Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Ecuador: Quito, Cotopaxi, Banos and the Amazon
9 days from Quito: the Old Town, Otavalo and the equator, a lagoon walk under Cotopaxi, two nights in Banos, two at an Amazon lodge near Tena and the Papallacta hot springs.
9 days · Round trip from Quito · up to 12 guests
Cotopaxi over the paramo Photo: Rinaldo Wurglitsch from Vienna, Austria, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cotopaxi_(37399959476).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Quito
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Easy to moderate walking at altitude: town walks of 2 to 3 km in Quito and Otavalo at 2,500 to 2,850 m, a flat 3 km lagoon loop at about 3,800 m under Cotopaxi, a path of 20 to 30 minutes each way with steps to the Pailon del Diablo, and 2 to 3 hours on hot, muddy forest trails in the Amazon. You can sit out any walk; the refuge climb at 4,864 m and the bike ride are optional. The night near Cotopaxi is higher than Quito, so we choose a hotel at or below about 3,500 m once dates are set.
- Meals included
- 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 4 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 495 (estimated price)
- Season
- All year; June to September and December to January for the clearest volcano views
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Plaza de los Ponchos market in Otavalo with time to browse, and the equator at the Mitad del Mundo the same day
- Quito's Old Town plazas early while they are quiet, then the gold-leaf nave of La Compania and the view from the Basilica towers
- An easy 3 km walk round Limpiopungo lagoon under Cotopaxi at about 3,800 m, or a climb to the Jose Rivas refuge at 4,864 m
- The Pailon del Diablo waterfall early, before the crowds, with the option to cycle there downhill from Banos
- Two nights at an Amazon lodge reached by motorised canoe, with a night walk and a forest walk led by a Kichwa guide
- Cacao turned into chocolate in a Kichwa community, and a wildlife rescue centre on the river
- A long soak in the Papallacta hot springs on the drive back over the Andes
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 495 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Quito
Mariscal Sucre International Airport to your hotel by Quito's Old Town
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Quito
- Drive about 1 h
Fly into Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO) at Tababela, about an hour east of the city, where a driver meets you in arrivals and takes you to your hotel in or beside the Old Town.
Evening
Quito sits at about 2,850 m in a long Andean valley under the Pichincha volcano, so the first day is gentle on purpose: walk slowly, drink plenty of water and go easy on alcohol tonight. If you land early, the Plaza Grande is a short stroll from the hotel and a good place to sit in the sun while shoe-shiners and office workers cross the square. At about 7 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the week ahead, from how the altitude feels to what to pack for the Amazon. Then we walk a few minutes to a welcome dinner of Ecuadorian dishes such as locro de papa, a potato and cheese soup served with avocado. If your flight lands after about 5 pm, your guide catches up with you at breakfast.
Included
- Pick-up at Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner in the Old Town
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Activity: Quito is at about 2,850 m. Rest, drink water and keep the first evening light.
Otavalo market and the equator
Quito to Otavalo, then the Mitad del Mundo on the way back to Quito
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Quito
- Drive about 4.5 h
Evening
This is one of two days that run over our four-hour driving cap, by about half an hour, because Otavalo and the equator monument both lie north of Quito and pairing them saves an extra night; the market, a sit-down lunch and the monument break it into three short legs. We leave at 8 am and drive about two hours north on the Pan-American Highway, past the flower farms around Cayambe and, on a clear morning, the snow cap of Cayambe volcano. In Otavalo, at about 2,550 m, we walk the Plaza de los Ponchos, the craft market that runs every day and spreads into the surrounding streets on Saturdays: woven ponchos and blankets, alpaca wool, embroidered blouses and tagua-nut carvings. Your guide explains how bargaining works here, then leaves you an hour to browse. After lunch in the valley we drive back south to the Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, where a 30 m monument marks the equator line measured by the French Geodesic Mission in the 1730s, a couple of hundred metres from where GPS puts it today. A short walk away, the private Intinan museum demonstrates the equator experiments. We are back in Quito by about 5:30 pm.
