Private Journeys

Signature Ecuador: Volcanoes to the ocean

10 days from £3,440pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Ecuador & Galapagos Islands

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Overview & Highlights

The top highlights of Ecuador on an adventurous family-friendly holiday  Fly to Quito; visit the craft market at Otavalo, and travel by road along the Avenue of the Volcanoes to Cuenca and the upland wilderness Las Cajas National Park.

A variety-packed holiday in Ecuador. Travel first to Ecuador’s highland capital,  visit the world renowned artisan craft market at Otavalo, and travel south by road along the Avenue of the Volcanoes via the Inca ruins of Ingapirca to Cuenca and the upland wilderness of Las Cajas National Park.

Ecuador sits right on the Equator, but its landscapes and climate are governed by altitude: from the sultry tropical coast to the dizzy heights of ice-mantled volcanoes at over 7,000m above sea level, there's huge diversity. It's a tiny country, you can travel from one highlight to another on relatively short, scenic drives or short domestic flights. This holiday of just over a week takes you on an amazing road trip through the Andes, visiting indian villages  where the inhabitants, who still wear their colourful fabrics, maintain a lifestyle little-changed since Spanish colonial times.

The colonial period is not neglected: you'll stay on one of the haciendas originally granted to the Spanish conquistadors, the restored historic core of Quito and Cuenca, a quintessential example of colonial grace and grandeur.

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  • Walking tour of colonial Quito
  • Visit Otavalo market
  • Guided excursion to Lake Cuicocha
  • Avenue of the Volcanoes
  • Visit Cotopaxi National Park
  • Explore Ingapirca Inca ruins
  • Las Cajas National Park

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Mary Anne Nelson

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What our clients say

  • It was exciting just being in Patagonia. The hike in Torres and the Profunda ranch visit in El Calafate were wonderful because they were more personal than the usual tourist…

    SG, Berwick-upon-Tweed
  • Boat ride through the canyon (just what we needed to blow the cobwebs away after an early start and a long journey). Palenque took my breath away - literally, I…

  • This was our fourth holiday with JLA, all have been wonderful experiences, different in their own ways, all with excellent tour leaders, different characters each with a passion for the…

    HW, Bury St. Edmunds
  • Just top notch. Great group of fellow travelers. Great tour leader. Chile was a surprise to me and in a good way. More diverse culture than I expected. People were…

    JW, USA
  • Everything was memorable, a part of the world we've wanted to travel to for a long time. Views of Torres del Paine from the flight between Santiago and Punta Arenas…

    DD, St Albans
  • This trip exceeded our expectations. A thoroughly enjoyable and intriguing insight into the history, culture and scenery of Guatemala and Belize and its ancient Mayan civilisation. And great fun too.…

    WB, Steyning
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Our Expert's Opinion

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.

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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.

  • Juliet
    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

  • Paul
    Paul Winrow-Giffin - Travel Expert

    After graduating in Computer Science, Paul spent seven months travelling from Colombia to Argentina and came home hooked on Latin America.

  • Sophie
    Sophie Barber - Travel Expert

    Sophie lived in Chile before joining us and has travelled extensively across Latin America, from Mexico to the furthest tip of Patagonia and beyond to Antarctica.

  • Charlotte
    Charlotte Daubeney - Travel Expert

    Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.

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