Welcome to Quito, Ecuador. Upon arrival at Mariscal Sucre International Airport clear immigration, collect your bags and clear customs, then exit the arrivals hall where you will be met by a local representative and transferred to your hotel.
Overnight at Hotel Mama Cuchara (Deluxe Room)
International flights
Colonial City Walking Tour (3 hours)
Ecuador has history, fascinating indigenous cultures, slow winding rivers and lush tropical forests, spectacular snow-capped volcanoes and some of the most exciting wildlife on earth.
The place to start is Colonial Quito: a city of narrow cobblestone streets lined with whitewashed walls and, rising above, the steeples and cupolas of the city's many spectacularly decorated historic churches. The city has one of the best preserved colonial centers in all South America and its integrity was assured in 1978 when the United Nations declared Quito a World Cultural Heritage site.
We will walk through the Main Plaza, where you will see the Government Palace and some of the most important churches built around the XVI and XVII centuries, including the La Compañía, and the San Francisco Monastery which was begun 5 days after the founding of the city in 1534.
We will also visit the city’s most famous colonial street, La Ronda, where we will learn about traditional work in Colonial Quito.
Quito offers its visitors and locals markets that date back to pre-Inca times when everyone exchanged goods. This type of interaction is still alive today in Quito's popular markets and street fairs. On our tour, you will have the chance to learn about and taste many local varieties of fruits and vegetables. After visiting the market, we will enjoy a delicious lunch where you help to act as the chef in preparing traditional food.
The menu we will prepare is an example of ingredients from Ecuador's four regions, combined with subtle stylistic elements from our chef leader.
Exploring the finest Chocolate
For the ultimate chocolate experience, we offer guests the chance to take an exclusive journey through 5,000 years of culture and awaken their senses with the finest chocolate & art that Ecuador has to offer. The 'Chocolate & Art Experience,'a one-of-a-kind journey in Quito that celebrates the rich history, art and chocolate of Ecuador. To'ak chocolate uses the oldest and rarest cacao variety on earth to make extremely limited editions of single-origin Ecuadorian dark chocolate. Visitors then get to taste the extraordinary results while guided by a chocolate specialist in a top-level experience akin to a fine wine or aged whiskey tasting.
The tasting is held in a private wine cellar in one of the most unique and fascinating art museums in the world. Some of the 20th century’s most notable people such as Fidel Castro, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and the King of Spain were entertained in the wine cellar. Guests are guided through a comprehensive tasting of raw and roasted cacao beans, as well as four different editions of To’ak Chocolate while learning about different cacao varieties, terroir, fermentation methods, barrel-aging and how they influence the expression of chocolate.
Overnight at Hotel Mama Cuchara (Deluxe Room)
Our first stop is the food market. What better way to understand a culture than by learning about its food! We will explore the market and learn about the different crops which are produced in the surrounding farmlands which we will be exploring over the next few days. Our expert guides will inspire you with information on the colorful, tasteful fruits and vegetables while interacting with the “caseras”.
Cultural Immersion at Otavalo
From the food market, we head into the heart of this bustling city market - the Plaza de Ponchos, the biggest Indian market famous for its craft work. Our recommendation: wander and explore it on your own, interact and get a feeling for it. Our guides will be there to assist you in your exploration.
After Otavalo, we will travel back in time to the small communities that surround this big busy commercial town and whose farmers, ranchers and craftspeople make the Otavalo market what it is.
First we will explore the community of Peguche and then continue along the path to a beautiful 50 ft. (18 m) waterfall which is also an Indigenous Ceremonial Site used for purification baths held here prior the Inti Raymi celebration.
Our hike continues to the town of Agato where we will be hosted by an incredible family that preserves the tradition of weaving on a back-strap loom. Sadly, this art form is slowly dying, so be inspired and help us support the conservation of this art! The quality of the items produced at the workshop is clearly superior to many of the machine-woven products you may find in the market and your purchase goes directly into the efforts of this community to revive this ancient art.
In the second part of the day we will explore a more rural area as we hike above these communities learning about small-scale agriculture, an important part of life in the valley. Meet people that continue to farm their land and learn about the products you saw earlier in the market, especially grain crops, like quinoa.
The scenery is gorgeous and from this vantage point in the foothills of Imbabura, you can see all the places we hiked through in the morning. If it's a clear day you can even see Cotacachi Volcano.
At the end of the trail, our supporting vehicle will be waiting for us to take us to our Hacienda
Overnight at the Zuleta (Deluxe Room)
Full Day Cuicocha Loop - Crater Lake Exploration
Today we will drive to the Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve for a three to four hour hike at Lake Cuicocha, a deep-blue crater lake on the lower southern flanks of Mount Cotacachi. We will enjoy more views of the surrounding volcanoes Cayambe, Imbabura and Cuicocha while learning about the local flora and fauna. For bird watchers, there will be the chance to see ruddy ducks, giant hummingbirds, silvery grebes, and more.
