging from the tree over the edge of the mountain. A fun experience with the active Tungurahua volcano in the background.

Drive to Baños, named after the thermal springs located in the area.

Take time to visit Baños and enjoy its splendid views of Tungurahua, the active volcano nearby. The town is popular with visitors who come for its famous hot springs, its lush scenery and for being the gateway to the jungle.

Your kids will love trying 'melcocha', a traditional candy made from molasses. 

Overnight at your hotel in Baños. 

After breakfast, transfer to Chimborazo Wildlife Reserve (2 hours 30 min), home of Ecuador's highest mountain, the Chimborazo volcano (20,549 ft - 6263 m).

Chimborazo may not be the highest volcano in the world but its location on the equator makes its peak the furthest point away from the center of the earth.

On the Reserve you might spot 3 of the 4 South American camelids introduced to the reseve: llamas and alpacas, domesticated during the Inca empire, and the wilder yet elegant vicuña. The native species of Peru and Chile have well-adapted to this environment.

The surrounding grounds are covered in the local vegetation known as 'páramo' made of valerian, gentian and lycopodium.

Visit a local community that works with llama reintroduction to their natural habitat of the Andean plateau. 

Drive to Riobamba village. 

Overnight at the hotel in Riobamba. 

We continue our journey to the south, passing through spectacular landscapes typical of the Andes, which resemble a mosaic of sloping and very colorful cultures, until we reach Ingapirca, the most notable Inca archaeological site in Ecuador. During the tour we will make some stops, starting with the church of La Balbanera, the first one built by the Spanish settlers in Ecuador, the beautiful Colta Lagoon with an approximate extension of 275 hectares that houses several species of native birds and a great variety of multicolored fish, and the Pistishi Viewpoint, one of the most important attractions of the province and the country, for many years it was the famous railway route "Nariz del Diablo", where our guide will explain the history of the train. 

Arriving in the province of Cañar, we will visit Ingapirca Ruins or "Inca Wall" the largest and best preserved archaeological site in Ecuador, which is located at 3200 meters above sea level and is a testimony of the Inca domination in the country. Research has established that it was once an important religious and ceremonial site dedicated to the main Inca deity: the sun. The Inca temple was built over an important ceremonial center of the Cañari culture at the time of their victory in the conquest of the region. Visit to the Temple of the Sun: oval-shaped ceremonial place built with stones carved in a parallelepiped shape, with perfect joints according to the Inca technique, so well assembled that they give the impression that no cement was used to hold them together. ItWe continue our journey to the south, passing through spectacular landscapes typical of the Andes, which resemble a mosaic of sloping and very colorful cultures, until we reach Ingapirca, the most notable Inca archaeological site in Ecuador. During the tour we will make some stops, starting with the church of La Balbanera, the first one built by the Spanish settlers in Ecuador, the beautiful Colta Lagoon with an approximate extension of 275 hectares that houses several species of native birds and a great variety of multicolored fish, and the Pistishi Viewpoint, one of the most important attractions of the province and the country, for many years it was the famous railway route "Nariz del Diablo", where our guide will explain the history of the train. Arriving in the province of Cañar, we will visit Ingapirca Ruins or "Inca Wall" the largest and best preserved archaeological site in Ecuador, which is located at 3200 meters above sea level and is a testimony of the Inca domination in the country. Research has established that it was once an important religious and ceremonial site dedicated to the main Inca deity: the sun. The Inca temple was built over an important ceremonial center of the Cañari culture at the time of their victory in the conquest of the region. Visit to the Temple of the Sun: oval-shaped ceremonial place built with stones carved in a parallelepiped shape, with perfect joints according to the Inca technique, so well assembled that they give the impression that no cement was used to hold them together. Itwas also used for astronomical observations, thanks to which the equinoxes and solstices were established. Finally, arrival in Cuenca for our check in at the hotel.

Free evening in Cuenca.

Overnight at the hotel in Cuenca. 

Discover Cuenca, a jewel of Spanish colonial architecture, built on the ruins of Tomebamba, an ancient Inca city.

Walk around the town center's narrow streets lined with magnificent houses and beautiful colonial balconies.

Visit the flower market, the Calderon plaza, the new and the old cathedral, the San Francisco Plaza and its handicraft market.

Drive up to Turi hill to enjoy a splendid panoramic view of Cuenca, listed as UNESCO World Heritage.

At a straw-hat factory you will learn more about the famous 'Panama hat' and where it really comes from. 

Visit the Pumapongo Museum, one of Ecuador's most significant museum. With time for the young ones to learn and play in the gardens with its llama residents, the museum has a lot to offer to learn about the country, its money, its indigenous population, archeology and more.

Transfer back to your hotel (10 min). 

Free evening in Cuenca.

Overnight at your hotel in Cuenca. 

Departure to Guayaquil (3 hour 30 min).

Drive through El Cajas National Park and Lake La Toreadora.

In the afternoon, you will get to Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city and the country's busiest port. 

Free evening.

Overnight at your hotel in Guayaquil. 

In the morning, enjoy a private city-tour.

Stroll along the Malecon 2000 (the waterfront boulevard) and the Seminario Park with its numerous resident iguanas.

Discover Guayaquil's Cathedral, the City Hall and La Rotonda monument.

Walk up the tiny streets of Las Peñas, a colorful and traditional neighborhood.

At the indicated time, transfer to Guayaquil airport (15 min).

Check-in and assistance.