7 Day Ecuador Explorer

   $679
Land Only
   $1189*
Air & Land
 
Home : : November 2008 - March 2009
Adjust font size:
Decrease font Decrease font
Enlarge font Enlarge font

Highlights

Escorted Package Includes

  • Flights Miami-Quito, Guayaquil-Miami
    Other departure cities available. Click on date of departure for selection and prices
  • Airline fuel surcharges
  • 6 nights First Class accommodations
  • All transfers
  • 8 meals: 6 breakfasts, 2 lunches
  • Sightseeing per itinerary in a modern air-conditioned motor coach
  • Services of English-speaking tour manager
  • Entrance fees per itinerary

Special Features

  • City tours of Quito, Riobamba, Cuenca & Guayaquil
  • Pan-American highway
  • Inca fortress-temple ruins of Ingapirca

Itinerary

DAY 1, Thursday - Depart the USA
Depart the USA for Ecuador. Your flight includes meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment. Arrive in Quito and transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day at leisure
Overnight: Quito

DAY 2, Friday - Quito City Tour
This morning's tour of Quito begins with a view of the Congress Building, whose outside stone mural records Ecuador's history. Continue to Quito's colonial section to walk along the narrow cobblestone streets and feel the charm of 16th-century Quito. See the Independence Plaza, the Cathedral, Presidential Palace, and the Archbishop's Palace before visiting La Compañia Church and the Church of San Francisco. Afterward, see the Ecuadorian landscape from atop El Panecillo Hill. Balance of the day at leisure
Optional: Middle of the World (PM)
Overnight: Quito
Meals: Breakfast

DAY 3, Saturday - Tour Salasaca and Riobamba
This morning, depart for the town of Salasaca via the Pan-American Highway. Also known as the "Avenue of the Volcanoes," the highway spans the valley between the Cordillera ranges and features 11 snowy peaks. As you arrive in the colorful town of Salasaca, enjoy a panoramic tour of the town before a visit to a local handicraft workshop. After lunch in Ambato, visit La Quinta de Juan Leon Mera with its Botanical Gardens before continuing to Riobamba, capital of the Chimborazo province. Your tour of the area includes a visit to the quaint town of Guano, famous for its handmade rugs
Overnight: Riobamba
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 4, Sunday - Visit the Inca Ruins of Ingapirca
Today, depart for the ancient Inca ruins of Ingapirca, a northernmost fortress-temple whose massive fortifications are believed to have served as a religious and administrative complex. After lunch nearby, continue to the city of Cuenca, located in the Sierra highlands. Balance of the day at leisure
Overnight: Cuenca
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 5, Monday - Cuenca City Tour
Enjoy a morning tour of Cuenca. Walk along the main plaza, Calderon Park, whose pink marbled construction and colorful stained-glass windows are utterly breathtaking. See the flower market outside El Carmen Church and the Tomebamba River, as it winds in and out of the city's center with old houses jutting over its banks. Visit the Ortega shop where you can see "Panama Hats" being made. Balance of the day at leisure
Optional: Half Day Gualaceo and Chordeleg (PM)
Overnight: Cuenca
Meals: Breakfast

DAY 6, Tuesday - Guayaquil City Tour
This morning, drive through El Cajas National Park en route to Guayaquil. From the park highlands, enjoy spectacular views of the many lakes and rivers below, as well as a landscape dominated by paramo, a high-altitude, wet tropical grass. Upon arrival in Guayaquil, enjoy a tour of the city that includes a visit to the Centennial Park on Avenue 9 de Octubre. Continue to witness the city's regeneration, and visit the Seminario Park, also known as the "Park of the Iguanas." See the brightly-colored houses in Las Penas, the oldest neighborhood in Guayaquil, before checking in to your hotel. Evening at leisure
Overnight: Guayaquil
Meals: Breakfast

DAY 7, Wednesday - Depart for the USA
Transfer to the airport for your departure flight
Optional: Parque Historico (AM)
Meals: Breakfast

Optionals

Book your Optional Tours before you travel and see more, save time, and save money. Tours purchased while traveling cost at least 10% more! Tours often sell out - avoid disappointment! Save your cash - many countries do not accept credit cards.

Middle of the World 3:00 PM
Middle of the World 3:00 PM Day #2 01 Jan 2009 - 31 Dec 2009     $36
Your visit to the Middle of the World begins with a drive through the Ecuadorian countryside. The Equatorial Monument marks the exact Middle of the World at a latitude of 0º. Take time to stand in both hemispheres at once, or to stand on top of the equator. Afterwards, return to Quito.

Details: Departs at 3:00 p.m. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to departure time. Pick up and drop off from the hotel.
Gualaceo & Chordeleg 3:00 PM
Gualaceo & Chordeleg 3:00 PM Day #5 01 Jan 2009 - 31 Dec 2009     $42
Enjoy an optional half day tour of Gualaceo and Chordeleg. As you leave Cuenca, appreciate the beauty of the Gualaceo Valley. En route to Chordeleg, a town known for its unique filigree jewelry, visit Ecuagenera Orchid Farm. With nearly 4000 orchid species surviving in the wild, Ecuador is home to the highest recorded number of orchids in the world. Ecuagenera has specialized in the protection, cultivation, and distribution of these precious and mysteriously beautiful flowers since its founding more than 50 years ago. Continue to Chordeleg and visit the goldsmiths, weaving workshops, and local shops around town before returning to Cuenca.
Parque Historico 9:00 AM
Parque Historico 9:00 AM Day #7 01 Jan 2009 - 31 Dec 2009     $46
Tour the Parque Historico Guayaquil (Historic Park), an institutional project regarding the physical transformation of the city from the 19th to 20th century. Its three zones -- Traditions, Urban Architectural, and Wildlife -- each features unique settings. See the Traditions Zone and go back to the 19th and 20th centuries where you will be able to see how life depended on banana, coffee, and rice plantations. Next, the Urban Architectural Zone recreates two blocks of old Guayaquil, showing architecture from the 19th Century. Lastly, see the connection between man and nature in the Wildlife Zone.

Book your Optional Tours before you travel and see more, save time, and save money. Tours purchased while traveling cost at least 10% more! Tours often sell out - avoid disappointment! Save your cash - many countries do not accept credit cards.

Rates & Hotels

Click On A Date To Book Online
* All Prices are in USD
2009 Land Only Air & Land
 Book By
Jun 30
Book After
Jun 30
Book By
Jun 30
Book After
Jun 30
Jan 29 699 749 1189 1239
Feb 12 699 759 1189 1249
Feb 26 699 759 1199 1259
Mar 12; Apr 23; May 7; 21 699 749 1229 1279
Jun 4 679 749 1229 1299
Jun 25; Jul 16; Aug 13 679 769 1339 1429
Sep 3; Oct 8; Nov 12; 26 679 749 1229 1299
Dec 10 699 759 1239 1299

*Not included: airport taxes, fees & September 11th Security Fee, optional tours, Ecuador departure taxes, tips to local guides, drivers and tour manager (see Terms & Conditions).

Land only price does not include arrival/departures transfers.

Hotel Plans
7 Day Ecuador Explorer - [details]