Overview

Ecuador step by step

(Departures on: Monday)
(6 nights / 7 days)

In this program of 6 nights / 7 days you will enjoy the variety of climates in Ecuador by experiencing a trip in coastal and highland regions.

Itinerary

Day 1 Monday :

Monday: Transfer Airport / Hotel

Day 2 Tuesday:

Tuesday: Breakfast. Excursion to Otavalo Market

Departure from Quito through The Panamericana North Highway. Brief stop at Calderon, a town where the famous “masapan” dolls are made, we will continue passing through Guayllabamba town with its typical fruit cherimoyer, we will stop at the highway point that conduces to Cayambe where we will get the chance to admire and take pictures of the beautiful landscape and snow caped mountains of the zone, crossing the equatorial line at Cayambe we will pass by Guachala (used to be the Middle of the world monument), before we head up to Otavalo we will make a stop at Mira Lago to take pictures of the beautiful San Pablo Lake. The tour then continues to Otavalo here the Otavaleños (natives) set up a market in which a bartering manner of shopping is taken. The market hosts a variety of different handcrafted items. Continuing the trip, we will go to visit the leather shops in Cotacachi before returning to Quito through the Cajas-Tabacundo road.

Day 3 Wednesday:

Wednesday: Breakfast. City Tour & Equatorial Monument

We start with a panoramic route among the banking and financial areas, shopping malls and La Mariscal neighbourhood, where most of hotels are located. We continue towards the Historical Centre of the City where the following attractions will be visited: “El Panecillo” (entrance included), beautiful place from where a sight of colonial and modern Quito will be taken; San Francisco and La Basilica churches; Plaza de la Independencia (Independence square), walking through the colonial streets we´ll find the Cathedral, the Government’s Palace and La Compañía Church, where adornments and gold altars can be appreciated. (Church entrances are not included).

We will continue to the northern part of the city heading up to the “Middle of the World City” (entrance is included) where the monument that divides the Northern from the Southern Hemisphere will be observed. It was built during the XVII century when a French Expedition defined the precise location of the equatorial line. At the end, optional visit either to Intiñan or Ethnographic Museum (entrance is not included).

Day 4 Thursday:

Thursday: Breakfast. Departure from Quito through the ¨Avenue of the Volcanoes¨ admiring the beautiful Andean landscape this is a great opportunity to take pictures, brief stop at the Cotopaxi National Park (entrance is not included), lunch is included, arrival to Riobamba and accommodation in a typical hacienda of the region, dinner.

Day 5 Friday:

Friday: After breakfast departure to the train station located in Alausí. From her we´ll enjoy a train ride towards the famous ¨Devil’s Nose¨ (a magnificent work incrusted in the Andes), return to Alausí (train ride takes aprox 2 hours), box lunch is included. After the train, depart to Guayaquil. On the way you will have special landscape with the cacao, banana and wood plantation and teka wood; we will pass by the Huigra town, El Triunfo, Fatima Virgen and Durán. You will arrive to Guayaquil for your overnight
** Train Operation is subject to change

Day 6 Saturday :

Saturday: Breakfast. Breakfast. City Tour Guayaquil. Traveling along the main streets and avenues of the city we will visit the Seminario Park, The Guayaquil embankment, La Rotonda; the colonial neighborhood of Las Peñas, where we can admire the magnificent wood architecture. From here we can take a panoramic view of Guayaquil and the Guayas River.

Day 7 Sunday:

Sunday: Breakfast. Transfer Hotel / Airport.

