Adventure, Action and Accomodation - Quito to Banos to Amazon (min 3 pax)

Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Quito

Stop At: Casa Carpedm, Francisco de Caldas E1-106 y, Quito 000001, Ecuador
Take a tour of Quito to learn more about this beautiful city and its local culture. Visit the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with stops at the golden Compañia Church, San Francisco Square, and the Panecillo, a towering statue of the virgin of Quito who looks out over a stunning view of the city.

Mitad del Mundo – Equator – Afternoon

Drive 25km (16 mi) north of Quito to the Middle of the World, latitude 0º. Stand with one foot in each hemisphere, visit the Intiñan Museum which showcases the immense cultural diversity within this small South American country. On the 00°00’00” magnetic line at the museum experiment with gravity. Later, head up to the Pululahua crater view point, one of the two inhabited volcanic caldera in the world.

08.30 Pick up from Casa Carpedm

Visit to the Puluhua Crater and the monument Equator Line

Museo Itinan Museo – Guided Tour 45 min.

Lunch

City tour (Basilica de Voto Nacional, Plaza Grande, Compania de Jesus, Plaza de San Francisco, La Ronda)

Visit Panecillo

In the afternoon we drop you off in Casa Carpedm
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Casa CarpeDM hostel or similiar in Quito and for Banos Hostel or B&B Guesthouse style.

Day 2: Cotopaxi National Park & Quilotoa Loop

Stop At: Cotopaxi National Park, Latacunga Ecuador
Due to its perfectly symmetrical cone, covered in a thick blanket of snow and ice, the Cotopaxi is one of the tourist highlights in Ecuador and it’s most visited and climbed volcano. The Cotopaxi National Park is situated in a beautiful paramo plateau, where wild horses graze on the extensive plains at the foot of the volcano or gather to drink at the lovely Limpiopungo lagoon, which reflects the white peaks of nearby Volcan Rumiñahui and makes a great spot for watching waterfowl and other birds.

Walking in the National Park, you will notice pumice, ash, stone and other volcanic debris amid the tiny páramos plants. (On a day trip to the Cotopaxi National Park it is possible to drive as high as 4500m, then trek up a sandy scree slope to reach the snout of the glacier at 5000m.)

06:30am We meet at our meeting point.

07:30am We stop in Chaupi for breakfast

09:00am Visit to Cotopaxi National Park and Limpiopungo Lake

11:00am Departure to Quilotoa

Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Laguna Quilotoa, Laguna de Quilotoa, 070701 Ecuador
Quilotoa is a water-filled caldera and the most western volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes. The 3 kilometres (2 mi)-wide caldera was formed by the collapse of this dacite volcano following a catastrophic VEI-6 eruption about 800 years ago, which produced pyroclastic flows and lahars that reached the Pacific Ocean, and spread an airborne deposit of volcanic ash throughout the northern Andes. This last eruption followed a dormancy period of 14,000 years and is known as the 1280 Plinian eruption.

The drive to Laguna Quilotoa – an amazing emerald lagoon inside a volcano crater at the height of approximatetly 3,800 m – displays a beautiful view of the Andean mountains, passing the ancient canyon of Zumbahua and many indigenous towns and farmlands. The trip through the villages of the area provide a fantastic chance to see one of the most authentic parts of the country.

Before lunch we visit a local indigenous home where you have the opportunity to interact with the locals.

15:00pm Departure to Baños.

18:30pm We drop you off in our guesthouse.
Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Tourist Class Hostel or B& B with Shared accommodation

Day 3: Rafting or Canyoning Adventure from Baños

Stop At: Baños, Banos, Ecuador
Starting just before Baños the Pastaza river flows 740 kilometers until it flows in to the Marañon in Peru which is one of the biggest sources of the Amazon river. This river is great for first timers, and will give you a mix of floating through tropical scenery and Adrenalin rush fun. If you take the morning tour we will stop for Lunch on the way, taking the afternoon tour no meals are included. Generally this operates everyday but best to contact us to confirm availability. CarpeDM Adventures is not the operator of this tour but we work closely with the best providers in Banos to ensure safe & peak experience.

08:30 Breakfast at our guesthouse in Baños

09:30 Visit to the amazing waterfall Pailon del Diablo

13:00 Lunch in Baños

14:30 Visit LA CASA DEL ARBOL - the iconic place for iconic pictures

16:00 Visit the downtown for the traditional Baños sweets and try the typical juice made by sugar cane

19:00 Cena in Baños

20:00 Visit the hot springs or visit to Mirador del Volcan

22:00 Transfer to the bus station t(bus to Lago Agrio)
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Casa CarpeDM hostel or similiar in Quito and for Banos Hostel or B&B Guesthouse style.

Day 4: Cuyabeno Reserve, Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve Ecuador, 4 days

Stop At: Cuyabeno Reserve, Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve Ecuador
At 06:30 we meet in Lago Agrio where we will take private transportation to the entrance of the Cuyabeno

Reserve and have Breakfast at the Reserve’s office and begin the two hour canoe ride down the Cuyabeno River to Caiman Lodge.

Caiman Eco-Lodge is at one of the best spots in the reserve, really close to the Laguna Grande and reachable by canoe all year long, not depending on the season. The Lodge accommodates up to 40 people in three individual guest huts; each hut has 2 – 4 double or triple bedrooms (as required) each with its own private bathroom and shower. There is also a relaxing area, hammocks and an amazing tower (3 floors are fit with triple rooms as those mentioned above) with a great view over the lagoon and the jungle from the 7th top floor. All our guests are assisted by an accredited naturalist guide and licensed canoe driver. This is 4/3 night program includes, meals from lunch day 1 until box lunch day 4. Accommodation & activities with a Bilingual Naturalist guide.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: 4/3 nights in the Cuyabeno Reserve in the Caiman Eco-lodge