Included
- Plaza de los Ponchos craft market in Otavalo, with time to browse
- Sit-down lunch in the Otavalo valley
- Ciudad Mitad del Mundo equator monument
- Intinan museum
Easier option: Skip the museum and wait in the monument park's cafes while the group visits.
Free time: Evening free in Quito
Activity: About four and a half hours of driving in total, in three legs. Otavalo is at about 2,550 m.
Quito's Old Town, then south to Cotopaxi
Quito's Old Town, then the Pan-American Highway south to a country hotel near Cotopaxi National Park
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Cotopaxi
- Drive about 2 h
We start in the Old Town at 8:30 am, while the streets are still quiet and the light is soft on the facades. Quito's historic centre was among the first places on the UNESCO list, in 1978, and it is still a lived-in city of churches, convents and balconied streets. The first hour is outdoors: your guide walks you across the Plaza Grande, past the Presidential Palace and the cathedral, along the balconied streets to the broad plaza of San Francisco. Once the churches open, from about 9:30 (we confirm the entry times for your date), we go into La Compania de Jesus, whose nave is covered in gold leaf, and then climb the towers of the Basilica del Voto Nacional for the view over red roofs to El Panecillo hill.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in the Old Town. In the early afternoon we drive about two hours south, onto the road the explorer Alexander von Humboldt is said to have called the Avenue of the Volcanoes, to a country hotel near Cotopaxi National Park.
Evening
The rest of the afternoon is free to rest, walk the grounds or sit by the fire, and dinner is at the hotel.
Included
- Quito Old Town walk with your guide: Plaza Grande, the cathedral and the plaza of San Francisco
- La Compania de Jesus, inside
- The towers of the Basilica del Voto Nacional
- Sit-down lunch in the Old Town
- Dinner at the country hotel near Cotopaxi
Easier option: Skip the Basilica tower climb and wait in the plaza below.
Free time: Late afternoon free at the hotel
Activity: About 2 to 3 km on foot in the Old Town, with hills and steep steps inside the Basilica towers. Tonight you sleep higher than Quito, so keep drinking water.
Cotopaxi at opening, then down to Banos
Cotopaxi National Park and Limpiopungo lagoon, then south via Latacunga and Ambato to Banos
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Banos
- Drive about 3.5 h
Morning
After an early breakfast we enter Cotopaxi National Park as it opens, when the cone is most often clear of cloud. Cotopaxi rises to 5,897 m and is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world, with eruptive phases as recently as 2015 and 2022 to 2023. Our walk is the easy loop around Limpiopungo lagoon at about 3,800 m on the open paramo: about 3 km, flat and slow, with the glaciers above and a good chance of wild horses, Andean gulls and lapwings, and with luck a white-tailed deer or a condor. Your guide sets the pace and watches how everyone is breathing. Those who want more can drive up to the car park at about 4,600 m and climb to the Jose Rivas refuge at 4,864 m, about an hour of steep zigzags on volcanic sand, when the park has that route open.
Afternoon
We meet for lunch near the park, then drive about two and a half hours south through Latacunga and Ambato, dropping some 2,000 m to Banos, a spa town in a green gorge under Tungurahua volcano.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Cotopaxi National Park at opening with your guide
- Limpiopungo lagoon walk, about 3 km
- Sit-down lunch near the park
Easier option: Walk part of the lagoon loop, or stay with the vehicle at the viewpoints and the park's small interpretation centre.
More active option: Climb from the car park at about 4,600 m to the Jose Rivas refuge at 4,864 m, about an hour up, when the park has the route open.
Free time: Evening free in Banos
Activity: The highest day of the trip, at about 3,800 m on the lagoon walk. If the park closes because of volcanic activity, your guide leads a paramo walk nearby instead.