After the hike we will stop at the picturesque colonial town of Cotacachi, famous for its leather work before we head back to the Hacienda.
Overnight at the Zuleta (Deluxe Room)
Cheese Making Excursion Hacienda Zuleta
At Zuleta , we’ll hike for an hour back to the Hacienda to visit the cheese factory and embroidery workshop where we will learn all about the farm’s purebred horses.
Zuleta is a 4,000-acre working hacienda with general agriculture, forestation and dairy farming operations. The remainder of the day is free to relax or visit the beautiful grounds of the Hacienda.
Colonial Hacienda Zuleta
At Zuleta you may visit the organic garden, feed baby calves, count sheep, talk to the vaqueros, enjoy the embroidery museum, or relax in the garden and visit the hacienda surroundings.
Condor Project
Today we will hike or ride around one hour to the Hacienda’s condor reintroduction project, stopping along the way to see some pre-Inca mounds.
After these activities enjoy a delicious lunch that will be prepared in a local’s home who has kindly agreed to share his home and life with us and give us a cooking class!
Overnight at the Zuleta (Deluxe Room)
At a time advised locally you will be transferred from Otavalo to Quito Airport. A rewarding 30 minute shared charter flight from Quito to Coca over the eastern Andes mountain range is the beginning of this amazing Amazon experience.
After landing, a short transfer will drop you at the port in the Napo River. From here you will take a comfortable covered motor boat ride along the Napo River for approximately two hours.
After arriving at Napo Wildlife Center’s welcoming area, we take a magical and peaceful 2 hour dugout-canoe along a narrow creek that connects to the lake where the lodge is located. Great chances to spot wildlife, various species of monkeys, and large birds like toucans, parrots or even macaws.
Late afternoon arrival at the lodge. After dinner a short introductory walk and cayman observation in a paddle canoe are the last activities before a well deserved rest.
Overnight at the Napo Wildlife Center (Suite Cabin)
After a buffet breakfast, experience the life above the forest floor by visiting the 118 feet (36m) canopy tower. This tower is located about 30 minutes from the lodge deep within the forest. Get a very good sample of the 567 species recorded in the forest so far, with a close look at colorful tanagers, macaws, toucans, flycatchers and even spider or howler monkeys feeding on the nearby trees. The canopy tower opens a whole new world to the guests of the Napo Wildlife Center.
Return to the lodge for a typical Ecuadorian lunch. After lunch there are many options to choose from before you start the afternoon activity: swim in the lake with your guides, climb the dinning room tree tower for more birds, or just relax in your hammock.
In the afternoon, hike through a marvelous terra- firma forest to discover the ecology and the role of plants in the complex world of the tropical rainforest - vines, ancient trees, bromeliads and orchids stand out in this impressive natural garden. After the hike, explore the surrounding creeks with possibility of running into a giant otter family.
Overnight at the Napo Wildlife Center (Suite Cabin)
This morning we visit the best parrot clay licks in Ecuador! You will get an early start and paddle downstream on the Añangu creek as far as the welcome area. Then, take the motor boat for a 10 minute ride for a wonderful view of thousands of parrots such as Amazon-Mealy, blue-headed and orange–cheek, among others, landing on the earth to eat the clay.
Later, we'll meet back in the welcome area for a short hike to the parakeets’ clay lick, where hundreds of cobalt-winged parakeets remain on the top of the trees searching for the best time to eat the salts, chemicals and minerals contained in the organic matter. Lunch in the welcome area.
In the afternoon, visit the interpretation area to see the traditions of the ancestral Kichwa community of Añangu and share a traditional ceremony with the shaman. Back to the lodge late in the afternoon where you’ll be welcomed back with a refreshing juice.
Overnight at the Napo Wildlife Center (Suite Cabin)
This morning we hike along the Tiputini trail and its terra-firma forests and swamp forests, searching for more wildlife such as Golden-Mantled Tamarins, white-faced Capuchin monkeys, two and three-toed sloths, pygmy squirrels, carnivores and their tracks on the forest floor.
We'll head back to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon paddle canoes will take you to explore deeper areas in the surrounding creeks with more possibilities of seeing unique wildlife. After dinner, a video about the community and Napo Wildlife Center will be shared with you.
Overnight at the Napo Wildlife Center (Suite Cabin)
Enjoy an early breakfast, and last excursion canoeing back to the Napo river, the creek may reveal new sights of giant otters, Monk Saki monkeys, hoatzins, or other birds. The motorized canoe will return you back to Coca for your flight back to Quito.
International flights
