Private Journeys

Self-drive Ecuador: The back roads of the Andes

10 days from £3,210pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Ecuador & Galapagos Islands

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Overview & Highlights

An exhilarating self-drive adventure exploring the cloud forest of Ecuador’s Andean foothills on the fringe of the Amazon basin. 

Between the high Andean plateaux studded with snow-dipped volcanoes and the sultry rainforest of the Amazon basin, the eastern foothills and valleys of Ecuador are stifled with the giant ferns, creepers and orchids of misty cloud forest. Winding its way south through this ethereal landscape, parallel with the Andean spine and tracing what is known as the ‘eyebrow of the jungle’ is a the paved road, Route 45. Recent improvements to this road mean that places once almost inaccessible to visitors are now brought within easy reach of Quito and the country’s principal highland cities.  

The traffic is relatively light and the route is wondrously scenic throughout, creating for independent drivers a brand new opportunity to discover a little-visited region by self-drive hire car. We’ve designed an innovative itinerary for you where you travel under your own steam down this road staying at forest-based lodges along the way, with opportunities to take a dip in thermal pools, go river rafting, jungle trail walking and wildlife spotting, while visiting local indigenous communities and their farms to immerse yourself in their way of life. 

Climbing back up to the high Andes you’ll return north to Quito along the famed Avenue of the Volcanoes, a completely different environment of wide open spaces blanketed by sprawling pastures and haciendas pitted with the perfect cones of a string of ice-clad mountain peaks, some still fizzing with activity. You'll pull over to discover the dazzling colours of an indigenous market and venture off the paved road to explore safely the sublime Cotopaxi National Park, the most beautiful in the country. 

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  • Walking tour of colonial Quito
  • 8 days of self-drive in Ecuador
  • Choice of activities each day

THE UK’S NO. 1 SPECIALIST IN TRAVEL TO LATIN AMERICA

Lina

Lina Fuller

Travel Expert

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Bartolome, Galápagos

What our clients say

  • A fantastic trip that includes highlight after highlight - from natural beauty to historical ruins. Lots of travelling but always jaw dropping views through the window. Highlights of the trip…

    DN, Peterborough
  • Overall it was a wonderful trip with an exceptional tour leader assisted by excellent local guides and drivers. We left with memories that will last a lifetime.

    GC, Fortrose
  • There are so many memorable parts of the trip it would be difficult to pick out one. Our overriding memories will be the totality of what we saw of South…

    AP, Bridgwater
  • Group tour was all memorable - for all the right reasons! A trip with JLA is a trip with the local experts. They respond quickly to challenges such as FCO…

    HR, Brentford
  • "The drive across the Salt Flats/Desert in Bolivia - generally the Andean scenery was breathtaking and the drives were something we had never experienced before."

    RS, Swanage
  • Most memorable experience? - Boat trip at Tortuguero.  Watching a falcon catch and eat a snake! Seeing Honduran White tent-building bats roosting under a Heliconium leaf. A superb holiday for those…

    ST, York
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Our Expert's Opinion

Lina
Lina Fuller Travel Expert Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

Inspired by this trip

Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

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Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

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Bartolome, Galápagos

Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Chris
    Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert

    Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.

  • Ben
    Ben Line - Travel Expert

    Ben fell in love with Latin America on a six month backpacking trip from Colombia to Mexico in 1995. Since then he has explored most of South America, including living in Peru for a year. He is now Head of Sales.

  • Mary
    Mary Anne Nelson - Travel Expert

    Born in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, Mary’s insider knowledge and dry sense of humour make her a highly valued member of the Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tour sales team.

  • Hannah
    Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Expert

    Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.

  • Kathryn
    Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Expert

    Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.

  • Hannah
    Hannah Donaldson - Travel Expert

    Having spent part of her childhood in Colombia and worked in Brazil and Costa Rica, Hannah's ties to Latin America run deep. Hannah is a much valued Travel Expert in our Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tours sales team.

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