Your Small Group Discovery tour begins! Welcome to Ecuador, where your Quito hotel is available for mid-afternoon check-in.

Quintessential Quito On an included city tour with a Local Guide, see Independence Square with its Government and the Bishops Palace as well as the Cathedral. On the way to San Francisco Square, visit the church of La Compañia, which has the most ornate and richly sculptured façade and interior. Afterwards, step inside the church of San Francisco. Then enjoy a behind-the-scenes immersion on a specific topic of pre-Colombian art at the El Alabado Museum, one of the best archaeological collections of Ecuador. Tonight, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant featuring Ecuadorian dishes. breakfast dinner

Wild & Woolly Wonders Travel to Otavalo and appreciate the stunning landscapes: the Guayllabamba gorge, the snow-capped Cayambe volcano, and San Pablo Lake. En route, visit the Quitsato Sundial Monument on the equator. Continue to Otavalo for a wool weaving workshop and visit the famous Otavalo Market filled with handcrafted textiles and souvenirs. Return to Quito for a free evening. breakfast lunch

Ecuador’s Coming up Roses! Travel to the Amazon region with a stop at a rose plantation. Continue to the Ecuadorian Amazon for a 2-night stay in a riverside lodge near the Napo River. breakfast lunch dinner

The Best Medicine Explore the rainforest with a local guide, discovering wildlife and medicinal plants. Enjoy optional activities such as visiting a local village or relaxing at the lodge. breakfast lunch dinner

Sacred Sites & Mountain Heights Travel through scenic Andes landscapes to Baños, known for its waterfalls and views of Tungurahua Volcano. Enjoy a free evening. breakfast lunch

Historic Retreats Hike near the Devil’s Cauldron waterfall and visit the base of Chimborazo Volcano before continuing to Riobamba. breakfast

Explorers & Emperors Visit the Ingapirca Ruins, Ecuador’s most important Inca site, then continue to Cuenca for a city tour of its historic center and landmarks. breakfast

Today we venture to a few key villages around Cuenca where skilled artisans work wonders. Among those is Gualaceo, with its markets where you can find hand woven shawls, ponchos, and local fruits and vegetables. You’ll also visit Bullcay for Ikat weaving and Chordeleg’s “Chorro de Oro” (waterfall of gold)—a village specialized in jewelry, mainly gold and silver with fine filigree work, and handmade ceramic pottery. Continue to southwest of Cuenca to the small district of Sigsig, famous for its handicrafts. Here, watch the people known as “Toquilleras” make the famous Panama hats and other straw objects. Then, try to make something with straw and bring your craft home. Return to Cuenca for a special dinner at a local restaurant.

Today, on the drive to Guayaquil, you will notice the dramatic changes of vegetation. Observe the typical Páramo grassland, small colorful flowers, mosses, lichens and fungi abruptly change once you reach the lowlands where rice, cacao and banana plantations abound. En route, visit the Cacao Project, a woman-owned small business and plantation producing the fruit to make traditional sweets and chocolates. Continue to Guayaquil for a free evening.

Safe travels until we meet again! Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.