Tours Within Ecuador   CHILE    BOLIVIA    PERU
 
 
Package Tours to Ecuador
Andean Odyssey proudly offers an outstanding selection of tour packages to Ecuador - from regional tours of Ecuador's coastal, highland and Amazon jungle regions, to all-inclusive ecoadventures in Quito and the surrounding Andean countryside, the Amazon rain forest and the Galapagos Islands. Andean Odyssey also offers a fabulous variety of adventure programs and special interest packages.

Regional Tours
Ecuador's coastal region features the country's largest city, Guayaquil, and the port of Manta and the beautiful surrounding tropical jungle. Here you can visit Montecristi, where the world's finest straw "Panama Hats" are made, quaint fishing villages, and see Ecuador's thriving export industries of bananas, coffee and cacao.

Andean Odyssey offers a wide variety of tour packages to the spectacular Andean highlands of Ecuador. Start in the Quito - set in a compact valley surrounded by snow-capped peaks, and filled with lovely Spanish colonial architecture, Quito is commonly called the most picturesque capital city in Latin America. From there, it is a short distance to la Mitad del Mundo - where you can step in the southern and northern hemispheres at the same time, Otavalo - with its Indian market and some of Ecuador's finest handicrafts, Cotopaxi National Park, the lovely colonial city of Cuenca, and Baņos - the gateway to the Ecuadoran jungle.

Andean Odyssey tours to Ecuador's Amazon rain forest offer you the accommodations you are looking for. Whether it's an air conditioned cruise down the Amazon or a walking tour in search of the exotic flora and fauna of the rainforest, you can't better the tours we have to offer.

Ecoadventures in Quito and Elsewhere in Ecuador
Andean Odyssey offers a superb variety of ecoadventures in Quito and other fabulous destinations in Ecuador. Choose among a variety of 8 to 16 day ecoadventures in Quito that may encompass the Galapagos Islands, the Andean city of Otavalo and its fabled marketplace and the snow-capped volcano of Cotopaxi, among other extraordinary attractions in this little gem of a country.

Adventure Programs
Adventure travel in Ecuador is at your fingertips when you plan your trip with Andean Odyssey. Trekking and other ecoadventures in Quito and the nearby Andean highlands can't get any better. Full adrenaline - Andean Odyssey tours of Ecuador have it all!

Special Interest Tours
Andean Odyssey has a variety of bird-watching tours, as well as other tailor-made special interest tours for family travel, study tours for executives and students, and experiential tourism to satisfy your desire to work with the local population.

So don't forget - whether you prefer a tour of Ecuador's coastal, highland or jungle region, one of a number of ecoadventures in Quito and elsewhere in this compact country at the center of the world, or a specialized, made-to-order educational experience, the specialists at Andean Odyssey are ready to make your vacation dream come true!
 
     Special Interest  
 
     - BirdWatching
Tours Within Ecuador
     - Family Travel
 
     - Experiential Tourism
 
     - Study Tours
 
 
     - Vegetarian Tours
 
  Highlights
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   

    - The Andean Energy (Thermal Springs Tour)
    - Inca Baths (Thermal Springs Tour)
Program : Inca Baths (Thermal Springs Tour)
(9 DAYS 8 NIGHTS)
100% vegetarian meals included.


DAY 1
Quito

Assistance and transfer in Quito from airport to selected Hotel

 
Quito, founded by the Spanish conquistadors on late 1534 over the remains of an eight-hectare walled and purposely-destroyed Inca palace was the hometown of the last Inca emperor, Atahualpa. Proudly displays the privilege of being the first City ever declared by Unesco as Cultural Heritage Site back in 1979. With over one and a half million inhabitants and temperate weather year around holds the largest colonial district found on the Americas composed by around 320 blocks of Spanish homes, plazas and countless convents, monasteries and churches built along the last five centuries.

Overnight at La Rabida Hostal in Quito, standard room including breakfast

No meals included.


DAY 2
Quito/Papallacta

AM: Quito Colonial and Modern

This three hour sightseeing excursion offers the best of Quito with its rich cultural legacy, ornate facades, and dazzling gilt altars Visit the Independence Square, The Archbishop's palace, The Metropolitan Cathedral as well as other very representative samples of colonial art and architecture. Drive to the hill of Panecillo for a panoramic view of the city. At the end drive to a local restaurant for a fixed menu vegetarian lunch.
  

