15 Days Biking Tour

Sample Itinerary:

Day 01: Quito - Northern Highlands - Hacienda Cusin
Arrival to Quito and transfer to the Northern highlands along the Panamericana Highway. We will reach the beautiful and three hundred-year-old Hacienda Cusin, which is set in spacious landscaped grounds. This historic and delightful Country Inn will be our base in the North of Ecuador. You can relax in the afternoon walking through the gardens, riding horseback or walking into the nearby town of San Pablo del Lago. If you have brought your own Mountain Bike and want to ride around the lake, you can do this in the afternoon. Dinner and accommodation at Hacienda Cusin.

Day 02: Visit the Otavalo Indian Marketplace
You can not miss a visit to this famous market. The Otavalean Indians who assemble in the city come from the surrounding villages of Peguche, Illuman, Quinchuqui, and San Pablo. Otavalo is a delightful 10-km bike from Cusin. We will have a picnic lunch near by the Peguche waterfall and spend the afternoon visiting artisans in the indigenous communities. Dinner and overnight at Hacienda Cusin.

Day 03: Biking Tour to Imbambura - Zuleta - Hacienda Pinsaqui
We will start the day early as we will begin our biking tour in direction to Imbabura volcano (4.600m) with a nearly 500m climb eastward to the saddle between Imbabura and Cerro Cusin. We will bike through Eucalyptus plantations, pass by small farms and large estates on the mountain slopes. Within the golden wheat fields we will be able to see cattle and sheep on the way. We reach the Hacienda Zuleta for picnic lunch and in the afternoon we head back to the Hacienda Pinsaqui. Dinner and accommodation.

Day 04: Biking tour to La Esperanza - Hacienda Chorlavi
This valley to the east of Imbabura volcano was the traditional route of the Inca highway linking Quito with the northern indigenous tribes. Pre-Colombian burial mounds known as "tolas" are commonly seen. We will cycle north along cobblestone country roads. Descent in our Mountain bikes, through the villages of la Rinconada and la Esperanza, the latter of which is well known for its fine embroidered cotton clothing. Overnight stay in Hosteria Chorlavi. Nearby is the town of San Antonio where you can purchase excellent wooden carvings.

Day 05: Mountain Biking tour to Chachimbiro hot springs
The landscape and the people will change remarkably as we cycle north from Chorlavi with our packs to Imbabura Volcano. We will explore country lanes in the Salinas Valley where sugar cane grows. Most of the people we will see are descendants of African slaves. The styles of the houses reflect the cultural differences from the highland groups we have seen till now. On the far side of the valley, we gradually ascend in our Mountain bikes to the town of Tumbabiro, continuing upward to the beautiful Hosteria San Francisco. This is a covered country estate adjacent to the delightful natural hot springs of Chachimbiro. Drive back to the Hacienda Pinsaqui.

Day 06: Biking Tour to Cuicocha Crater Lake
We will cycle southward, crossing the eastern slopes of the western cordillera. We will be passing through the towns of Imantag and Cotacachi and climb on a paved road to the Cuicocha Crater Lake, which is situated at 3.100m in the crater of a subsidiary peak of the Cotacachi volcano. The slopes of Cotacachi are part of the Cotacachi - Cayapas National Park and offer excellent hiking possibilities. Picnic lunch on route. in the Afternoon we cycle back to Hacienda Pinsaqui for dinner and accommodation.

Day 07: Mountain Biking tour to La Florida
This is one of the most spectacular days of the tour as we cycle more than 1.000m down the western slopes of the Andes into a subtropical zone. Our destination is a farm at about 1.800m some 16 miles down from the highlands. As we descend we will see all phases of the process of destruction of the primary forest, it has been reduced over several years to poor grazing land forcing the farmer to cut down more forest on slopes which are getting steeper and steeper. We will leave our Mountain Bikes with support staff at the hamlet of Santa Rosa and walk about an hour down a muddy trail alongside the Toabunchi River to the la Florida farm. Accommodations are in simple wooden cabins with outdoor plumbing. We will dine with our hosts in the main farmhouse.

Day 08: La Florida
The owners offer an alternative model of development, based in protecting the natural beauty of the surrounding rainforest. Over half of their 500-acre farm is steep mountainside covered with primary and secondary forest. The forest is covered in clouds most afternoons. The enormous trees support an exuberant and complex forest ecosystem of orchids, bromeliads, lianas and other epiphytes. Hummingbirds are common and you have a chance to spot some rare birds including the Andean cock of the rock, the mountain toucan and others. In a long day walk we will observe a lot of diversity from the local flora and fauna. Return to the Hacienda for dinner and overnight.

Day 09: Apuela - Hot Springs of Nungulvi - La Florida
After breakfast we hike along the trail following the Toabunchi river a few miles to the town of Apuela and beyond the remote hot springs at Nungulvi. We will enjoy the hot baths and then hike back to La Florida for dinner and overnight. You may have the option for a less active day and spend a day watching birds in the cloud forest or taking pictures. You may also swim in the nearby natural pool or simply relax in a hammock on the porch overlooking the river.

Day 10: Papallacta Hot Springs
After breakfast we hike back to the road at Santa Rosa and drive back to the south along the Pan-Americana to Papallacta hot springs where we will spend the night. Dinner and accommodation.

Day 11: Mountain Biking tour at the Cotopaxi National Park
After breakfast we head back to the Pan-Americana and drive to the South, passing Machachi. From here we drive into the Cotopaxi National Park. Via Machachi - Pedregal. We start biking at 3.200m and we bike 3 hours (mostly uphill) in to the National park, picnic lunch on route. At good weather we will have spectacular views of the Cotopaxi, Pasochoa, Sincholagua and Rumiñahui Volcanoes. Finally we drive to the charming Hacienda la Cienega where we will stay overnight.

Day 12:Mountain Biking in th region of Sumbagua and Quilotoa
We drive to Sumbagua and from here we cycle for a few hours passing the Quilotoa Crater Lake down hill to Chugchilan along spectacular views. Lunch on route. In the afternoon we drive back to la Cienega for dinner and accommodation. If the weather is nice we will be able to see wonderful and amazing scenery.

Day 13: Biking tour to Saquisili Indio Market - Quito
Very early in the morning we visit the town of Saquisili. This is the place of one of the most colourful Ecuadorian markets. Livestock, woven baskets, loads of vegetables and fruits, clothing and textiles fill all eight of Saquisili's plazas. Shopping is a wonderful and interesting experience. After the market we head north to Quito to make a visit of downtown admiring colonial churches like: San Francisco, la Compañia and Santo Domingo. Overnight at Dann Carlton Hotel.

Day 14: Quito
Free day in Quito for shopping and the last sightseeing! We will be glad to inform you about the important points to visit!

Day 15: Flight back
Transfer to the airport for your return flight.

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