The waterfall road below Banos
Banos down the Pastaza gorge to the Pailon del Diablo at Rio Verde, and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Banos
- Drive about 1 h
Banos sits on the road that drops from the Andes towards the Amazon along the Pastaza river, and the 18 km below town are lined with waterfalls. We go early, leaving at about 8 am, to reach the Pailon del Diablo at Rio Verde before the day's visitors. A path of about 20 to 30 minutes, with steps, leads down through the gorge to the falls, around 80 m high, where the Pastaza crashes into a rock bowl; ledges and a suspension bridge put you close enough to get wet, so bring a rain jacket. On the way back we stop above the Manto de la Novia falls, where small cable cars cross the gorge.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Banos, at about 1,800 m and warmer than the highlands. The afternoon is free: soak in the town's thermal pools, walk up to the Bellavista viewpoint above town, or take a taxi to the Casa del Arbol and its swing over the valley. Your guide can book whatever you choose and comes along where you want company.
Included
- Pailon del Diablo waterfall at Rio Verde, early
- Manto de la Novia viewpoint
- Sit-down lunch in Banos
- Bike hire for anyone who cycles the waterfall road
Optional experiences
- Thermal pools in Banos
- Casa del Arbol swing
- Canyoning, rafting or a spa treatment, booked locally
Easier option: See the falls from the viewpoint at the top of the path instead of walking down the steps.
More active option: Cycle from Banos to Rio Verde on the old road beside the tunnels, about 18 km and mostly downhill; the van brings you and the bike back.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Banos
Activity: The path to the Pailon has steps both ways and is wet near the falls; wear shoes with grip.
Down into the Amazon
Banos to Puyo and Tena, then by motorised canoe to the lodge
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Amazon lodge near Tena
- Drive about 3.5 h
Morning
After breakfast we follow the Pastaza river down out of the mountains to Puyo, where the air turns warm and damp, then north through farmland and forest to Tena, the capital of Napo province at about 500 m: about three hours of driving with a coffee stop on the way.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Tena, a river town known for its whitewater and its Kichwa communities. A short drive then brings us to the riverbank, where a motorised canoe carries us and our bags upriver to the lodge, which has no road access. The lodge is chosen for cabins with private bathrooms and hot water, guides from the local Kichwa communities and forest right at the door; we name it when we confirm your dates. The rest of the afternoon is for settling in, a hammock or a swim where the lodge says the river is safe.
Evening
After dinner, a lodge guide takes the group out on a night walk with torches, looking for frogs, stick insects, tarantulas and sleeping birds.
Included
- Sit-down lunch in Tena
- Motorised canoe to the lodge
- Guided night walk
- Dinner at the lodge
Easier option: Skip the night walk and listen to the forest from your cabin.
Free time: Late afternoon free at the lodge
Activity: Wear long sleeves and closed shoes on the night walk, and bring a torch and insect repellent.
A day in the rainforest
The lodge, its forest trails and a nearby Kichwa community
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Amazon lodge near Tena
- By boat
Morning
Mornings are the best time for wildlife in the rainforest, so the day starts early, with an optional dawn walk or canoe ride at about 6 am, when parrots, toucans and oropendolas are most active. After breakfast a Kichwa guide leads a longer forest walk of about two to three hours on muddy, uneven trails, explaining the plants used for medicine, building and dyes, and how families farm small mixed forest gardens called chakras.
Afternoon
Lunch is at the lodge, followed by a free hour or two in the heat of the day. In the afternoon we take the canoe to a nearby Kichwa community to see cacao grown, fermented, roasted and ground into chocolate, and to share a cup of guayusa, a caffeinated leaf tea drunk at dawn in the region. On the way back we stop at a wildlife rescue centre on the river, where animals taken from the illegal pet trade are cared for and, where possible, released.
Evening
Dinner is at the lodge, with a last evening of jungle sound.
Included
- Dawn walk or canoe ride with a lodge guide
- Forest walk with a Kichwa guide, about 2 to 3 hours
- Cacao and chocolate making in a Kichwa community
- Visit to a wildlife rescue centre
- All meals at the lodge
Easier option: Take the shorter lodge trail loop instead of the long forest walk, or rest at the lodge until the afternoon canoe trip.
More active option: Take the longer forest loop your Kichwa guide offers on the day, or paddle a dugout canoe on the river during the free hours, where the lodge has them.
Free time: Free time at the lodge after lunch
Activity: Trails are hot, humid and muddy; the lodge usually lends rubber boots, confirmed when we name it.
