Tenative Itinerary for Summer 2010 arriving in Quito July 26, 2010
Cost is $900 plus your airfare to Quito - there
are a few extras that are Marked with $ below, but basically everything
is included, all transportation, lodging and meals.
If you were to do everything extra, including the meals
you pay for, it would be less than $150. You also need $42.
to get out of Ecuador.
Day 1 Arrive in Quito Guillermo will meet us at the
airport and takes us to Arco del Sol
Day 2 Guillermo will pick us up around 9am
Breakfast at Arco del Sol
Tour the Old City, churches and parks
Lunch near the Equator,(included) go to the Equator Park
where you can balance an egg on the head of a nail, walk the equator line.
Travel to Mindo - Check into our hostal Mindo Real -
www.mindoreal.com
Go for a swim in the pool
and walk to town for supper (steak on a rock) or your
choice of dinner ($7)
Day 3 - Guillermo our guide
Breakfast at Hostal Mindo Real
Zip Lining ($15) great experience you can try it for
one line and then decide if you want to continue. Doing this
in Costa Rica would be $85-$120
Lunch at the Butterfly Restaurant ($6) Butterfly
farm ($3)
Tubing in the Mindo River $5
Supper at Mindo Real or another local restaurant ($5)
Day 4
Breakfast at Hostal Mindo Real
Guillermo will take us on a hike to the waterfalls
($5) to just cross in the cable car $4.
Lunch at an amazing pizza place - chef from Italy
Group will leave with Guillermo to Otavalo
Day 5 Ramiro is now our Guide
Breakfast at Valle del Amanecer
Leave around 7:30 for Playa de Oro. It is about
4 hours by van, will stop a few places to take pictures on the way.
Meet the boat at Selva Alegra - this is a very
small town but they have beer and pop if want to buy some to take to the
lodge with us, beer available at the lodge.
Depending on the height of the water the ride could take
from 1 ½ hours to 2 ½ hours.
There is a lot of mining and destruction along the banks
of the river until we come to the land owned by Playa de Oro.
Then it is all original rainforest.
Will probably stop at the village for some supplies and
then on up river to the Lodge.
We will be assigned our rooms and lunch will be served
immediately.
We can go swimming across the river or go for a short
jungle walk.
Go to bed around 8pm there are games to play or cards
or a batgammon board, but the light doesnt last long.
Day 6
Breakfast about 7am
Leave around 8:00 to go upriver another ½ hour
and then do a 2 hour hike to a waterfalls.
We can go swimming there and have a snack.
There will be guides to help you along and you can go at your own pace.
We will then go upriver to the Catherdal, which is a rock formation, you
can take some pictures. Will be back at the lodge for lunch.
Afternoon you can spend in the hammock to rest after
your morning outing. They can take us to pan for gold
along the river, or try your luck with a fishing pole.
Day 7
Breakfast about 7am
We are going to the village which is a 2 hour walk,
if you did alright yesterday, you will be fine today. (or you can
take the boat). We will have a tour of the
Village of Playa de Oro, our escort will be Manuel.
You can purchase marachas, drums or typical houses made to scale of wood.
The children will do native dancing, the music is done
on handmade instruments made in the village. We will be given
coconuts to drink from, and when they are done dancing they will ask us
to dance with them. You cant disappoint the children, they
are so cute when they ask you to dance with them.
We will be back at the lodge for lunch. Pan for
gold or fish or sleep or read.
Day 8
We will leave early for Otavalo, maybe stopping at the
village on the way to say good bye. Ramiro will get his van
in Selva Alegra and we should be back in Otavalo by 2pm.
The afternoon can be spent in the markets. Or we can take a
taxi to Ramiros farm (about 20 mintues) and explore a river and sulphur
spring and cave that I discovered in May. ($6 extra) need water shoes.
Or if you would like to go to Leathertown, Cotacatchi you can take a taxi
there (about 20 mintues).($6. extra)
Day 9
Breakfast at Valle del Amanecer
Leave around 9am for Intag Get settle
in the hostal de Cafeteil, and visit a my coffee farm. There
is coffee, pineapple, mango, papaya, cotton, oranges, lemon grass, none,
passion fruit all growing there. Ramiro will cook super
for us. And then we will go to the hot spring for a hot mineral soak. ($1)
Day 10
Ramiro cooks us breakfast
Horseback riding ($10) slow ride up the mountain to
a mountain school. Or you could go for a walk or go fishing
in the river. Spend sometime at my house laying in a hammock
or join in with the worker at whatever he is doing . See how
they start the coffee and grow the plants in the shade.
Ramiro will make us lunch and dinner
We will go to the hotsprings again. ($1)
Day 11
Ramiro cooks us breakfast
Go to the Face (mountain) ride to the top and walk down,
or wait at the bottom and tour the farm. They have peas, corn, beans,
uka, pineapple, banana, coffee growing there. You will be able
to talk to the farmer with Ramiro to translate for you. Afternoon
have lunch in Village of Apuela and visit the coffee factory, where you
can purchase coffee to take home with you.
Supper at a Marcos restaurant near the hotsprings ($5)
and do the hotsprings again ($1)
Day 12
Ramiro makes us breakfast
Leave for Otavalo stopping at the Cuicocha Lake on
the top of Cotachati Volcano, we will do a boat tour ($3) around the the
lake, and have a big late lunch over looking the lake ($7)
Light supper of pizza for $1.
Day 13
Go to the animal market at 7am then breakfast at Valle
del Amanecer at 8am This is the big Market day in Otavalo.
There is also the Condor Park that you could take a cab to if you weren't
into the market. Taxi is $5. entrance is $3.
Guillermo will pick you up at 4pm and take you back to
Quito (2 hours) . Spend the night at Arco del Sol meals lunch ($3)
& supper ($5)
You can get a manicure, pedicure, and hair washed and
blown dry for $9 !!!
DAy 14
Guillermo will pick you up and take you to the airport.
There may be the option of saying an extra day to reduce the plane fare.
If that is the case we would spend the whole day in Otavalo and go to Quito
on the next day.
Websites to look at
www.hostalarcodelsol.com
www.hostalvalledelamanecer.com also access to Hostal
El Cafetal de Intag
www.mindoreal.com
www.touchthejungle.org
www.bundascattery.com/RioIntag.htm