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QUITO
Visit
the City
Standing in Pichincha Province, Quito is the capital
of Ecuador. It lies at an elevation of 2,850 meters
in a nestled valley at the base of the Pichincha
volcano. In spite of the altitude, this city has
a nicely moderate climate because its geographical
position on the equator.
The city of Quito was the northern capital of the Inca Empire and one of the
first cities founded by the Spanish conquistadors. The splendor of the Latin
American Baroque and the Spanish influence in their churches, monasteries and
museums show the best pictorial sign of Quito’s culture (XVII and XVIII
centuries). This is the reason why in 1978, Quito was declared World Heritage
Site by UNESCO.
The tour will begin with the visit to the modern side of the city to continue
toward the old town named Quito Colonial, where you will appreciate
the central square or “Plaza of Independence”, the place where the
city was born. In this square is located the Cathedral of the city, built in
1562 and reconstructed after the earthquake of 1755, the Presidential Palace,
built in 1747, and other historic buildings.
Beautiful churches and convents stand out all over the old town. Some of them
are: La Compañia de Jesus, San Agustin, San Francisco and Santo Domingo.
In 1534, Quito was conquered by Sebastian de Benalcazar and it was baptized with
the name of San Francisco de Quito. In 1822, the general Antonio Jose de Sucre
proclaimed the independence of the city from the Spanish dominion.
Estimated time of the tour: 3 hours.
This visit includes a delicious lunch of typical food where you will enjoy the
flavor of the Ecuadorian cuisine.
Night visits of the city
(Dinner available at a typical restaurant)
Mitad del Mundo
equator monument:
Mitad del Mundo means the equator. The monument
is located 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) North from Quito.
You will visit the place crossed by the 0 parallel
where you can enjoy being at the same time in both
North and South hemispheres.
There is an optional visit to the Ethnographic Museum where you can appreciate
the diversity of the native groups of Ecuador.
Estimated time of the tour: 3 hours (any day of the week).
Folkloric Ballet at night
(previous reservation)
COCHASQUI RUINS:
They are located a few kilometers from Quito and you
can visit them in the morning or in the afternoon. These
pre-Inca ruins with pyramid shape are some vestiges in
which the geographical and strategic position that ancient
cultures used in time of war can be appreciated.
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SPECIALIZED
TOURS
We offer specialized
tours with a minimum quantity of people. These tours
will be leaded by our expert guides and the technical
support of a professional experienced team. You will
be able to know new places, to appreciate customs,
gastronomy, folklore and landscapes in any of the four
regions that Ecuador offers to our visitors.
This kind of tours begins with an informative talk and are guided by the best
experts in any specialized topic that you require for instance: Archaeology,
Ornithology, Biology, Art as well as the best way to recharge energy in the Middle
of the World.
WORKSHOPS
We have special days for craft workshops in different
communities of the Highlands or the Amazon Region,
where you can learn some of their teaching and how
to make handycrafts such as necklaces or masks while
sharing an interesting talk.
Art Galleries
Route
You can visit the main art galleries of the city where
you can find masterpieces of some of the most famous
Ecuadorian artists like Guayasamin, Viteri, Kingman,
among others.
INDIGENOUS
MARKETS
OTAVALO
About 2 hours and 80 kilometers (49.6 miles) from Quito,
you can visit the indigenous market in Otavalo, famous
in the world for its crafts, knitted fabrics and tapestries.
This market, located in a square called Plaza de los Ponchos, is one
of the most important tourist places of Ecuador.
There is no doubt that Otavalo is one of the most important attractions in the
Highland region.
Before arriving to Otavalo, you will cross the valleys of Guayllabamba and Cayambe
and look at farms and plantations of roses. Toward 1550, some textile shops were
settled down in this region and they stretched toward other towns around Otavalo
like Peguche and Cotacachi among others. You will be able to appreciate the looms
which have been used for more than 500 years by native people who still continue
working skillfully.
This tour includes lunch in one of the hostels of the area where you will enjoy
some typical food to know a little bit more about the Ecuadorian way of life.
In the afternoon, you will visit Cotacachi, a city famous for its leather handcrafts
and products.
