Among Mountains

A week's tour of Quito and the northern Andes.

from £1410

'Among Mountains'

What makes this trip special?

A tale of two cities

Quito

Ecuador's capital city is distinctly divided into 2 main parts, the cobbled streets and colonial buildings of the old town and the highrises and trendy cafes of the new town. Both are worth exploring.

The middle of the world

The Equator

Quito sits directly on the Equator line. A sturdy monument marks the location, whilst the Inti-Nan museum next door provides some humour with spiralling water and balancing eggs on a nail.

Craft traditions, indigenous communities & beautiful scenery

Otavalo

A small market town deep in the Andes, one of Otavalo's main attractions is its Saturday market, widely reckoned to be the best for textiles and traditional handicrafts in all of South America.

Thermal pools amongst the mountains

Papallacta

Termas de Papallacta is a delightful lodge with spa and outdoor thermal pools high in the Andes mountain range.

Avenue of the Volcanoes

Cotopaxi NP & Avenue of the Volcanoes

With over 50 volcanic peaks, the Avenue of the Volcanoes makes a stunning drive down from Quito. Cotopaxi, one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and its National Park is a good spot for walking.

Itinerary

Day Overnight
1 Quito
2 Quito
3 Otavalo
4 Otavalo
5 Antisana
6 Cotopaxi
7 Quito
For the detail of each day click the ‘Day-by-day’ tab above.

Day-by-day itinerary for 'Among Mountains'

DAY 1

Quito

You are met on arrival at Quito airport and transferred to a comfortable 3* hotel, your base for 2 nights.

DAY 2

In the morning your guide will take you on a walking tour of the Old City. After lunch, visit the Equator at either the unconventional Inti-Ñan museum or the Mitad del Mundo theme park. Return to hotel. Your evening is free to eat at the hotel or take a taxi to a restaurant of your choice.

DAY 3

Otavalo

After breakfast, transfer to Otavalo to stay 2 nights at Hacienda Cusín or Pinsaqui (see panel opposite). Your guide and vehicle are at your command for excursions in the area, including the famous market, Cuicocha lake, and the craft villages around the town.

DAY 4

Excursions in and around Otavalo.

DAY 5

Antisana

Continue your tour eastwards to the mountain landscapes of Antisana national park, staying at the spa resort of Termas de Papallacta. Cabins are built around a series of thermal pools and a selection of treatments is available at the spa at additional cost.

DAY 6

Cotopaxi

Drive around the mountains to Cotopaxi national park, exploring the Limpiopungo Lagoon, driving part of the way up Cotopaxi itself with the option of walking up a scree a further 200m to the mountain refuge and the edge of the glacier. Return to Quito to stay overnight at the same hotel as before.

DAY 7

Quito

You will be collected from your hotel in time for your onwards flight. Flights to the Galápagos or the Amazon leave in the morning. Overnight flights to Europe leave in the afternoon. If you start this tour on a Tuesday Wednesday or Thursday it can be sequenced to visit Otavalo on its busiest market days.

Route map for Ecuador & Galapagos 'Among Mountains' holiday

Guide prices for 'Among Mountains'

options	based on	all year	low season	mid season	high season	peak season	other season
Guide Price	2 people sharing	£1,410

Prices are per person and include:

all travel in Ecuador
all accommodation
meals as indicated B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner
all excursions as described

Prices do not include:

international flights
travel insurance
airport and departure taxes
items of a personal nature such as drinks, tips, laundry, etc
any optional excursions you may buy locally

Customer reviews for 'Among Mountains'

Recent reviews are shown here from holidays based on this initial design. In each case the itinerary may have been modified (a little or a lot) to suit the individual traveller.

Average

Seasonal information for 'Among Mountains'

Select your month of travel

Along this route in January

Day	Location	Max °C
1	Quito	15°C	117mm
2	Quito	15°C	117mm
3	Otavalo	19°C	90mm
4	Otavalo	19°C	90mm
5	Antisana	23°C	42mm
6	Cotopaxi	9°C	83mm
7	Quito	15°C	117mm

Typical weather for January

Max °C figures are the average daily maximum temperatures for the month. Rainfall is the average precipitation for the month.

Hotels for 'Among Mountains'

Select your preferred accommodation option

Days 1 - 2

Hotel La Rabida

Quito modern part

Average rating 4.4 (16 ratings)

Hotel de La Rábida is a traditional Quito home that has been renovated and turned into a rather charming small guest house. It is situated in the modern part of Quito. It has characterful lounge with log fire and small patio garden.

Bedroom

Days 3 - 4

Hacienda Cusin

Otavalo

Average rating 4.8 (17 ratings)

Hacienda Cusin is a restored 17th-century Andean hacienda. It is located close to Otavalo, next to the San Pablo Lake, and has attractive and extensive gardens. All rooms have private bathrooms some with their own fireplaces, whilst there is Wi-Fi throughout. In reception there are hot-water bottles available and there are over 20 activities, tours and expeditions available including horseriding to book locally.

Side wing

Day 5

Termas de Papallacta

Papallacta

Average rating 4.4 (39 ratings)

Situated high on the paramos (moors) 40 minutes drive east from Quito this is a delightful lodge with outdoor thermal pools and spa. It has a total of 32 rooms dotted about in its garden, including 13 cabins which also have living rooms and fireplaces. Accommodation is about 300m from the main block which houses the restaurant and spa. Guests have thermal pools, never more than a few footsteps from their room. Here on a clear night it is lovely to slip into the warm water after dinner and admire the moonlit snowcapped summit of distant Antisana volcano. All rooms have private bathrooms and there are self-guided hiking trails on the paramos behind the hotel where there are opportunites to see hummingbirds. There are also much larger thermal pools which are open to the public which are very popular at weekends when day-trippers visit from Quito. Room prices are higher at weekends when the lodge is busiest so aim to stay mid-week.

Thermal pools

Day 6

Hotel La Rabida

Quito modern part

Average rating 4.4 (16 ratings)