Trekking Haciendas South Tour

Trekking Haciendas South

8 DAYS/7 NIGHTS

DAY 1.- ARRIVAL IN QUITO, ECUADOR

Arrive in Quito and transfer to your hotel, welcome, and overnight.

DAY 2.- QUITO – PASOCHOA

This day our guide will be waiting for you in order to travel to the south of Quito through the avenue of volcanoes to arrive at Pasochoa private reserve where you will start your acclimatization. You will walk along a path in the native Andean forest that will take us to the open "páramos" of Pasochoa where the straw grows high and from which a magnificent view of the volcanoes is possible.

After 3 hours you reach the end of the forest and enter the paramo region. From that point, there is 3 hours climb to the peak at 4200 meters above sea level. Here you can enjoy your box lunch and then you will be transferred to Hacienda Santa Rita where your transportation will be waiting for you in order to go to Hacienda El Porvenir, the main hacienda of Volcano Land where you will dinner and overnight.

DAY 3.- THE INCREDIBLE VIEW FROM RUMIÑAHUI MOUNTAIN

Early in the morning, after breakfast, you will hike to Rumiñahui mountain along many trails where you can see wild bulls, local birds, wild fauna, and the marvelous landscape of the Ecuadorian highlands. You will arrive at the top of Rumiñahui (4722 m / 15,492 ft) in 6 to 7 hours approximately.

Return to the hacienda where a delicious lunch will be waiting for you. In the afternoon your horses will be waiting for you for a horseback riding trip visiting the surroundings of the hacienda, riding side by side with herds of wild horses and bulls. Return to the hacienda to diner and overnight.

DAY 4.- HIKING THROUGH COTOPAXI NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast, you will depart to Cotopaxi National Park. You will hike on the high plateau at the foot of the volcano walking through wonderful landscapes of Andean “Páramo” with very beautiful views of all the surrounding peaks that reach 4800 and 4900 m (16,080 ft), such as the Sinchologua and Rumiñahui. Box lunch on route and in the afternoon you will arrive at Tambopaxi where you will have time to rest before dinner. Overnight.

DAY 5.- COTOPAXI REFUGE AND GLACIERS

After breakfast you will depart to Limpiopungo a small picturesque lake, where you will have an optional 30 minutes walk around the lake, this is a great place to spot some of the Park’s abundant birdlife. After that, you will continue to Cotopaxi refuge.

You will have a short transfer by car on a dusty road that ends 200 m below the Cotopaxi refuge (4600 m / 15,092 ft). From there you will walk about 45 minutes on a sandy path to reach the refuge (4800 m / 15,748 ft). If time and weather conditions permit you can hike to the Cotopaxi glacier at about 5000 m (16,405 ft), then you will return to the refuge where you will enjoy a delicious box lunch.

Late in the afternoon, you will go down to the base and then your guide will drive you to one of the haciendas of the area where you will dinner and overnight.

DAY 6.- COTOPAXI – BAÑOS

Early in the morning, after breakfast, you will depart to Quilotoa lake route depending on the day of your tour you can visit an indigenous market, where you will see how the local people trade their products, (on Sunday and Wednesday: Pujilí Market; on Thursday: Saquisilí market and on Saturday: Zumbahua market).

After that, you will continue to Quilotoa which is a water-filled caldera of 3 kilometers (2 miles) wide caldera. This caldera was formed by the collapse of the volcano in an eruption that took place approximately 800 years ago. The caldera has since accumulated a 250 m (820 ft) deep crater lake, which has an extraordinary turquoise color as a result of dissolved minerals.

You descend on a small trail down to the bottom of the volcano and to the lakeshore. You will have time down to rest and then you will return to the crater border after one hour climb approximately. Arrive at the top and you will take the Pan-American Highway to continue with your trip to the south of Ecuador to arrive at Baños city, for dinner, and overnight.

DAY 7.- THE WATERFALLS’ ROUTE

After breakfast, you will visit Baños city where you can see how people extract delicious juice from the sugar cane, the production of melcochas, and you can buy beautiful handicrafts made by balsa and tagua. From Baños you begin to go down to the famous waterfall route, first, you will find Manto de la Novia hanging for more than 200 mt above the river, here you will cross the Pastaza river by a rustic lift, then you can hike down to admire the “Manto de la Novia” Waterfall from the base, return to the top, this hike takes you about 1 hour.

The most important waterfall in El Pailón del Diablo, before arriving at this waterfall you can find some small ones along the way. Finally, you will arrive in El Pailón del Diablo known as the most impressive waterfall in the area as well as for being the world's 10th highest water drop in the region.

You will follow the trail until the waterfall and it takes you about 20 minutes, time to enjoy this place, and then you will return to the top (it takes you about 1 hour). After this full morning of activity, your guide will drive you to one of the restaurants in the area where a delicious lunch will be waiting for you. Late afternoon you will return to Quito, overnight.

DAY 8.- NATIONAL OR INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT

After an early breakfast, our guide will pick you up to transfer you to the airport to catch your national or international flight.