This tour is available for 2 days to visit the different lakes and other towns
of the area where you can enjoy other crafts and get more knowledge about Ecuadorian
customs. You can find other indigenous markets in Saquisili and Pujili, located
south of Quito.
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COTOPAXI
Driving to the south
and across the "Avenue of the Volcanoes",
as Alexander von Humboldt called it, you will arrive
to one of the most important provinces where you will
find Cotopaxi National Park. A visit to the Sucre Museum
will help you understand the different eruptions and
the creation of the majestic volcano Cotopaxi, one
of the highest mountains to climb in the world.
You will have the possibility to practice trekking and climb to the refuge located
at 4800 meters above sea level. You will be able to enjoy a delicious hot chocolate
as a special treat from this zone.
Lunch will be included in one of the region’s inns or if you prefer to
enjoy the nature you will get an excellent lunch box.
PASOCHOA
Toward the South, about
one hour from Quito, you will arrive to one of the most
beautiful protector forests in the country, which is
recognized as an unrivalled habitat for great quantity
of birds and mammals that live in about a thousand hectares.
In this place you can find around 120 species of birds
as black birds, silversmiths and turtledoves. Because
of the unique vegetation you can find pumamaquis (an
endemic tree) and you can also take a great walk, see
wonderful landscapes and be able to enjoy a country lunch.
MINDO
Mindo-Nambillo is located in the northwest region
of Pichincha Province. Mindo is the most important
natural reserve of birds in the country and a paradise
for nature lovers because it is the perfect place
to watch around 500 species of birds that fly together
in the Highland’s sky.
There are semi tropical primary and secondary rain forests. In the middle of
the variety of flora, there are mammals, reptiles and colorful butterflies which
are other of the attractions of the region. Rivers and cascades let the visitors
enjoy the nature and practice adventure sports such as rafting, trekking and
canopying.
One day tours available (lunch is included)
BANCOS
This place is located in the northwest region of
Pichincha Province. In Bancos you will enjoy "El
Tagual", a typical farm of the zone, where you
will share a comfortable stay, delicious food, and
nice talks with people from the community. You can
also ride horses, take a bath in the Blanco River,
enjoy the milk, watch the birds of this region, and
share a wonderful night around a bonfire if the weather
is good.
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GUAYAQUIL
The seaport and commercial
capital of Ecuador, at 45 minutes by plane from Quito,
it is the most populated city of Ecuador .
One hour away from Guayaquil (road trip) is the Pacific Ocean bathing some exotic
beaches like Salinas among others.
One of the most interesting places to know in Guayaquil is the Santo Domingo
church which belongs to the XVI century in the old neighborhood of “Las
Peñas” as well as the monument that commemorates one of the most
important events that have taken place in the city: the Conference of Guayaquil
in 1822 that was attended by the liberators Jose de San Martin and Simon Bolivar.
In 1535, Guayaquil was founded by Sebastian de Benalcazar under the name of Santiago
de Guayaquil. In 1538, the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Orellana reformed
the city under the order of Francisco Pizarro.
We offer different tours in your visit to the beautiful city of Guayaquil such
as museums, Cerro Santa Ana, Las Peñas, Malecon 2000, Cerro del Carmen,
Santay Island, Cerro Blanco, Manglares de Puerto Hondo or Ruta de la Cocoa, with
the company of professional experts who collaborate with the conservation of
the environment and the social development of the country.
CUENCA
This city, located on the south of the country, is
one of the most visited and one of the most important
tourist destinations.
During the Colonial period,
Cuenca was an important center in the Royal Road
of the Incas that crossed Ecuador. In the second
half of the XV century, the Incas dominated a big region
called Tahuantisuyo that began south of Colombia and
ended in Chile. The way of communication among all these
territories was called Qapaq Ñan or Real
Road.
At that time, Tupac Yupanqui was the leader of the army that built the Inca Empire.
Incas built a lot of settlements like Tomebamba where the city of Cuenca started
to grow as a mixture of fortresses and religious buildings alike to the majestic
temple of Cuzco.