Papallacta hot springs and back to Quito
Canoe to the river landing, then by road via Archidona and Baeza to Papallacta and Quito
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Quito
- Drive about 4.5 h
Morning
We leave the lodge by canoe straight after an early breakfast and drive north via Archidona and Baeza, climbing out of the lowlands through cloud forest, waterfalls and rivers on a road that rises about 2,800 m before Papallacta.
Afternoon
This is the second day that runs over our four-hour driving cap, at about four and a half hours in all, because there is no shorter road from the Amazon back to Quito; it is broken in two by the Papallacta soak and lunch. After about three hours we reach Papallacta, a village at about 3,300 m where volcanic springs feed hot pools with views across the paramo. We arrive around midday, soak for a couple of hours and have lunch beside the pools. The last leg, about an hour and a half, crosses the eastern Andes at a pass of about 4,000 m, where the glaciers of Antisana volcano can show to the south on a clear afternoon, before the road drops into Quito.
Evening
You have time to rest at the hotel before a farewell dinner with the group in the Old Town.
Included
- Motorised canoe back to the river landing
- Papallacta hot springs, with entry
- Lunch at Papallacta
- Farewell dinner in Quito
Optional experiences
- Spa treatments at Papallacta
More active option: Walk a short trail above the pools at Papallacta instead of a second soak.
Free time: Late afternoon free in Quito
Activity: About four and a half hours of driving in two legs, either side of Papallacta. Bring a swimsuit and a towel in your day bag. The pass at about 4,000 m is the highest point on the road.
Quito and home
Your hotel in Quito to Mariscal Sucre International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
Your last morning in Quito is free until your airport transfer. If your flight leaves late, the Old Town is a short walk from the hotel: the Museo de la Ciudad in a former colonial hospital, the convent of Carmen Alto, where the nuns still sell their own sweets and biscuits, or a coffee on the Plaza San Francisco while the city goes about its day. A driver takes you to Mariscal Sucre International Airport, about an hour from the centre; allow three hours at the airport before an international flight, so plan to leave the hotel about four hours before departure. If you are continuing to the Galapagos, tell us when you book: our Galapagos island-hopping group flies from Quito to the islands on its third day, and we can time your departure so you join it at the airport, with any extra Quito nights between the two trips arranged by us. Your guide says goodbye at the hotel and makes sure every transfer is booked.
Included
- Drop-off at Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)
Free time: Free until your airport transfer
Activity: Leave the hotel about four hours before an international flight.
- Quito2 nights
- Cotopaxi1 night
- Banos2 nights
- Amazon lodge near Tena2 nights
- Quito1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: The highlands are drier roughly June to September, with the clearest views of Cotopaxi but strong winds and cold nights on the paramo; October to May brings more afternoon cloud and showers. Around Tena it rains in every month, often in short heavy bursts, with the wettest spell roughly April to July. Volcano views are best early in the morning, which is why we enter Cotopaxi at opening.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want the Andes and the Amazon in nine days without long bus days
- A first trip to Ecuador, or the mainland half of a Galapagos holiday
- Walkers who like easy to moderate days with a harder option
- Solo travellers and couples who want a small group and free afternoons
Not for you if you want
- Anyone hoping for deep-Amazon wildlife such as jaguars or giant otters; the forest near Tena is lived in and farmed
- Climbers who want to summit Cotopaxi
- Travellers with heart or lung conditions that altitude makes worse, without a doctor's advice
- Step-free access: steps, cobbles, muddy trails and canoe landings throughout
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Quito2 nights
- Cotopaxi1 night
- Banos2 nights
- Amazon lodge near Tena2 nights
- Quito1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights: 2 in Quito, 1 at a country hotel near Cotopaxi National Park, 2 in Banos, 2 at an Amazon lodge near Tena and 1 more in Quito
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard in Quito and Banos, a country hotel near the park and a lodge with private bathrooms; we name each one when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)
- Our own vehicle and driver for the group from day 1 to day 9
- Motorised canoe to and from the Amazon lodge, and canoe trips from the lodge
- Bike hire on day 5 for anyone who cycles the waterfall road
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 9
- Local Kichwa guides at the Amazon lodge and in the community
Activities
