Ecuador in 21 days

Individual tour with, hotels/transport and excursions included

You can choose this tour in 3 Options

1 Budget tour : in hostals/ local transport / excursions in international group

2 classic tour: in 3* hotels/ mix local transport – private / mix private excursions – international group

3 Luxe tour: all 4 * hotels / private transport / private excursions/ included entree fees

How do we work ?

In our packet, you travel all by yourself, South America Planet takes care of you, we reserve all your hotels and transport.  The excursions you do in International groups with English speaking guides.

Our local agent also arranges your transfers and gives you the bus tickets to go from A to B, like this, you travel around by yourself but without worries, all arranged thru South America Planet. If there are any problems, you always find support by contacting our offices via Whatsapp

What is included?
* All bus transport, all hotels and all the tours as indicated in the program.
* All hotels are based on double room with private bathroom, single rooms on request for an extra price, all buses are based on good buses
* all the transfers

Not included
* Your food, in the hotels is breakfast included.
* The entry fees and taxes, like airport tax.
*Local and international flights
* Optional excursions

Day 1              Quito
Arrival in Quito from where you will have a transfer to your hotel where you will spend the night. Quito, the Ecuadorian capital, existed before the Incas arrived in the 15th century. Just before the Spaniards invaded the city in 1534 the Inca General Rumiñahui had put the city into ashes. He destroyed the city rather than put it in the hands of the Spaniards. The city was then rebuilt and as a result of that, the Spaniards have had a major influence on the current status of the city. Quito is located at 2850 meters altitude, is 70 meters long and its widest part is 8 km. Quito is located in the Pichincha province, named after the volcano, that lies next to the city.

Day 2              Quito

Free day to acclimatize and visit the historic center of Quito.

The capital of Ecuador has, just like the country, many faces and therefore there is something for everyone! You have time to visit the beautiful historic center (of course we can organize this tour with one of our guides). Besides Quito itself selves you also can make nice bike rides to Cotopaxi or Papallacta. Visit the park to observe the local life, visit the new center with hip bars, or admire one of the many museums. Another option is to visit a project: for example, you can help with cooking for the elderly, or choose to lend a hand at a school for teenage mothers.

Day 3              Jungle Cuyabeno
Today you will be picked up for a transfer to the airport. The journey takes approximately 1.15 minutes and you must be at the airport 1 hour before departure for the flight (1 hour) to Lago Agrio. Here the jungle tour in Cuyabeno starts, starting with a 1-hour drive and 2 hours canoe trip to the simple, but cozy lodge. Your stay is in one of the most special locations in the Reserve. The Lodge is idyllically located in one of the last unspoiled native jungle in the Amazon, the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve. Since 1979 designated by Ecuador as a protected nature reserve of no less than 603,380 square kilometers. This positive step forward towards the preservation of part of the Amazon has ensured that the Lodge was developed around the idea of ​​low impact eco-tourism. This way energy is obtained from the sun. The design of the lodge is very modern. All furniture is made locally. The lodge consists of four lodgings and each cabana has its bathroom. You can enjoy the hammock on the terrace. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included during your stay.

Day 4             Jungle Cuyabeno

In the coming days, various activities will be organized to discover nature. Along the river, you will find different animal species in their natural habitat such as monkeys, toucans, parrots, insects, and of course the exuberant Amazonian vegetation. After breakfast, you will make a trip through the primary forest for 3 to 4 hours. During this tour, your guide will explain how the complex tropical ecosystem works and you will also get information about the medicinal plants. In the evening you will leave with a canoe in search of caimans. Hike through a primary forest (3 hours) where you can view the complex tropical ecosystem with its beautiful and unique flora and fauna. After lunch, there is a canoe trip.

Day 5              Jungle Cuyabeno
In the morning a canoe trip to view the flora and fauna: birds, monkeys, snakes, pink dolphins, turtles, etc. In the afternoon you will take a walk-through primary forest and visit a viewing tower for a unique view over the Amazon. During a night walk through the primary forest, look for insects, spiders, geckos, and scorpions. Listening to the nightly sounds of the jungle is a unique experience.

Day 6             Otovalo

Early in the morning one last hike through the jungle and also visit the Siona Community. During this tour, you will learn more about the customs, traditions, and way of life. You can also help to prepare Casabe; a local dish made from yucca. If you canoe on the Rio Cuyabeno you have the chance to spot various birds, monkeys, snakes, pink dolphins, turtles, and many others. Then you will go to Lago Agrio and by plane to Quito (arrival at dusk). Then transfer to Otavalo with private transport where your hotel is waiting.

