Rental Car Tour – Andes and Jungle

In the morning your tour guide will accompany you when going to the car rental station to assist you with all formalities. Eventually you will receive your vehicle and your adventure through Ecuador is about to begin. You start in tropical Guayaquil heading towards Cuenca, while having a stopover in Cajas National park. In Cajas you can hike through the hilly landscape with several ponds and lagoones. Afterwards you will continue driving to Cuenca.

Today you can enjoy some leisure time in beautiful Cuenca or go on exploration tour through Cuenca´s surroundings. You have the possibility to visit Gualaceo, Chordeleg and Sigsig. All destinations are known for their appealing landscapes. Also, you could drive to subtropical Yunguilla and the waterfall Chorro de Girón. Tip: Cuenca is easiest to explore afoot, since all important attractions are close to each other and are located in the city centre.

On your way to Riobamba you have the choice between 2 stopovers: You could either visit Ingapirca, an important pre-Columbian archeological place of discovery or take a train through the andes, that starts in Alausi and takes you to Devil’s Nose and back to Alausi.

Starting in Riobamba you can visit different interesting destinations: Atillo and Ozogoche Laguna: Páramo lake district Atillo is about 90 km away from Riobamba and is being known for many beautiful lagoons. About 22 km from Guamote is also the Ozogoche lagoon. Salinas de Tomabela: 30 km into northern direction from Guaranda is the cheese centrum Salinas. In the centrum not only cheese is being produced but also chocolate. Every Tuesday cheese and chocolate of own production is being offered at a market in the small village.

Today your destination will be the Nature Reserve of Chimborazo. Driving through a desert-like landscape you will finally arrive at a parking area, that is located at an altitude of 4.800 m. Starting here, you can hike up to the Edward-Whymper lodge (5.000 m) and enjoy the view while having a hot chocolate. Afterwards you will return to your car and continue the journey to Baños.

After a couple of arduous days this day in Baños will be free at your own disposal. You could rent a mountainbike (approx. 10US$), go horseback riding (approx. 30US$) or discover Pastaza Canyon and the waterfall “Pailon del Diablo” by car. Tip: In the evening you can drive to a viewpoint where you can see the active volcano Tungurahua.

In forenoon you will head to the jungle lodge Hakuna Matata in the 120 hectare private reserve. Depending on arrival time you can either enjoy the day at the pool or optionally explore the surroundings afoot or by horse.

Today you have the choice between two different excursion. mOption 1: Jungle trek – Animal rescue center – Indigenous community.In the morning you will visit the local market in the provincial capital Tena before you drive on a motorized canoe on the Rio Napo and make an approximately 2-hour educational walk through the rainforest. You will reach the animal rescue center “amaZOOnico” with more than 500 animals and then visit a small indigenous community and dive into their everyday life for an afternoon! Option 2: Parrot Wall – Indigenous Community – Jungle Walk Today, before sunrise, you will go to the parrot lick to watch the birds. Then you will visit the community of Santa Barbara where you dive into  the culture of indigenous families and share a unique jungle buffet with them. During a hike you will explore the flora of the jungle before enjoying a typical “almuerzo”- lunch after a canoe trip in the small jungle town of Misahualli.

Today your time in the Hakuna Matata Lodge is going to an end. Optinally, you can participate in a chocolate-workshop or enjoy the last hours at the pool, until you will continue your trip to Papallacta. In Papallacta you can relax in the hot springs of the village.

Today you can explore the surroundings of Papallacta. You could hike along a mountain stream or enjoy a typical lunch: Trout. In the afternoon you will continue to Cotopaxi by car, where you´ll will spend the night with a perfect view of the Cotopaxi volcano.

In the morning you will explore the 34.000ha Cotopaxi national park with the Limpiopungo Laguna and the Cotopaxi volcano, that you can hike up to a highth of 4.800m until you reach a refuge. In the afternoon you will continue driving to Chugchilan. We recommend you to have a stopover in Quilotoa to visit the crater lake.

Today can be used to explore the laguna of Quilotoa and its surroundings. Optionally you can do a hike around the crater lake or through the cliffy valley of Toachi Canyons. The last one is considered as one of Ecuador´s most beautiful hikes.

Today you will drive to Quito, to drop off your car (not later than 6 pm). Depending on the weekday you can visit either of the following indigenous markets, when driving to Quito: Saquisilí (Thursday), Zumbahua (Saturday) and Pujilí (Wednesday, Sunday) Note for Rental Car Delivery: In case you would rather like to drop off your car at the airport in Quito than in the Quito city office, an extra fee of 8% of the car rental price will arise.