Prices

Hotels	Category	Single Room for 1 person	Double room for 2 persons	Triple room for 3 persons	Child
Reina Isabel – Quito City Plaza – Guayaquil	Tourist	1301	1022	1005	523
Holiday Inn or Nu House – Quito / Palace – Guayaquil	Superior	1397	1043	1014	523
Mercure Alameda - Quito Hampton Inn –Guayaquil	First	1470	1086	1075	539
Dann Carlton – Quito Hampton Inn–Guayaquil	First Superior	1515	1128	1120	539
JW. Marriott – Quito Hilton Colón-Guayaquil	Luxury	2069	1372	1222	557

Prices are per person, in US. Dollars
Prices are valid until December 15 /2013

Included :

• Transfer airport / hotel
• 3 nights accommodation in Quito
• City tour, Equatorial Monument
• Excursion to Otavalo Market
• Excursion to Riobamba by the “Avenue of the Volcanoes” with a brief visit to the Cotopaxi National Park & Hacienda. Lunch is included
• 1 night lodging at Riobamba (First class****) with dinner and breakfast
• Excursion by train up to Alausi, passing through the “Devil’s Nose” box lunch included we will continue to Guayaquil
• 2 nights lodging in Guayaquil
• City tour in Guayaquil
• Transfer hotel / airport in Guayaquil
• Breakfasts
• Hotel taxes

** Train Operation is subject to change without notice

Not Included :

Tickets to churches and museums in the city tour of Quito = value approx. $ 7 (optional)
Cotopaxi National Park entrance fee = U.S. $ 10
Municipal rate of Hotels in Quito = U.S. $ 2

Atracctions :

THE CITY OF QUITO AND MIDDLE THE WORLD

THE CITY OF QUITO AND MIDDLE THE WORLD The first stop after picking up at selected hotels, is the the “Panecillo”, a wonderful viewpoint which allows to see a sight of colonial and modern Quito.

At the colonial district, the “PLaza de la Independencia”, visit and walking to the Cathedral church, Government and Archbishop Palace, the Church of the Company where you can appreciate its adornments and gold altars.

The San Francisco Church which has been built in the seventeenth century

The Middle of the World where you will visit the monument that divides the northern & southern hemispheres, built in the XVII century when a French Expedition defined the precise location of the line that divides the world

THE OTAVALO MARKET

THE OTAVALO MARKET On the way to the market, you will stop at Calderon, a town where the famous masapan dolls are made, Cayambe to admire and take pictures of the beautiful landscape and snow capped mountains of the zone, crossing the equatorial line at Cayambe . “Mira Lago” to take pictures of the beautiful San Pablo Lake.

Otavalo, here the Otavaleños (natives) set up a market in which a bartering manner of shopping is taken place. The market hosts a variety of different handcrafted items.

Leather stores at Cotacachi will also be visited.

THE TRAIN OF THE ANDES AND DEVIL´S NOSE

THE TRAIN OF THE ANDES AND DEVIL´S NOSE The construction of the railroad of Ecuador is like a symbol of a national unit that has helped the progression of the country. Several plans and attempts were made to build the railway from Guayaquil to Quito, since 1860 until 1874, when the first locomotive reached Milagro.

But it was only by 1895, when Eloy Alfaro the president at the time contacted North American technicians Archer Harman and Edward Morely, representatives of an American company interested in the building of the most difficult railway in the world as it was called at that time. The tracks finally reached a huge obstacle - an almost perpendicular wall of rock - called the Devil´s Nose.

Many lives were shed in the construction of what to this day is referred as a masterpiece of railway engineering: a zig-zag carved out of the rock, which allows the train, by advancing and backing up, to reach the necessary height to the town of Alausí. The train finally reached Alausí by September 1902 and Riobamba by July 1905 and finally on June 25, 1908 the train made its triumphal entrance to Quito and was received by; arches of palms, laurel and flowers, bells tolling banquettes, dances and popular festivities that lasted four days.

Today’s train is a public national railroad company which at the moment, serves as one of the main tourist attractions in Ecuador and the province of Chimborazo holds what is called The most difficult train in the world. This train departs from Alausi and crosses the Devil´s Nose, which sports an impressive descent down a steep cliff.

THE CITY OF GUAYAQUIL

THE CITY OF GUAYAQUIL Guayaquil’s City tour starts at The Simón Bolívar park, El Malecón 2000, piers and the memorial statue of Bolivar and San Martin. Visit the Colonial district of Las Peñas where you can admire the wooden architecture and its art galleries houses, appreciate the Guayaquil panoramic view and the Guayas River from the Santa Ana Hill.