Amazon & Andes Adventure

Today, we’re trading mountain views for rainforest! We’ll take an early morning flight over the Andes deep into the rainforest. We will travel by canoe to the UNESCO recognized Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, one of the most biodiverse places on Earth! It is the ancestral territory of the Kichwa Añangu community, who will be hosting us. We’ll be welcomed with a cup of traditional guayusa tea and have a little time to settle into our cabins before our first rainforest adventure!

This afternoon, we’ll hike to a 40-meter observation tower and climb above the canopy for sunset. Look for toucans and squirrel monkeys in the treetops, listen for howler monkeys, and see if you can spot a sloth tucked into the branches. If you’d rather watch the sunset from the water, you’ll have the option to kayak on the Napo River. Then we’ll head back to the lodge for our first dinner together in the Amazon!

We’ll head out by motorized canoe to a parrot clay lick on the banks of the Napo River, where parrots and parakeets gather to feed on exposed clay. Then we’ll walk through the forest to a second clay lick, where we’ll look for macaws as well. From there, we’ll visit Kuri Muyu, a cultural center run by women from the Añangu community. Our hosts will share Kichwa music, dances, and customs and show us how they use plants from the rainforest.

After lunch, we’ll take a boat out on Añangu Creek. Watch for monkeys leaping between branches and caimans along the banks. If we’re lucky, we might even spot a giant otter! After dinner, grab your flashlight. We’ll head back into the forest for a night walk to look for insects, reptiles, and other wildlife that comes out after dark.

We’ll visit the Añangu community’s sustainability projects, then head into the forest to walk among giant ceiba trees, strangler figs, and tangled vines. After lunch, we’ll hike to a 36-meter observation tower for another chance to spot tropical birds, howler monkeys, and squirrel monkeys from above the canopy.

Tonight, we’ll try Amazonian dishes like maito, fish wrapped in a bijao leaf and grilled. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also try chontakuru, roasted palm larvae! After dinner, we’ll head back out onto the Napo aboard a traditional catamaran. Our hosts will share Kichwa legends and songs while women from the community roast snacks over the fire for us to try.

You’ll have the option to join a guayusada, a Kichwa gathering held before sunrise. Families share guayusa, a tea brewed from the leaves of an Amazonian holly tree, and use this time together to pass down songs and knowledge. We’ll hear traditional songs, and if you’d like, you can share a dream and hear how one of the women from the community interprets it.
After breakfast, we’ll hop back into a motorized canoe for one last ride along the Napo. Keep an eye on the riverbanks for a final wildlife sighting before we fly back to Quito!

After flying back to Quito, we will have time to settle into our hotel in the beautiful historic center. In the afternoon, our historian guide will teach us about Quito’s history and culture as we explore the historic district, basilica, and local markets. In the market, we will participate in a chocolate tasting experience, and be able to sample local fruits. Keep an eye out for hand-made crafts!

In the evening, we will learn how to cook traditional Andean food with a local family and share a meal with them! They will tell us more about what it is like living in Quito!

Keep your eyes on the window this morning! We’ll wind through the Andes, past mountain ridges and volcanoes, on our way to Cotopaxi National Park. Once we arrive, it’s time to saddle up. We’ll ride across the open highland grasslands with local chagras, Ecuador’s traditional Andean cowboys, whose riding skills come from generations of herding cattle in the mountains. On a clear day, we’ll see Cotopaxi’s snowcapped summit rising above the trails.

After a hearty local lunch, we’ll head to Baños and settle into our guesthouse in the center of town. The rest of the day is yours. Wander the streets and stop for a coffee (Ecuador has the best coffee), or give your riding legs a break with a soak in the natural hot springs! *Free evening to dine at your leisure.

Today, we’re going canyoning in Cashaurco Canyon! We’ll gear up with our guides, make our way through the canyon, and rappel down waterfalls with the water rushing beside us. Afterward, the afternoon is yours to explore Baños at your own pace. We’ll meet back up to visit one of my favorite viewpoints in Baños to watch the sun set over the mountains. Then we’ll sit down together for an Andean-style dinner made with locally grown ingredients, share some music, and trade stories from the day.

We’ll start in the highlands of La Suiza, where anyone who wants to bike can hop on for an easy downhill ride toward Patate. We’ll take it slow and ride downhill as we pass green hillsides and farmland, with time to stop for photos of the giant Tungurahua Volcano!

Biking is completely optional; you can choose to ride in the support vehicle for the entire route, from La Suiza to Patate, and enjoy the mountain views from your window. If you start on a bike and decide you’ve had enough, you can switch to the vehicle along the way. Either way, keep an eye on the forest edge for those adorable Andean bears. They’re elusive, so spotting one would be a real treat!

We’ll all enjoy lunch at a local farm, then set out along the Route of Waterfalls. Our big stop is Pailón del Diablo, or the Devil’s Cauldron. We’ll walk down into the gorge, where you can hear the waterfall roar before you see it. Expect a little spray when we get close!
That evening, I’ll take you to one of my favorite restaurants in Baños for dinner together. Save room for quimbolitos, soft, sweet Ecuadorian cakes steamed in achira leaves.

It’s time to say bye to Baños. We will take one last scenic drive back to Quito for your evening flights. We will be leaving ecuador with new friends, lifelong memories, and a newfound appreciation for one of my favorite countries on earth!

*Please plan your departure flight for after 5pm this day. If you would like to spend another night and fly in the morning, please let me know and I can arrange the hotel room *the extra hotel night is not included in the itinerary price.