After lunch continue to the Baņos Termales or natural hot springs of Papallacta. Papallacta is privileged located in an area between two Andean-Equatorial majestic volcanoes; namely, Cayambe and Antisana. The thermal waters feeding the Papallacta fountains emerge from deep geological layers through fissures up to the surface with all its healthy properties.

We will arrive to Termas de Papallacta spa & resort, located on the "Cinnamon Trail", the same route that the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Orellana followed in 1542, leading to his discovery of the Amazon river. Termas de Papallacta hot springs spa & resort serves as the gateway to the Ecuadorian Amazon region. Enjoy therapies, massages, and treatments tailored to your needs.

Overnight at Termas de Papallacta Spa & Resort, standard rooms including dinner and breakfast.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner.


DAY 3
Papallacta / Mindo/ Quito

 
Early departure to Discover one of the world's top-five biodiversity hotspots, according to Conservation International; understand your relationship with nature as you listen the concert of life around you. At 80 kms northwest of Quito we find a Reserve of 15,000 acres of rainforest of incredible beauty and tranquillity; this amazingly bio diverse region is home of: 2000 species of plants, including at least 90 species of ferns and vivid flowering varieties such as bromeliads and orchids.

Constant moisture in this montane environment provides perfect conditions for epiphytes and allows great variety of vegetation with more than 325 species of birds including the Golden headed Quetzal, Crimson-rumped Toucanets, Violet-tailed Sylph, Broad-billed Motmot, an active "Andean Cock-of the Rock" and at least 250 species of butterflies and moths, such as the Electric blue Morpho. Lunch included on set-menu basis.

In the afternoon return to Quito.

After a well deserved rest you will be conducted to the place where dinner will take place; participants will learn about Ecuadorian vegetarian cuisine as you help to prepare one of the dishes that will be served during dinner following the instructions of the Chef.

Overnight at La Rabida Hostal in Quito, standard room including breakfast.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.


DAY 4
Quito / Baños / Patate

Baņos, located in Ecuador's Central Andes on the Eastern cordillera, is famous for its mineral hot springs and exotic scenery.

The drive itself shows a variety of terrain with temperate valleys and both of the towering Andean ranges forming what von Humboldt called "The Avenue of the Volcanoes" and from Ambato East down into the valley of Patate with its productive fruit and vegetable land. Baņos is located in this great canyon and displays a good variety of attractions. From its unique and peculiar church to crafting of many items. The thermal springs from the volcano are known to have medicinal properties so are almost a must. Down bellow the Pastaza River canyon is a collection of beautiful waterfalls and great nature trails
 


In the evening we will have a speech about "The Energy nearby Llanganates"

Overnight at Hacienda Leito, standard room including dinner and breakfast

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.


DAY 5
Patate / El Puyo/ Misahualli

Early in the morning drive to Misahualli in the Ecuador Amazon rain forest.

 
Arrival to La Casa del Suizo Lodge which is a tranquil Amazonian refuge located on the shore of Ecuador's majestic Napo River and a stone's throw away from the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains. Perched comfortably above the riverbank and the small Quichua Indian village of Ahuano, La Casa del Suizo overlooks vast expanses of the surrounding tropical rainforest environment.

Overnight at La Casa del Suizo lodge, standard room including dinner and breakfast. Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner.


DAY 6
Misahualli

All excursions at La Casa del Suizo will be led by both a bilingual naturalist as well as a native guide with expert knowledge of the rainforest's medicinal and other useful plants. A typical day begins after an early breakfast, and there are a variety of trails and activities to choose from: Walks may range from full day hikes through primary rainforest to short, easy walks along river islands, depending on each group's interests and physical abilities.

Most outings end at noon and guests are brought back to the hotel for lunch. However, for those activities that last all day box vegetarian lunches will be provided.