The journey will begin with a visit to the Ingapirca Ruins, located 3.200 meters
above sea level, where you will feel the magic of the Inca expansion in the Ecuadorian
Andes.
Available visits to Gualaceo, Chordeleg or the National Park of Cajas.
The lodging will be arranged in one of the most comfortable and elegant hostels
in the city.
AMAZON
REGION
The Amazon Rain Forest is
an exciting and wild region where a prodigious diversity
of animals and, infinity of species of birds like
parrots and macaws live. In this region you can also
observe the tapir, armadillo, jaguar, and different
varieties of restless monkeys such as the lanudos, tamarindos or araña.
This complex ecosystem makes many scientists continue
in their arduous work of investigating the fauna
and flora biodiversity, one of the largest in the
planet.
The Ecuadorian Amazon region can be visited in different types of tours, either
traveling in private transportation, bus or plane. You can enjoy some organized
ecotourism activities in comfortable facilities that have been created to offer
the best services to the visitors and explorers of this fantastic jungle.
Additionally, you can see a lot of indigenous cultures as Shuar, Achuar, Secoya-Siona,
Cofan, Quichua, among others. In 2001, the UNESCO declared the Zapara culture
Oral Heritage just when they were on the edge to disappear.
Meanwhile you get inside the Amazon rain forest, one of the most important lungs
in the world you will find a warmer weather and sudden tropical rains where the
most exotic animals live as well as you will know more about the secrets of our
indigenous ancestors.
As part of the offered tours, you will be able to travel to Coca or Lago Agrio
Cities where you will take a motorized canoe to travel on one of the wonderful
rivers of the Amazon. This way, the visitor will go into in the astonishing jungle
before arriving to the lodge or chosen camp where it is included: complete feeding,
tours and walks inside the jungle, a native guide, visits to the communities,
gold washing pan, boots, and water ponchos.
If you do not want to penetrate in the deep Amazon Forest as the Cuyabeno, you
can travel toward the Puyo or the Tena Cities where you will also find numerous
lodges.
Available Tours: 4, 5 and 8
days of duration.
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GALAPAGOS
ISLANDS
Their official name
is Columbus Archipelago and it is located 600 miles
west of the Ecuadorian coast. In 1959, Ecuador declared
it National Park and in 1986, Marine Reserve being
the second biggest of the world. Additionally, it was
declared a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The Galapagos Islands have 13 big islands, 17 small ones and dozens of rocks
that spurted up from a marine platform to 2.000 meters height. According to the
scientists, these islands were born approximately 9.000 million years ago due
to a combination of tectonic forces and volcanic eruptions, a process that continues
until present time.
Galapagos are considered the biggest natural laboratory in the world and an investigation
center for universal science. It is the biggest natural tourist attraction in
the contemporary world and one of the 20 hottest points of the Earth for its
constant volcanic activity.
When Charles Darwin visited the islands in 1835, he was inspired to develop his
famous "Theory of Evolution", based on the observations of the differences
among the same species in different islands.
Galapagos primitive and fascinating landscape has not changed its natural scenario
during millions of years. Their flora and fauna have evolved without having an
external influence.
Ecuador contributes to the conservation of the marine and earthly life with a
laboratory with scientific proposals that foments a sustainable eco-tourism for
nature lovers, based on the strictest laws on the ecological field in the world.
We offer organized trips in boats as yachts or ships of different categories
depending on your budget and time to visit this last sanctuary of wild life,
as it was named by the famous explorer Jacques Cousteau in one of his trips.
All on board meals are included as well as the visits to the islands according
to the itinerary of the boat, a bilingual and qualified guide provided by Charles
Darwin Station, and a surprise gift from WAKANI EXPEDITIONS.
The visitors will be able to know one of the hottest points in the archipelago
such as Wolf and Darwin Islands, considered by diving experts “The world’s
Meca of the sharks”, whose species are protected in the Marine Reserve
of the Galapagos Islands. You will also have the possibility to dive and appreciate
these species from a very short distance. It is recommended to make a reservation
in advance and not to forget your camera in order to record those moments you
will never forget.
You can also practice snorkeling and play with the
fabulous marine wolves.
Onboard Tours: 4, 5 and 8 days
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