Live The Andes
6 Days / 5 Nights - Per person on a double basis - Code EGR040
ITINERARY MAY VARY DEPENDING ON THE DEPARTURE DAY:
Day 1: Transfer from the airport to the hotel.
Accommodation
Day 2: Breakfast in the hotel. Tour to the Mercado de Otavalo (Otavalo Market).
Departure from Quito via Panamericana Norte until we arrive at Cayambe, where the passengers will have the chance to taste the delicious ""Bizcochos de Cayambe"", a type of biscuit or bread, made in clay ovens (accompanied by cheese of leaf or dulce de leche). After a brief stop in ""Miralago"", to admire a wonderful view of Lake San Pablo, we continue until we reach Otavalo where the native people of the area, ""Otavalos"", elaborate their fabrics.
Those who so wish can choose to stay in this area and our bus will pick them up on the return from Cotacachi (they will not be able to visit Cotacachi) or continue with the route to Cotacachi, well known for clothing and leather handicrafts. On the way to Cotacachi, we will visit a Workshop of Andean Instruments ""Ñanda Mañachi"" located in Peguche.
Once in Cotacachi, you will have enough time to visit the village, leather goods stores and have time for lunch (lunch not included). Return to Quito, picking up the passengers who stayed in Otavalo (place and hour of pick up established by the guide of Andes Nomads Ecuador).
** The bus will wait for a time of 10 minutes in Otavalo to pick up the passengers who stayed at that stop, after which it will return to Quito with those who are on board.
Day 3: Breakfast in the hotel. Tour Tradiciones de Quito (Traditions of Quito).
We will board our original Trolley, a replica of the trams that circulated in Quito last century, until we reach the historic center where we will make our first stop in the San Francisco Market, one of the oldest in the city, which keeps the charm, tradition and the good taste of typical markets inherited from generation to generation; Here you can observe the use of traditional herbal medicine and taste the juices of the great variety of fruits that are characteristic of our country.
Later we will visit the museum La Casa del Alabado (entrance included), dedicated to Pre-Columbian Art and Ecuadorian Archeology. We will continue walking towards the La Compañía Church (entrance included), known because of its impressive adornments and gold altars. We will arrive to Plaza Grande, also known as Plaza de la Independencia, surrounded by important traditional constructions of the city, such as the Palacio Arzobispal (Archbishop's Palace), where we will have a typical Ecuadorian home-made lunch, finishing with a dessert made in the oldest coffee shop in the city ""Heladería San Agustín"".
After lunch, we will walk to the traditional Calle La Ronda to visit its houses full of artistic, cultural and artisan manifestations, where we will appreciate the various workshops of the project ""manos a la Ronda"", which seek to rescue the traditional trades of the Quiteña school, and We will closely know the artisan processes of goldsmithing, artistic forging, inlay, headgear, tinplate, among others. In this neighborhood we will see a location where characters recreate the colonial era of the city and teach us the traditional games of years past.
After the tour, those who wish to stay in the historic center may stay, otherwise, we will continue this local experience with the ones who want to continue on, using a public transport to move to the north of the city.
Day 4 : Desayuno en el hotel. Excursión al Parque Nacional Cotopaxi + Quilotoa
Departure early in the morning by the ""Panamericana Sur"" route, appreciating beautiful landscapes and diverse ecosystems, as a clear example of the majesty of the Andes. We continue to Cotopaxi National Park, reaching the slopes of the impressive active volcano. We will visit el Museo del Parque (Museum of the Park), the Laguna de Limpiopungo and we will take an interesting hike to the forest of Chuquirahuas at 4,200 meters above sea level. (If time allows it).
We will arrive at the Quilotoa Volcano, which has an impressive turquoise lagoon in its crater, making it one of the most beautiful landscapes of Ecuador. We will take a short walk, to appreciate the magnificent view of the volcano (if the weather conditions allow).
Free time for lunch (not included).
*Does not include: Entrance to the Cotopaxi National Park
Day 5: Breakfast in the hotel. Tour for you to choose: Mitad del Mundo or Quito, Cultura y Sabores (Cultures and Flavors)
Tour Mitad del Mundo: Departure from the designated hotels or from the Holiday Inn Express Hotel, meeting point at the Zone de la Mariscal (Mariscal Area).
We will direct ourselves to the ""Ciudad Mita del Mundo"" (Includes entrance) where you can see the monument that divides the northern hemisphere from the southern hemisphere of the planet. It was built in the 18th century where the French scientific expedition defined the exact position of the Equator line dividing the world. With extra cost you can enjoy the experiments that prove the location of this privileged place in the middle of the world.
Quito, Cultura y Sabores (Culture and Flavors): A tour that starts to the north-central part of the city, in the commercial and banking area of Modern Quito.
We will visit Plaza Foch, known as the Rosa area of the city, to explore, feel and taste a world of flavors and sensations in a homemade chocolate tasting, Cacao Fino de Aroma, accompanied by a cup of hot chocolate.
After this we will move to the Casa Museo Guayasamín, from the most important artist of Ecuador in the modern era, and we will know the great value of the artistic patrimony inherited by this master.
Finishing this unforgettable afternoon, we will move to the traditional and historic neighborhood of Guápulo, where we will walk its picturesque cobbled streets and its incomparable viewpoint of the landscape of the valleys that surround the city. We will taste a traditional Canelazo quiteño in one of the bohemian style cafes that characterize this picturesque area; and admire the church of Guapulo, a former monastery of colonial construction.
At night Quito City Explorer (Quito de Noche y Gastronómico)
We start to the north of the city with a tourist route along the most important shopping areas, where most of Quito hotels are located. Then we head towards the Historical Center to admire the spectacle of the illuminated churches and their main tourist attractions, offering unique landscapes in our city. (Does not include tickets). The tour continues to the Mirador del Panecillo, a place renowned for its beauty, where you can enjoy a beautiful view of colonial and modern Quito.
During the tour, the guide will tell you about the gastronomic diversity of the city and you will enjoy a taste of a small sample of this.
At the end of the tour, passengers can optionally opt in (Applying Andes Nomads coupons), one of the recommended nightlife venues, or dine at one of our recommended restaurants (return to the hotel at the expense of the passenger).
Day 6: Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer from the hotel to the airport.