BIKING ECUADOR VOLCANOES TOUR

There are no activities planned on the first day for you to be able to explore the beautiful city of Quito on your own.  

During our first day adventure, we will go by car to the entrance of the Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve where we will start biking on an old secondary dirt road surrounded by beautiful landscapes of colorful mountains. After descending for about two hours we will enter a lush forest. This area is generally cloudy as this is where the hot current coming from the Pacific reaches the cold altitudes of the sierra and condenses creating a hugely diverse ecosystem. We will have lunch at the roadside and then visit the Equator Solar Museum after which we will travel by car to the hotel.

In the morning we will continue our biking expedition driving up to the foothills of Imbabura volcano. We will start descending on grass and dirt patched paths and roads that connect local indigenous people’s farms. Along the way, we will see corn and quinoa plantations--staples in the local diet.

Once at the base of the volcano we will continue riding along the side of San Pablo Lake, and later head over to Peguche Falls. There we will visit an indigenous family of artisans who will teach us how they weave and make their clothing. Our final stop will be the Otavalo Market, the largest indigenous market in Ecuador, where you can spend some time shopping for unique and colorful souvenirs.

After an early breakfast we will drive south down the Pan-American highway. Our ride will take place in Cotopaxi National Park named after one of the highest active volcanoes on earth, which at nineteen thousand feet, is the most beautiful volcano in Ecuador. We will bike next to the volcano’s base, on dirt roads and single tracks surrounded by an other-worldly landscape dotted by rocks strew about by the volcano during its last major eruption.

For lunch we will picnic within views of Incan ruins and then depending on how the group feels will continue on biking around for a couple of hours longer.

In the morning we will travel to the nearby Ilinizas ecological reserve. This area is known for local art and we will have some time to visit some of the painting and handicraft galleries of the local people who dedicate themselves to their craft. At Quilotoa there is the option to enter into the crater hiking to take in the stunning views and infinite masterpiece of turquoises and blues. Later, we take an epic MTB ride around the rim of the magnificent crate lake. The first part of the ride is a single track that gives you 360 views of the reserve before descending on a narrow dirt road. Ending our day, we will have a picnic in the scenic and hilly town of San Pedro Guayama before driving back to the lodge.

We will continue this amazing expedition driving south to the central Andes, passing Chimborazo Volcano. At over twenty thousand feet, Chimborazo is considered the highest peak in the world if measured from the center of the planet. We will take a short walk to the basecamp of the volcano at sixteen thousand feet and then start biking on an exclusive single track. Along the ride we will see wild vicunas; small relatives of the llama who make their home in the Andes and are very common at this reserve. We will have a picnic in front of the volcano and then drive to the town of Baños, a great place to go out to have a cocktail and dance salsa.

In the morning after breakfast we will go by car up the mountains of the Llanganates National Park. Legend has it there is a hidden Incan treasure in this area and although many explorers venture in trying to find it, it has yet to have been found. We will start biking on asphalt road a bit up the hill to warm up and then we will descend about five thousand feet. An impressive change from the heights of the majestic Andes to the entrance of the lush Amazon Basin. Afterwards we will visit Pailon del Diablo Waterfall so we can refresh a bit, have lunch and then drive to Quito.

As you depart we thank you and wish you safe travels to wherever your final destination may be!