FEED YOUR WANDERLUST

In the morning we will visit El Teleférico or Cable car, located on the top of the Pichincha Volcano (4100 m). This place is amazing to see Quito city and take great pictures and we can do a walk in this beautiful landscape for around 1 hour.

After this visit you will take a 45 minute drive to arrive to another great place in THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD where you can take a picture on the Equator Line with one foot in the north and another foot in the southern hemisphere. Also, we will visit the Intiñan museum to understand much better about the equator with some experiments. 

Our lunch will be in a nice restaurant called THE CRATER because it is located on the top of the crater of Pululahua volcano. Also, here we will visit the view point to see this wonderful place. Back to the hotel and accommodation.

Butterfly House This living exhibition of local butterflies currently houses and serves as the mating ground for nearly 20 species from the surrounding areas. You’ll be able to observe andexamine how these beautifulcreaturesare fed, raised and undergo metamorphosis. In addition, you’ll have the chance to enter our “winged room” where hundreds of butterflies, in a multitude of colours, flutter about 

Travel aboard a tarabita onthe Pastaza River and enjoy extraordinary views of waterfalls, mountains and jungle landscapes. When you ride on a tarabita, the breeze will caress your face and mess up your hair. In fact, those who visit Baños de Agua Santa can’t help but to live this experience full of adrenaline, which will surely give you a sense of vertigo. 

Around 30 minutes driving we will visit the first Spanish catholic churche in Ecuador from 1534 after 45 minutes driving we can enjoy a magical place call Dunas de Palmira which is a desert in the highlands. 

One of the most beautiful landscapes during this driving will be “The Nariz del Diablo” is a 765m sheer cliff of solid rock. In 1902 track engineers devised a clever way up this monster by carving a zigzag route into the side of the mountain (many lives were lost in the process). The train tugs a bit north, switches track, tugs a bit south and again switches track, slowly making its way up and down the Devil’s Nose. (At the momet the train is not working by some ecuadorian regulations but if it is working during your tour in Ecuador we Will included the tour by train without extra pay). 

Also we Will visit Alausi town where is located the old train station. After lunch (box lunch) our next visit Will be the Ingapirca Ruins.

Ingapirca, located in the southern Andes of Ecuador, specifically in the province of Cañar, is an archaeological complex of Inca origin. It is located at 3,160 metres above sea level and is 26 miles away from Azogues, capital of the province of Cañar. It is also 55 miles at the north of the city of Cuenca. Ingapirca is the sacred place of the Inca occupation in Ecuador. 

It is considered the most important pre-Columbian archaeological site in the country and the best preserved Inca architectural complex in Ecuador. Ingapirca is a Kichwa word that means “Wall of the Inca”. This construction is a magnificent example of how the Cañari-Inca culture was like. 

It has an area of four hectares and was an important religious, political, scientific, military, and administrative center during the Inca conquest. The ruins of Ingapirca are composed by a cemetery, solar observatories, roads, warehouses, priests’ apartments and an indigenous plaza. In Ingapirca the buildings are made of stones perfectly carved and joined with natural mortar. 

In the archaeological complex, the Temple of the Sun or Castle is considered as the main nucleus of the place. In addition, this temple has an oval platform unlike the rest of settlements that are arranged in circular shapes. Ingapirca is a place that has to be seen because it is part of the Qhapaq Ñan – Andean Road System. Moreover, Ingapirca concentrated the Cañari culture (500 A.D.) and united diverse cultures through the Tahuantinsuyo. 

Ingapirca as well as Machu Picchu in Cusco (Peru), symbolises the power of the Inca civilization. Ingapirca offers us a view of the past and allows us to know the Cañari and Inca cultures. Surprise yourself with the different construction techniques of the temples, as well as the precision of the solar calculations and the aqueduct system. After this visit we continue our driving to Cuenca city (2 hours drive aprox). Check in at the hotel and accommodation.

Once in the city of Cuenca, we highly recommend doing the Cuenca city tour of Best Trip Ecuador. 

This tour is 4 hours long, during which you will visit: San Sebastián neighborhood, Parque Calderón (parque central) (central park), Iglesia del Sagrario (Catedral Vieja) (Old Cathedral), Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción (Catedral Nueva) (New Cathedral), Plaza de las Flores (Flower Plaza), Mirador de Turi (Turi lookout), after the tour we Will take our lunch in a nice restaurant located close to Cajas National Park where will be our next visit. 

Parque Nacional Cajas and its natural enchantments, wander around its bodies of water and enjoy the Andean landscapes of th e Andes mountain range. 

On Cajas National Park you can see the principal tourist attractions of the Parque Nacional Cajas, the Toreadora and Llaviucu lakes (3.100 m.s.n.m) (low difficulty) and then travel towards the highest part of the parke, called “Tres Cruces” at approximately 13,648 feet (4.160 m.s.n.m.). Great time t osee alpacas on the wild, after this we Will continue our trip to Guayaquil city where we Will spend one night for the next day start our trip to Galapagos Islands. 

More about Bartolome Island

Considered the most iconic landscape of the entire archipelago the view from the top of Bartolome Island, overlooking the famous Pinnacle Rock and the austere Santiago Island beyond, is well worth the climp up the wooden boardwalk. This volcanic scene has often been likened to a lunar landscape. Our subsequent snorkel here might put us face to face with Galapagos penguins, white-tipped reef sharks and playful sea lions. 

This small island is located on the centre of the archipelago, and on a clear day, more than ten islands can be spotted from the top of the viewpoint. The diversity and richness of this island is related to the Upwelling Phenomenon, very cold water surrounds the shore and provides food for many marine species.

• Departure from Hotel 
• 2 hours navigate 
• The trail is made up of wooden steps all the way to the summit of this volcano, here we will have the unique landscape of the Galapagos Islands. 
• Sullivan Bay / Bartolomé Beach: Snorkeling, observation of penguins, sea turtles, white tip sharks and a variety of fish and starfish. 
• Lunch. 
• Back to Santa Cruz 2 hours 
• Dinner : El jardín 

More about North Seymour Island

This flat, uplifted, island is an important spot to see both magnificent and preat frigatebird males courting the females by clicking, bill-clapping, shuddering and flapping their wings, all while showing off their grossly inflated, bright red, pular pouch. We will also likely see courting blue-footed boobies displaying their unique feet while edancinpi to a prospective mate. Sea lions, swallow-tailed pulls, crashing surf and distant views the Daphne Islands top a great visit.

The visit site is located next to the nesting area of Frigate Birds, both Magnificent and Common, that rest on the trees along the whole year. Witnessing the mating dance of the Blue Footed Boobies is also one of the highlights of the experience. There is additionally a Palo Santo forest that spreads on the south shore of Seymour where birds nest, and offer a spectacular view of the channel formed in between Bartolomé and Seymour.

• Departure from Hotel 
• 60 mins navigating 
• This island is located north of Santa Cruz Island, sighting of sea lions, the island's landscape contrasts with the palo santo forest and the red earth; here you can see nesting blue-footed boobies, seagulls, land iguanas and admire frigatebirds in their nests. 
• Snorkeling at Las Bachas beach, this is located on the island of Santa Cruz, you may see sharks, a variety of fish and perhaps flamingos in the beach lagoon. 
• Lunch 
• Experiential fishing 
• Back to Santa Cruz
• Dinner: La Regata.