OPTIONAL TOURS :


Optional Tour 1
Misicocha 		  Optional Tour 2
Cosana / Amazoonico 		  Optional Tour 3
Chicha, Blowgun, Ceramics
Situated 15 minutes upstream by boat there is a private reserve of the Casa del Suizo with primary forest, which we would like to show you. At the thatch roof shelter, located a hundred meters away from the shore, paths of different lengths and difficulty levels start out (walking time from 1.5 - 4 hours). Your local guide will introduce you to the secrets of the tropical rain forest. The routes lead you through picturesque creeks, some hills up and down, to a scenic viewpoint, always walking under the dark jungle canopy. Your guide explains you how the Quichuas use the large variety of plants. Their broad knowledge about the medicinal plants is impressive. After the walk we offer you a refreshing ride downstream on a raft made of balsa wood. In about 30 minutes you arrive back at the Casa del Suizo
A 20 minutes boatride takes you to Cosano, a private property with primary forest on the Rio Arajuno. Walks of different lengths (1 - 3 hours) lead you through the dark world of the rain forest. From two different points of view you can overlook the village Ahuano, the Rio Napo and some smaller rivers that merge with it. Your local guide explains to you the amazing world of the plants that you encounter on your walk. Afterwards you are invited to float downstream the Arajuno on a big inner tube. Don't worry, the ride is peaceful and relaxing. Also located on the Rio Arajuno is the famous animal shelter AmaZoonico. Its mission is to take care of injured or confiscated wild animals and if possible to set them free later. This is a great opportunity for our guests to observe animals living in the region, that are difficult to see in the wilderness. A 15 minutes boat ride takes you back to the Casa del Suizo.
A short boatride downstream takes you to a Quichua family living somewhat outside of the village. You will witness the production of Chicha and be invited to taste the most common drink of the region. One will explain you the blowgun, an important weapon for the people of the jungle in former times. Take the chance to have a try yourself with this difficult and special method of hunting. After a 30 minutes walk back to the village on an even road we will visit a ceramics workshop. A Quichua woman will show you the handmade production of the typical fine ceramics of the Oriente, for which they use exclusively natural materials.
         
Optional Tour 4
Isla Anaconda 		  Optional Tour 5
Pangayacu/The Hunting Tra 		  Optional Tour 6
Isla San Rafael/Museum
You will cross the river to the island vis-a-vis. The path is even and the walk will last between one and two hours. Your guide explains to you the local agriculture: manioc (local name Yuca), bananas, cocoa, coffee, various herbs and tubers, mostly planted and sometimes growing wild.
20 minutes downstream you can follow a rather steep path in the forest, that leads you to different models of hunting traps traditionally used by the Quichuas. Your guide explains to you how they work and which type of animals they catch. The path is partially improved with wooden stairs, and is slippery when wet. The walk lasts about two hours, and half-way you will reach an outlook with a view of the Rio Napo.
A short boatride upstream takes you to an island. You then cross the island on an hour's walk and reach the Rio Arajuno. Here you will visit a museum, in which your guide will explain to you the different exhibits: models of hunting traps, ceramics, the blowgun, musical instruments, kitchen utensils and other things that exist in a Quichua family's life.
         


Overnight at La Casa del Suizo lodge, standard room including dinner and breakfast

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner.


DAY 7
Misahualli/Quito

Return to Quito. Lunch in route

Arrival to Quito and transfer to the hotel

PM: At leisure

In the evening enjoy a Vegetarian Dinner at local Restaurant

Overnight at La Rabida Hostal in Quito, standard room including breakfast

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch.


DAY 8
Quito

AM: Equator Complex & lunch

Visit the famous Equatorial Monument, where will have the chance to visit a colonial model village located just at the Equatorial Line, marked by geographers as latitude 000'00". A visit to the museum could be included, this museum featuring Ecuador's ethnic groups from Galapagos to the Amazon. You will have the opportunity to stand-up at two hemispheres at the same time. Enjoy your vegetarian lunch on a local restaurant based on fixed menu.

 
PM: Experience the energy pyramids, relax and indulge yourself at Hierba Buena SPA located right in the Middle of the World Dinner at hotel

Overnight at La Rabida Hostal in Quito, standard room including breakfast

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.



Included:
  • Regular services with bilingual English & Spanish speaking guide
  • Overnight at mentioned hotels or similar
  • Accommodation in standard rooms.
  • Vegetarian meals as described
Not included:
  • Meals not described.
  • Beverages.
  • Personal buyings.
  • Tips.
  • Neither early check in, nor late check out.
  • Air tickets international and domestic.
  • International departure tax: USD 25.00 per person - subject to change.
  • Therapies, messages, nor treatments of the Thermal Club at Termas de Papallacta Spa & Resort.
 
 
 
e-mail : tours@andeanodyssey.com    www.andeanodyssey.com