- Otavalo: the Plaza de los Ponchos market
- Quito: the Ciudad Mitad del Mundo monument and the Intinan museum
- Quito: Old Town walk with La Compania de Jesus, San Francisco and the Basilica del Voto Nacional towers
- Cotopaxi National Park: the Limpiopungo lagoon walk, or the Jose Rivas refuge climb when open
- Banos: the Pailon del Diablo waterfall and the Manto de la Novia viewpoint
- Amazon near Tena: night walk, dawn walk or canoe, forest walk with a Kichwa guide, cacao and chocolate making in a Kichwa community and a wildlife rescue centre
- Papallacta: the hot springs
Meals
- 8 breakfasts
- 7 lunches
- 5 dinners: a welcome dinner in Quito, dinner near Cotopaxi, two at the Amazon lodge and a farewell dinner in Quito
Not included
- International flights to and from Quito
- Visa, where your nationality needs one
- Travel insurance
- Vaccinations and medicines
- Meals not listed above
- Drinks
- Tips for guides, drivers and lodge staff
- Optional activities in Banos, such as the thermal pools, the Casa del Arbol swing, canyoning or rafting
- Spa treatments at Papallacta
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 495 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 2,460 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 2,665. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 2,895.
What does the Ecuador trip price include?
Eight nights in hotels, a country hotel near Cotopaxi and an Amazon lodge, 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 5 dinners, airport transfers, our own vehicle and driver, the canoe to the lodge, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan, including Otavalo, the Mitad del Mundo, the Pailon del Diablo, the lodge activities and the Papallacta hot springs.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, so everyone fits in one canoe and around one table, and hears the guide in a church or on a forest trail. Comparable trips run with up to 16. For fewer people, choose the private trip for your party only.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the airport on day 1 to the last morning in Quito. At the Amazon lodge and in the Kichwa community, local Kichwa guides lead the forest walks and explain their own plants, farming and food.
How fit do I need to be, and will the altitude affect me?
Moderate. Walks are 2 to 3 km in towns, a flat 3 km at about 3,800 m at Cotopaxi and two to three hours on muddy forest trails. Altitude can affect anyone; two nights in Quito come first, the Cotopaxi hotel sits no higher than about 3,500 m, the pace is slow, and you can sit out any walk.
I am travelling solo. What is the single supplement?
A room of your own is from CAD 495 more, shown before you book with no surprises later. If you would rather share, ask us when you book and we will try to match you with another solo traveller, and tell you before you pay whether a supplement applies if no match is found.
When is the best time to visit mainland Ecuador?
The trip runs all year. June to September is the driest time in the highlands, with the clearest views of Cotopaxi but cold wind on the paramo; December and January are often clear too. Around Tena it rains in every month, most often from about April to July, usually in short heavy showers.
How does booking work?
Pick a start date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours and nothing is charged until then. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes, from CAD 2,895 for the small group.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private trip runs for your party only on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section for a quote using the same hotels, lodge and local guides.
Do I need a visa or vaccinations for Ecuador?
Canadian, US, UK and EU passport holders do not need a visa for a tourist stay of this length, and your passport should be valid for six months. For the Amazon, see a travel clinic about yellow fever vaccination and malaria advice well before you travel; we confirm entry rules when you book.
Can I combine this trip with the Galapagos?
Yes. This trip ends in Quito, where our Galapagos island-hopping trip starts. Its first two days cover the Old Town and Otavalo, which you will have seen, so we can time your booking for you to join that group at Quito airport on its flight to the islands, and arrange any nights in between.
How much wildlife will we see in the Amazon near Tena?
Mostly birds, insects, frogs and plants, with a chance of monkeys; the forest near Tena is lived in and farmed by Kichwa families. For jaguars, giant otters or large monkey troops you need the remote lodges of Yasuni or Cuyabeno, which take a flight and more days; ask about a private trip.
Why is Quilotoa not on the route?
The Quilotoa crater lake is a three to four hour round trip off the Avenue of the Volcanoes, and adding it would break our four-hour driving limit or cost a night in Banos. On a private trip we can add it with an extra night near the lake.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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