Arrival in Quito
Arrive at Quito´s international airport. After completing customs and immigration formalities and collecting your luggage, your guide meets you in the arrivals area for the transfer to your hotel.
About your transfer
Our Operations department monitors all flights. If their schedule changes, you do not need to alert us as we will arrange your transfer accordingly to the new schedule.Your transfer might take approximately 40 minutes if your hotel is located in the Colonial Quarters. For hotels near the airport, the transfer might take about 25 minutes.
- Quito’s average temperatures range from 53°F at night to 72°F Fahrenheit on sunny days and drop to 45°F at night in the highlands. It is recommended to dress in layers with a warm jacket if your arrival flight is at night.
Quito Colonial Walking Tour & Chocolate Class
Explore by foot Quito's Historical Center, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, and considered the largest and best-preserved historical center in all of South America.
Visitors can marvel at the hilly cobblestone streets, old Spanish-style residences with garden courtyards dating back centuries, and the Plaza Grande, where the city's most famous buildings, including the Presidential Palace, City Hall, the Archbishop's Palace, and La Compania Church, are located. The Centro Cultural Metropolitano, a cultural center with art exhibits, is also located in the square.
Guests can also learn about Ecuador's role as a world leader in the production of "Fine-Aroma Cacao" at the Cacao Museum, where they can create their own chocolate bar and chocolate mousse or crumble.
About your city tour
- This is a half-day walking tour
- Good walking shoes are suggested for your excursion.
- Itineraries and visits are subject to change due to government regulations, building restoration, weather, and other circumstances. In such a case, your guide will offer a suitable replacement.
Pick up from the lobby
Book A Fine Dining Experience!
From Quito to Cotopaxi Sanctuary Lodge
Early morning your driver will follow the same route taken by the 19th-century German explorer Alexander Von Humboldt. Its exploration journey across America is still unmatched until today, as it covered 10.000 kilometers and lasted five years. Thrilled by the impressive scenery of 70 volcanoes and valleys, Humboldt dubbed the areas as the Avenue of the Volcanoes.
Cotopaxi Sanctuary Lodge lies on the slopes of Sincholagua volcano in front of the Cotopaxi volcano. The lodge floor to ceiling windows offers a 24/7 view of the stunning and perfectly symmetrical cone of the Cotopaxi volcano.
The Lodge's main house has four Suites of 43 square meters all interconnected with floor to ceiling windows and four Domes of 50 square meters, all with a view of the Cotopaxi volcano at an altitude of 3600 meters above sea level. Overnight at Cotopaxi Sanctuary Lodge.
Activities at Cotopaxi Sanctuary Lodge
Over 6 miles of trails within 3 hectares await exploration by the hand of our experienced naturalist and native guides. Once at Cotopaxi Sanctuary Lodge, your host will offer a short brief about the activities available for our guests and, depending on your program, how to combine them.
- Trails: you are welcome to explore more than 6 miles of private trails within the property. You can either enjoy the day hiking or for those more adventurous, by riding a horse or a bike. The area offers fascinating views: endless moorlands, the Pita river, and the Cotopaxi, Rumiñahui, Pasochoa, and Sincholagua volcanoes that surround the area. The property is an excellent spot to see animals that live freely. If lucky, you might spot red brocket deers, Andean foxes, pumas, white-tailed deers, wild horses, the elusive spectacle bear, and the spectacular Andean Condor, the largest flying bird in the world.
- Horseback riding: enjoy endless trails while climbing with your mestizo horse across the Sincholagua volcano slopes with magnificent views of Pululahua, Cotopaxi, Rumiñahui, and Pichincha volcanoes on the horizon. You can include a luxury picnic at the end of this fantastic adventure.
- Pucara Del Salitre Inca Ruins: the fascinating Inca empire reached Ecuadorian territory around the end of the 15th century at the very end of its rule before the arrival of the Europeans. During its golden age, the vast empire extended to the north to Colombia and as far as Argentina on the far side of South America. There is no better place to learn about their history than in the remains of once a fortress that still preserve several stone walls and a semi-restored circular building. Surrounded by a native low lands forest, the walls of this fortress consist of a complex of 15 housing structures with purely military use. Pucara comes from the Kichwa word "pukara" which means "fortress" and is used to refer to a type of pre-Hispanic construction that adopts concentric forms of walls and moats.
- Important: this excursion operates at a high altitude, over 11.480 ft. (3.500 meters) above sea level.
- The Cotopaxi volcano area average temperatures range from 12 Celsius (53 Fahrenheit) at night to 24 Celsius (72 Fahrenheit) on sunny days.
- We recommend wearing good walking shoes, dress in layers, and bring a warm jacket.
- As UV radiation is very high in the Andes, we suggest good sunglasses and adequate sun lotion (at least SPF 30).
- Activities are subject to change without prior notice.
09:00
Pick up from the lobby
Explore Pucara del Salitre Inca Ruins
Take a hike and look for wildlife
Ride a bike across the moorlands
Horseback riding with stunning view of the surrounding volcanoes
Morning at leisure or Exploring the Quilotoa Crater Lake
Early in the morning, we embark on a journey to the Eastern Central Andes, where we will visit one of Ecuador's most breathtaking sites - the Quilotoa Lake. Although it is relatively off the beaten path, this crater lake formed thousands of years ago after a volcanic eruption, is an absolute must-see. It is approximately 820 ft deep and boasts a stunning turquoise color that will leave you in awe. Before we arrive at the crater, we will make a stop to visit the Tigua artisan to see the beautiful hand-made art pieces. The designs on the masks are inspired by the traditional festivities of the Andes, while the Tigua paintings depict the very last indigenous fables that still preserve ancient folklore from before the arrival of the Incas from Peru.
Upon arrival at Quilotoa, we will take a hike along the caldera's border and indulge in a delicious box lunch.
In the afternoon, we will make our way back to Quito, taking in the magnificent views of the Western Andean Mountain Range along the way.
- The standards of Quilotoa Crater Lake are very basic however the view is breathtaking. For this, a box lunch is offered for this excursion.
- You can also decide to have a leisure day in the Lodge and depart to Quito before noon.
Transfer out to the airport
Check out of the hotel and meet your guide for a private transfer to Quito Airport on time for your flight. Once at the airport, your guide will assist with your luggage and check-in.
Pick up from the lobby
