13 days: £1142
Holiday Itinerary
Day 1: Quito is a city of two halves - a quaint and well-conserved colonial core of cobbled plazas and alleys lined with white-washed mansions and churches, and a dynamic modern zone where you will spend 3 nights at the small and traditional Hotel Rábida.
Day 2: Full day's private trip by four-wheel-drive vehicle through the wilderness of Cotopaxi National Park, dominated by the huge snow-clad volcano of the same name. Visit a high-altitude lagoon patronised by wild horses a multitude of birds. Lunch at a historic hacienda on the way home. Breakfast and lunch included.
Day 3: Full day in the countryside around Quito, sage green and rolling, speckled with adobe villages and towering snow-capped volcanoes. Visit the famous market at Otavalo and lunch at a colonial hacienda. Breakfast and lunch included
Day 4: Fly to Cuenca (1 hr), a peaceful city of colonial flair with glistening marble-stone buildings ennobled with wrought iron balconies and huge wooden doors. 3 nights based at Hotel Carvallo. Breakfast included.
Day 5: Guided tour of the markets, churches, museums and craft shops. To the surprise of many, the Panama hat originated here. Breakfast included.
Day 6: Day at leisure. Wilderness-lovers might choose an optional excursion to the lagoon-dotted high grasslands of the starkly beautiful Las Cajas National Park. Breakfast included.
Day 7: By road to Guayaquil, lively Pacific port. Overnight at Hampton Inn. Breakfast included.
Day 8: Day at leisure in Guayaquil. Breakfast included.
Days 9-11: Warm up in the tropical lowlands, near the little fishing village of San Lorenzo on Ecuador’s delightful Pacific coast, largely undiscovered by tourism. You have 3 nights based at the hotel El Faro Escandinavo, set on one of the most sweeping, undisturbed sandy beaches. From June to October you can spot hump-backed whales from the hotel’s ornamental lighthouse. Various excursions are available from the hotel including forest walks and a full-day on the 'mini-Galápagos' island, Isla de la Plata. Breakfast included.
Day 12: Return to Quito by air for one night.
Day 13: Transfer to airport. |