Southern Ecuador: Chimborazo, the Devil's Nose, Cuenca and Cajas

Arrive at Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), which lies outside the city, and transfer to your hotel; the transfer is proposed and we quote no time until the hotel is fixed.

Free time: Free until the evening briefing

Activity: Day 3 is the train visit day. If the train is included it must be confirmed to run on that date; the ministry and ticket page list Thursday to Sunday, which would mean a Tuesday to Friday start. Ingapirca is listed as open Wednesday to Sunday, so Day 3 should be a Wednesday to Sunday in either case, meaning a Monday to Friday start.

This is a full road day, with the driving time and Chimborazo detour still to be confirmed by the local vehicle partner, so we plan an early departure and rest stops. We head south along the Pan-American highway through the high valley that Humboldt called the Avenue of the Volcanoes, past the snow cones of the central Andes. The high point of the day is the approach to Chimborazo, Ecuador's highest peak, whose summit is about 6,263 m; a stop at the high paramo viewpoint in the fauna reserve, above 4,000 m, is proposed, and whether the mountain is visible depends on cloud, which we cannot promise.

Easier option: Remain at the lower viewpoint and skip the short walk

More active option: Add a short walk at the Chimborazo stop

Activity: A full road day; the local partner must confirm the route and driving time including the Chimborazo detour before quoting. Road conditions, rain and landslides can lengthen it. The proposed Chimborazo stop is above 4,000 m; exact stop, access and suitability must be agreed before booking.

Today we propose to ride the Devil's Nose, the Nariz del Diablo, a railway that descends a rock face by switchbacks between Alausi and Sibambe, a round trip of about two and a half hours by the listings found. The transport ministry reported on 6 June 2026 that the line reopened after a February landslide, and the ticket page lists Thursday to Sunday departures from Alausi at 08:00, 11:00 and 14:00 through 31 December 2026. We treat the train as a proposed option that must be confirmed for the exact date, with no tickets booked, and promise no schedule beyond the dates listed. If it is running we take the 08:00 departure, which is the only one that leaves time for Ingapirca and then drive to Ingapirca, Ecuador's most important Inca-Canari site, for about an hour with a guide, before continuing to Cuenca.

Easier option: See the main Sun Temple area and skip the optional walk to the Cara del Inca

More active option: On a road-only day without the train, consider the Cara del Inca walk if site access, weather and time allow; duration to be confirmed with the guide

Free time: Free evening in Cuenca

Activity: Conditional rail day. Without the train, the day runs as a road day with a slower Alausi morning, so no start-day restriction comes from the train. Ingapirca is listed as open Wednesday to Sunday (closed 1 January, 1 May and 25 December), so Day 3 should still avoid Monday and Tuesday; hours differ between sources and must be confirmed. Only the 08:00 train leaves time for Ingapirca the same day.

A day to explore Cuenca, a UNESCO World Heritage city at about 2,550 m, with colonial streets, the blue-domed New Cathedral on the main plaza, a flower market and a river lined with old houses. Despite the name, the so-called Panama hat is woven in Ecuador from toquilla straw, and Cuenca is a centre of its making, so we visit a workshop where hats are woven, blocked and finished; the workshop is not appointed and any hat purchase is at your own cost.

Free time: Free afternoon in Cuenca

We drive to Cajas National Park, a high-altitude landscape of lakes, paramo grasslands and polylepis trees west of Cuenca; the park's access road is the same Cuenca to Molleturo road that leads to the coast. We walk a loop among the lakes at about 4,000 m, with the guide setting the length on the day, perhaps two to three hours at an easy pace, with stops. The air is thin, the weather changes quickly and the wind is cold, so warm and waterproof layers are essential.

Easier option: Take a shorter walk of about 2 to 3 km by the nearest lake

More active option: Add a longer loop if conditions and the group allow

Free time: Free evening in Cuenca

Activity: Altitude about 4,000 m. Park entry fees and trail conditions are unconfirmed.

We cross the Andes on the Cuenca to Molleturo to Naranjal road through the Cajas, climbing to the high pass and then dropping to the coastal plain, so the day begins in cold paramo and ends in tropical heat. The driving time is long, roughly three and a half to four hours by our estimate, and the road is exposed to landslides, with partial-closure reports at several points as recently as 3 November 2026. If the road is closed, a safe, open alternative must be checked with the road authority and local driver; a detour can add hours and change the day's visits. Alternative routes through Giron and Pasaje have also had restrictions, so none is a guaranteed fallback. Arrival time in Guayaquil depends on the open route, and we walk the Malecon 2000 river promenade and the old Las Penas district only if time allows.

Easier option: Skip the Las Penas stair climb

Free time: Free time on the Malecon only if the road-day schedule allows

Activity: Road status must be checked on the day; closures can add hours. Drive time is an estimate.

Activity: Earliest flight time to be confirmed.