Natural History Explorer | Trip Itinerary

Day 1:  Arrive Quito where you'll be met and transferred to your selected hotel.

Day 2:  Quito Scenic tour + Botanical Gardens. This morning you’ll be picked up at your hotel for your private tour which will begin with a transfer to the colonial center of the city.   We will walk through the Main Plaza, where you will see the Government Palace, La Compañía, and some of the most important churches built around the XVI and XVII centuries, including the San Francisco Monastery which was started 5 days after the founding of the city in 1534. Then we will visit the city’s famous La Ronda street, where we will learn about traditional work in Colonial Quito.  before leaving the colonial center we'll take a drive up ‘Panecillo-- the hill that dominates the South of the city.  We will be able to admire the famous statue of Our Lady of the Panecillo and enjoy spectacular views of Quito and the surrounding Andes.

Continue to Parque Carolina for a visit to Quito’s excellent Botanical Gardens. Here, visitors are guided through wetlands, cloud forests, high-altitude moorlands and dry forest, alive with a profusion of tropical flowers such as beautiful fuchsias and floripendulas as well as the denizen buzzing hummingbirds. The Botanical Garden also boasts two hothouses with over 500 species of orchids as well as other interesting species such as ferns and bromeliads, whose vast array of shapes, sizes and colours take your breath away. In the early afternoon, return to your hotel with the remainder of the day to explore the town on your own. An on-going handicraft market in the Parque El Ejido may be of interest, or explore one of Quito’s excellent local museums.
The Quito Scenic tour is a walking tour at an altitude of 2800 meters (9200 feet) and involves climbing stairs. Dress in layers (T-shirt, blouse, sweater, coat).  Women should not wear shorts nor miniskirts as visits to churches are included. Take a sweater even if the day is warm and sunny.  Rain protection advised in the afternoon. Sun protection (SPF 40).  Good walking shoes.  (B)

Day 3: Quito-Mindo Cloud Forest.  3 day/2 night visit with shared transfers and tours (private services can be arranged at an additional charge) At 6:30 AM your driver will collect you at your hotel. We’ll start driving along the Calacali – Nanegalito road with colorful landscapes and ever-changing vistas all the way. Somewhere on the road we will turn left and on to the secondary road which for about 30 more minutes will take as to Bellavista Lodge, perched on top of the Tandayapa Valley. Arrival at Bellavista. Your guides will greet you here and will show you your room and facilities before going for breakfast. Settle in after breakfast and then meet your guide at an appointed place in the lodge for a short briefing, and right away your hike will commence. Your guide will choose the best trails and hike options according to the group size (no more than 7 hikers), weather and trail conditions. After 2 or more hours of easy and very educative hike, you are back in the lodge for lunch. 

In the afternoon: your package includes another forest hike into another different trail among the many trails in Bellavista – discover the ecology of this mysterious forest.  free time to freshen up before dinner and enjoy the sites and sounds of the cloud forest. Dinner and overnight. You may well get a good sighting of the delightful Olinguito, right at the Lodge! (B, L, D)

***For our birdwatching-focused travelers, we highly recommend upgrading your time at Bellavista to include a visit to a nearby private reserve where you can visit a Cock of the Rock lek. This tour has an added cost of $80 pp, and must be arranged in advance. It requires a 5:30 AM departure on day 4, and you're back at the lodge in time for a late breakfast before continuing with the rest of the regular activities.

Day 4: Mindo Cloud Forest. Morning:  As your guide had mentioned the day before, today you have the option (included in your package) to go on this early 6:15 / 6.30 AM morning bird hike. Your guide will only be focusing on the birds of Bellavista, all around the Lodge. At 8:00 AM we serve our special Bellavista breakfast. Along with your guide, you will meet and chat about your next hike. Different trails every time, perhaps this time you will go and discover our waterfalls along the adventurous Yumbo / Immersion Trail. Return to the lodge in the late morning, and enjoy a hearty lunch.  

Afternoon- An option to go and discover the trails on your own, along the self-guided trail or by the aid of our trail-map. This will definitely be a highly exciting moment. Or, join your included guided hike with your guide at 3 PM or just sit and chat with other guests while enjoying the nearby hummingbird feeders while you try to spot each of the 10-12 different species that call this area their home.  Dinner and overnight.  (B,, L, D)

Day 5:  Mindo Cloud Forest -Quito.  Morning--:Early morning bird hike. Same as yesterday or if you are not a birder, just lie down and listen to the awakening of the forest as the sun appears and sets the world in motion. Return to the lodge for breakfast followed by further hikes for discovery of the exuberant forests around the lodge -- or just relax in our lounge or talk to your guide about any other optional Day Excursions outside of Bellavista that may be available for today

Afternoon-return to the lodge for lunch and after settling your bill for any souvenirs or extras, you driver will be waiting for you to embark for your transfer back to your Quito hotel, with scheduled arrive around 5:00 PM. Check-in to your Quito hotel for a 2-night stay.  Evening fee to perhaps enjoy one of Quito's wonderful restaurants.  (B, L)