Day 7            Otovalo

Day off where you can enjoy the life of Otavalo. You can visit an impressive cultural market and / or local factories at Peguche. Here you also can find the waterfall and a sacred tree. Option 1I is to stay with a local family from noon. Option 2 is a “development” tour where you will view small business and agricultural projects. From Otavalo, it is also possible to make a nice 3-day trekking

Day 8            Mindo

The driver takes you from Otavalo to Mindo through the Intag valley. This route of about 5 hours is special and is rarely used. You will also pass the Cuicocha volcano lake and a coffee roaster. Due to weather conditions or the condition of the road, the driver may have to choose the alternative (comfortable) road moreover the asphalt. In the afternoon, a visit to a small chocolate factory in Mindo on your own. Mindo is a subtropical village of the cloud forest and is centrally located in Ecuador in a green valley. With the subtropical forest and the many waterfalls, it is an ideal habitat for birds and butterflies

Day 9           Mindo

This morning you will go or on a bird tour very early in the morning with a guide or a Canopy tour where you zoom high above the trees of the cloud forest *. In the afternoon you can, for example, visit the butterfly garden with many exotic colorful butterflies or take a walk along the waterfalls. From Mindo, you can also travel to a special community, namely the Tsachilas Indians.

Day 10          Cotopaxi

Travel day, duration 5 hours by private transport with a visit to the center of the earth “Mitad del Mundo”. Today you will visit the Cotopaxi National Park and make the “ascent” to Refugio on the Volcano *. You will stay in a beautiful environment, really in the middle of the park at the foot of the Cotopaxi volcano. The best view in the park! You do not necessarily have to be a mountaineer. This ecological hotel is located at 3720 meters. Enjoy the landscape here that is transformed into a magical-realistic canvas under the moonlight and the stars. The evening meal is also included with this stay. An option is to take a beautiful horse tour through the park the next morning.

Day 11          Chugchilan

Travel day, duration: 3 hours with private transport. In the morning, a walk through the park. The driver will take you from Cotopaxi to Chugchilan. This journey takes approximately 3 hours. You will see the interior of the Andes. These roads are not always easy to drive, so be aware of some bumps. In Chugchilan you go back in time and experience the life of the people of the Andes. You can also start the Quilotoa loop here, then the trip will take 1 additional day.

Day 12          Chugchilan

Free day, from Chugchilan you can, for example, visit the beautiful turquoise volcano lake Quilotoa, hike in the breathtaking surroundings. There are also many other walks you can start from your stay or take a beautiful horse ride

Day 13        Baños

Travel day, duration: 3 hours with private transport. On the way, you can make a stop at the Quilotoa lake. After arriving in Baños you can relax in the town and enjoy the fine restaurants. You can also visit the hot water baths. There is something for everyone in the pleasant town of Baños. In the coming days, you can take a nice mountain bike ride along various waterfalls. If this goes too fast you can also take a lovely walk along these waterfalls. Even more refreshing activities include river rafting or a Canyoning tour. In the evening you can enjoy the local cuisine in one of the many restaurants.

Day 14             Baños

This day you can walk into nature from your hotel. Several hiking trails have been set out to various waterfalls. You can easily undertake these walks on your own. Of course, you can also extend the day with, for example, a varied bike ride to, among others, the river “Rio Verde” with the impressive waterfall, “Pailón del Diablo”, 20 km from Baños towards Puyo.

Day 15            Quito Hacienda

This day there is a very impressive trip with private transport where you will experience all the climate zones of Ecuador in one day. You first travel via the road from the volcanos to the jungle and from there you climb up past the hot springs of Papallacta to 4000m. This evening you will stay on the outskirts of the city in a hotel quietly located in the greenery and close to the airport.

Day 16             Galapagos

In the morning we have a transfer to the airport for the flight to Galapagos (you must be present for 2 hours in advance). You arrive in Santa Cruz, after that a transfer will be arranged for you to your hotel, where your first tour starts immediately, it is called The Highland Tour. On this tour, you will be shown inland from Santa Cruz and look for wild turtles and volcanic caves. An option is to do a tour this afternoon with a glass-bottom boat for underwater life. Santa Cruz is the most visited island in the Galapagos, nevertheless, it still gives a relaxed feeling of a coastal town. You can easily mix with the locals here. Take a morning walk to Tortuga Bay or the Charles Darwin Center

Day 17                    Galapagos

Day tour to an uninhabited island: you visit the island of Bartolome or Seymour. Today you will discover Galapagos with a beautiful day tour to the uninhabited island of Seymour.

