Ecuador with Luxury & Style (9 Days): A Sample Itinerary

ID #: DT-E-9-3-9-10-BESI


 
Cuenca
Cotopaxi

DavidTravel Itinerary Highlights include:

• Quito — at an altitude of more than 9,100 feet — is the second highest capital city in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Embark on a walking tour of Quito's Old Town to see San Francisco Church and its religious art museum, La Compañía Church and the Cathedral
• Explore the Antisana Nature Reserve, where ecosystems range from the high mountain habitats to the rainforest
• See the Antisanilla lava flow that left spectacular rocky waves in the landscape along the Isco River. Pause for lunch before continuing along the "Avenue of the Volcanoes."
• Drive through the Andes to see Lake Quilotoa, a breathtaking aquamarine crater lake, and visit the small Andean village of Tigua
• Hike through Carihuayrazo Vicuñas Reservation to the Abraspungo Valley. Try to spot some of the wild vicuña who call the area home
• Drive to the important Incan ruins of Ingapirca, once a political and religious center used for worshiping the sun
• View glacial lakes, unusual rock formations, breathtaking waterfalls and an array of exotic wildlife, including condor, in this natural wonder
• Notice the blue-domed, neo-Gothic cathedral that dominates Cuenca's skyline. Visit it before stopping at the Cañari ruins at Pumapungo
• Cuenca is known for its Panama hats, and you have the opportunity to visit a Panama hat factory
• Stop at the jewelry workshop of Simón Cordero, a prestigious jewelry designer who has won several prizes for his silver pieces.

Overview:

Bisected by the equator, one part lying in the southern hemisphere and the other in the northern, Ecuador is a land divided into three distinct geological regions - Sierra, Oriente and Costa. These regions seem like three different planets squeezed into one tiny country. In addition, Ecuador controls the Galapagos Islands, which is even more like a distant universe.

The Andes range runs through the centre of the country, with the highest peak towering well above 6,000m (19,685ft). The landscape is dominated by volcanoes, half of them active. Ecuador's main cities are located in the wide valley dubbed the Avenue of Volcanoes.