Day 6:  Antisana Volcano Reserve. You’ll be picked up from your hotel this morning at the pre-arranged time for your private tour south of Quito to explore the altiplano ecosystem of Ecuador.  This is a spectacular day trip to the volcano Antisana, the fourth highest volcano in Ecuador covered with glaciers and snow, and the surrounded by an Ecological Reserve.
After about an hour's drive southeast from Quito (60 kilometers) the climb and spectacular scenery on Antisana begin with close-up views of a massive glacial moraine, dating back to 11,000 year ago.  As you climb higher on a good paved road, with practically no traffic, you can enjoy the spectacular montane scenery with jagged rocky peaks and the glacier-covered summit above  tree line, vast sweep of paramo vegetation above the shrubs at tree line.  The road leads us to an Andean hacienda surrounded by spectacular landscapes at 3000m, bathed by rivers originating on the slopes of Antisana Volcano and limited by the cliffs of El Isco, a set of rocky walls, which are the major nesting and resting site of the Andean Condor. The Condor is the emblematic bird of the country and it is permanently seen flying free in this area. We will make a hike around the hacienda to meet the famous Curiquingue bird and learn about the Chuquiragua “the climbers flower” used for medical purposes.   Around the many paramo lakes and ponds you can observe the glacial morraines and birds in both a diversity of species and individual abundance of most of them such as the highly endangered Black-faced Ibis, Cinereous Conebills, Brown Speckled Teal, Andean Lapwings, many Carunculated Caracaras, Black Wing Doves, and the rare Siskin.  Some fisherman are allowed to fish for large trout in certain montane lakes of the area, which provide part of Quito's water supply.  After a full day of high altitude explorations, you'll drive back to Quito and be dropped off at your hotel.   (B, L)

***We also offer an overnight version of this tour. Instead of returning to Quito tonight, you'll continue on to the Chilcabamba lodge near to the Cotopaxi volcano. You'll spend the next day exploring Cotopaxi & surroundings before a late afternoon return to your hotel. Includes overnight accommodations; Dinner, Breakfast & Lunch and explorations.  Please check our Prices and Trip Notes Tab for add-on prices and see description for "optional add-on for overnight and tour of Cotopaxi volcano" at the bottom of this itinerary.

Day 7:  Amazon Rainforest./Sacha Lodge (Note this day can be any day except Sunday),  You’ll be picked up at your hotel, and transferred to the airport where you’ll check in for your flights to Coca, the gateway to the Ecuador’s Amazon basin. On arrival, you’ll be met by a representative of your lodge, who will transfer you to the dock in town, where you’ll board a comfortable, covered motor-boat for the two hour ride to your lodge. You will spend the next 4 days/3 nights at  Sacha Jungle Lodge (with an option to extend by one more night for a 4 night/5 day experience)  Lodging is in comfortable cabins with private baths, flush toilets and hot-water showers, air conditioning and large outdoor verandas. 

During your stay, you’ll enjoy guided excursions each morning and afternoon. Nocturnal outings are also possible.  You’ll be able to visit parrot clay licks, canopy tower and/or walkways, canoe through lakes and creeks, hike forest trails, and experience some of the most spectacular bird-watching in all of Ecuador. Over 500 species of birds have been recorded in this region, which is more than 1/3 of all the Ecuador birds. 
On each of your outings, your professional naturalist guide will point and explain the details of the reptiles, mammals, and flora that you encounter. All meals are included during your stay. (B, D)

Day 8 & 9:  Days in the Amazon rainforest. 

Typical Day: A typical day at Sacha begins at sunrise or earlier, in order to take advantage of the cool morning hours when the rainforest's animals are most active. Each group may decide on its own wake-up and breakfast time, as well as the difficulty and duration of their morning outings. In the afternoon, visits begin at around 3:00 and often continue into the evening, when the nocturnal insect and frog chorus begins. A night activity is offered every evening after dinner.

Activities: Activity options will be discussed with guests; with each tour led by a bilingual naturalist guide, and a local native guide. Activities are spread out over a wide area and allow visitors to explore several distinct but equally fascinating habitats. Several trails lead through pristine terra firme forest, where 150 foot kapok trees tower above and roots form huge buttresses to give trees support. Others follow strategically raised boardwalks in seasonally flooded forests, where walking on the ground would be nearly impossible during most of the year due to groundwater. One trail many choose to follow even leads across fallen tree trunks and a steel cable zip-line through rich swampland!  Please follow this link for more details on the Sacha Lodge experience, photos of the cabins and possible wildlife sightings.  (B, L, D)

Day 10:  Amazon Rainforest return to Quito. You’ll return by boat to the Coca airport for your scheduled flights back to Quito. On arrival, you’ll be met and transferred to your select hotel, with the remainder of the day at leisure.  Your flights are generally scheduled to arrive around 1:00 PM, but they can be delayed. If you have free time today, you may wish to do some last minute shopping at the local handicraft market or pop into some of the nearby art galleries and specialty stores. (B)

Day 11:  Departure.  Transfer to the airport, or continue with more sightseeing.  Most flights back to the US depart around midnight, so you'll have this day to explore a bit of Quito--perhaps a visit to the middle of the world museum, or a tram ride up Pichincha volcano?  Optional tours can be arranged on request. hotel check-out times are usually 2:00 PM. if you'd like to make advance arrangements for a late check-out please let our staff know to make arrangements and advise any additional charges. (B)
B=Breakfast; L=Lunch; D=Dinner

Optional add-on to Antisana volcano visit--includes overnight a Chilcabamba Lodge day 6  (including Dinner) and an added full day tour of Cotopaxi (Breakfast & Lunch) and return to Quito

Excursion Cotopaxi National Park--We will visit Cotopaxi National Park where, weather permitting, you will be able to see the snowcapped summits of the Cotopaxi and Antisana volcanoes. We will also visit the Interpretation center to learn about the history of this spectacular volcano’s major eruptions, as well as the local flora and fauna. We will then visit Lake Limpiopungo and explore the surrounding area on foot. If you feel like a longer walk, a 2 hour hike will take us to Mt. Cotopaxi’s J. Ribas refuge (4,800 m) where you will be able to enjoy spectacular views of the volcano and the surrounding Andean peaks.