This island is made up of submarine lava and a landscape formed by black basaltic lava. You can easily walk here, and you will be able to see enough wildlife! Among other things, you will see sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls, lava gulls, tropicbirds, brown noddy terns, pelicans, the famous blue-footed boobies, and marine iguanas. The impressive frigate birds nest here in the trees and the saltbush. You will also find the endemic Palo Santo trees with their characteristic scent. Other native plants are the Opuntia cactus, Croton, Castela, and Sesuvium. You can snorkel at Bachas. There you will hopefully encounter turtles and even small sharks!

Day 18                        Galapagos

Day tour to the uninhabited island Plazas or Santa Fe. Today you will discover Galapagos with a beautiful day tour to the uninhabited island of Plazas. This is the island of the sea lions and their young. The rocks here are covered with the white guano and with crabs. The landscape is covered with Opuntia cactus, Saltbush, Leatherleaf (Maytenus), and thorny plants (Scutia Pauciflora). In addition to the sea lions, you will learn about land iguanas, Darwin’s finches, red tropicbirds, swallow-tailed gulls, brown pelicans, and the occasional frigate bird. Be further out at sea dolphins, mantas, and even killer whales. Snorkeling can be done at the beautiful snorkeling spot Punta Carrion. An option is to go for 2 diving days from Santa Cruz

Day 19                     Galapagos

Transfer by water taxi to Isabela Island in the morning. With its unmistakable seahorse shape, Isabela is the largest island in the Galapagos archipelago with 4590 square kilometers. The island is covered with a chain of active volcanoes, with the highest peak (Wolf Volcano) it 1700 meters. Not many tourists visit this island, even though it has the largest colony of Galapagos turtles, the beach with coconut palms is superbly situated and has a good selection of small fish restaurants in the only town,

called Puerto Villamil. You will stay in the friendly Casa Marita. In the afternoon there is a tour of Tintoreras, a beautiful place where all the famous animals of the Galapagos can be found.

Day 20                     Galapagos

Today you make a day tour where you will visit Los Túneles, one of the most impressive places in the Galapagos, with a day tour. This is an extensive snorkeling tour, where you are only on land for a very short time. Túneles is the name of lava formations that rise like arches above the sea. Here you can snorkel and observe turtles, rays, sharks, sea lions, penguins, and seahorses. Along the way, you will pass rocks where with a bit of luck you will see the blue-footed boobies and penguins.

Day 21                Flight home

In the morning you will take the water taxi (2 hours) back to Santa Cruz, where a transfer will be waiting to take you to the airport for the flight to Guayaquil. From there you fly on an international flight home, arriving the next day. Transfer flights are on your own responsibility

* Activity package

Activity: (2nd bird tour Mindo or Canopy and visit Cotopaxi)

Option: City tour Quito incl entree, horse ride +Day tour Baños-Quito All Extra charge

Galapagos:  6 days Island hopping on 2 inhabited islands, including 2 tours to uninhabited islands from Santa Cruz. Stay includes breakfast and a good hotel. Entrance fee and tax not included ($ 120 + $ 10 transfer fee + $ 10 dock fee)

Tours
Please take into account that throughout the country there are several markets and each market has a special market day.

In the case of other tours, it is important to mention that not all are possible in private. In the description of the tours, it will be mentioned if It is possible or not.

Transport
All transport will be with Spanish speaking drivers. English speaking drivers are available on request.

Galápagos:

Galápagos:
Galapagos is a special place with even more special conditions. You might already know them but just in case I´ll mention the most important below so that you can take it into account in case you are interested in going to Galapagos:

In case clients are interested in a land tour or a cruise availability must always be checked. We can offer all cruises. To be able to check availability please send us the following information:

*  Number of days passengers want to travel
* Kind of cruise or land tour
* Kind of rooms (on cruises mainly double rooms are available). In case of single, please inform if you are  willing to share a cabin (in case of cruises) to save costs
Once we have this information we will check availability and will send you an answer
*Please take into account that all boats have certain itineraries and have fixed departure dates. Therefore, it is easier if passengers are a bit flexible in their departure date to Galapagos so that we have more options to offer.

* In case clients are interested in one of the cruises or land tours offered we can take an option for a maximum of 5 working days. The option is free of charge and will expire automatically if we don´t have an answer from your side.
*If passengers want to make a reservation; we need to receive copies of their passports. Without the copies, we cannot book.
* Itineraries for the Galapagos are always subject to change
* Most of the time we have the obligation to buy the flight tickets with the cruise company. In case passengers (or SAP) books their tickets we cannot be held responsible for any extra costs and/or missing (part of) the cruise.