Down to earth holidays

Description

This is an excellent holiday which introduces you to the culture of the Ecuadorian Andes around Quito and Otavalo, and also includes two nights to enjoy the nature and wildlife of the cloudforest.

You begin with two nights in Quito, which gives you a free afternoon to recover from the flight and get used to the altitude, then you can join a shared city tour the next morning. There is lots to see in Quito, from excellent museums, a cathedral and great look out points, to fantastic shopping.  

When you leave the city and head north with your private driver/guide though, you will begin to see the splendour of the Andean scenery, and also the charming small villages on the way to Otavalo, such as Calderon. Your guide can plan the day to include the kinds of sights and activities you’re interested in, so this is not a standard day tour - you make it up as you go along, with advice from your guide! 

Staying at a small, welcoming guest house outside of Otavalo, you can enjoy walks in this gorgeous area of the Andes, and of course leave time to explore the famous Otavalo market.

During your two night stay in the cloudforest you can take guided walks, and/or use a map to enjoy the nature trails by yourself. You will probably also spend some time watching the diverse hummingbirds which are found here. The hummingbird feeders mean you can get really close to them too.

All in all, this is a really lovely Ecuador holiday staying in small, friendly guest houses, and giving you the opportunity to enjoy the culture and nature of this gorgeous area.

This holiday combines very well with a Galapagos cruise. Click here for details or call us for advice.

Detailed Itinerary

1. DAY 1: Arrive in Quito. You will be met on arrival and transferred to your guest house. Free afternoon to recover from the flight and get used to the altitude.
   
   
2. DAY 2: This morning you join a shared Quito city tour, which will include taking you to the old town, to see the cathedral, and up to El Panecillo look-out point. Your afternoon is free so you can explore other sights you’re interested in, perhaps a museum, or just enjoy the shops. B
   
   
3. DAY 3: Your private driver/guide will pick you up from your hotel after breakfast. It is about a 2 hour drive direct to Otavalo. You can choose how to spend your time today and your guide will help you decide by suggesting different sights and activities you can do today. You could take the journey more slowly and include small villages such as Calderon where they make dough crafts, or you could go straight up to Otavalo and enjoy exploring the Andean villages in the this area, or even go for walks in the mountains here. Your day, your choice! Your guest house tonight is outside of Otavalo, and is a lovely small Andean guest house. B,D
   
   
4. DAY 4: Today is a free day to enjoy the surroundings, and you’ll probably not want to miss the famous Otavalo market. It is on each day, but the main market day is a Saturday. On this day there is also a livestock market and all the local traders sell fruits, vegetables and other produce, as well as there being the craft market. B,D
   
   
5. DAY 5: Your driver will collect you and take you back to Quito in the afternoon, so you have another morning to enjoy mountain walks or and local sights. B
   
   
6. DAY S 6-7: Your shared transfer to your cloudforest lodge leaves Quito at 0830 and arrives about 2 hours later. Your stay at the lodge includes daily guided walks through the forest with emphasis on birds, botany or natural history. There are many types of hummingbird here, and lots of nature trails, waterfalls. It is a beautiful natural sanctuary, and the lodge is rustic but comfortable.  FB
   
   
7. DAY 8: You will be transferred back to Quito in time for your flight out or onwards arrangements. B

Is it for you?

This holiday is suitable for all ages and levels of fitness. Adults and children alike should really enjoy the variety this trip offers. All the accommodation is small, clean, comfortable and friendly.

Best times to go

This trip can be arranged at any time to suit you. It is best to begin day one on a Wednesday so that you are at Otavalo market on Saturday, the main market day.

Getting there

You will need to fly in and out of Quito. For the purposed of this tour, it has been assumed that you will get an afternoon flight out of Quito on the last day. Should this not be the case, we can arrange another night in Quito for you (about £50 pp). if you are combining this trip with the Galapagos Islands, you may prefer to fly to Guayaquil on one leg. Please ask for advice from us if you are unsure about this. We can book for your flights for you.

Responsible Travel

How your holiday helps:
The cloudforest lodge is a member of the Network of Private Protected Forests of Ecuador and works actively with local conservation organisations, working to preserve the cloudforest of northwestern Ecuador.
The guest house near Otavalo is locally-owned and run, and is a member of their local community network. For meals they use mostly organic produce from local gardens. They are proud to promote the local craftspeople and artisans of their area, and they try to encourage understanding and respect for the indigenous Andean communities.

Carbon Offsetting :
For every client we take on holiday we plant 10 indigenous tree saplings. This is used as a poverty alleviation and biodiversity scheme as well as helping with carbon offsetting. Click for more details …

Giving to grassroots projects:
Our registered charity, The Tribes Foundation, is currently raising funds for a project in Ecuador. The kindness of strangers can make a big difference, so if you’re a travel philanthropist considering donating to a worthwhile charity, please consider backing this excellent community project.

Conservation in Action is an Ecuadorian charity which was set up with the aim of contributing to the protection of the threatened cultures and natural environment of the Amazon region. It supports those communities already working to defend their cultural and environmental integrity. They work towards this goal through political, technical and economic assistance designed to strengthen and demonstrate respect for indigenous culture, conserve biodiversity and contribute to community-managed sustainable development programs.

We will shortly have a page with photos of the school on www.the-tribes-foundation.org.

Shop ethically:
If you support buying fair trade, ethical and organic goods, please take a look at our online ethical shop for books, maps, travel gadgets, first aid kits etc before you travel. This is also a great place to find organic goodies and handmade crafts, many made in the countries and areas that we visit.

FOR MORE GENERAL DETAILS ABOUT OUR RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL PRINCIPLES, CLICK HERE.

Comments

Trip Code: EC1

Validity: 1-3-09 to 31-12-09

Individual Trip Dates & Prices

2+ people can take this holiday on most days of the year, subject to availability. Please call us to check availability.

1 Feb to 15 December 09 : from £660 pp for two travelling together.

• Prices are based on twin share, excluding flights.
• Please ask about child rates (if available) and single supplements.
• Exchange rate fluctuations may affect these prices (see our Booking Conditions).

Duration: 8 days

Included
Airport meet & greet, 2 nights guest house near Otavalo with half board, 3 nights Quito guest house B&B, 2 nights cloudforest lodge full board, shared half day city tour, private driver/guide & transport for day 3, transfer to Quito on day 5, shared transfer from Quito to cloudforest, transfer back to Quito.

Not Included
Flights, tips, insurance, visas, items of a personal nature, entrance fees.