Ecuador is small enough to cross in a day, yet varied enough that you never have to choose: glaciated summits, cloud forest, two very different stretches of Amazon and an oceanic archipelago, all in the same short country. Here are seven adventure destinations in Ecuador that we run ourselves. For each, we cover what it asks of your body and calendar, plus the cost where we publish a rate. Every altitude, price and departure day comes from the tour it belongs to.
Cotopaxi National Park: 4,800 m without a rope
Cotopaxi is one of the highest active volcanoes on Earth at 5,897 m. Also, its national park is the second most visited protected area in Ecuador, after the Galapagos. The road is what makes it the most accessible big mountain in the country. On our Cotopaxi Hike and Bike, the transport drives to the parking lot at 4,600 m. So most of the altitude gain happens sitting down.
- The hike: up to the Jose Rivas refuge at 4,800 m, the high point of the day. No technical gear, no previous experience.
- On the descent: around 45 minutes of downhill biking to the Limpiopungo Lagoon at 3,850 m. Bike and helmet included, optional if you prefer the van.
- Logistics: 10 hours, $61 per person shared, lunch and park permits included, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Quilotoa: the crater you walk into
Quilotoa is a collapsed caldera filled with water the colour of bottle glass. The community viewpoint on the rim sits at 3,900 m. Quilotoa Culture and Hike is a 12-hour day at $56 per person, rated moderate, on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
The walk down and back takes around three hours. Then the climb to the rim is where the altitude finds you. Horses cost $10 per person for that climb, and kayaks $3. Also, you need cash for the entrances the tour does not cover. That means $2 for the lagoon and $1 for the Toachi Canyon viewpoint. The rest of the day is culture. First an Andean market, Saquisili on Thursdays and Pujili on Sundays, then a Tigua gallery where artists paint on sheepskin.
Mindo: cloud forest, zip lines and chocolate
West of Quito the Andes drop away into cloud forest, wet, green and loud with birds. Mindo Adventure and Sweet is the easy day on this list. It runs 12 hours at $56 per person, with one departure a week on Friday.
- Hummingbird farm: $5, paid on site.
- Tarabita cable car and canopy zip line: optional, $3 and $10 to $20, paid on site.
- Chocolate factory and tasting: $10, paid on site.
The tour includes transport, guide and lunch, but not those activities, so bring cash and a swimsuit.
Cuyabeno: paddling, pink dolphins and the Siona
Cuyabeno is flooded forest: black-water lagoons, rivers you travel by canoe, wildlife that shows itself from the boat. We run our own lodge here, Cuyabeno Dolphin Lodge. The Cuyabeno 4-Day Jungle and Community Tour is also our best-selling Amazon trip.
Four days and three nights, rated easy, departing Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. It starts at Puente Cuyabeno at 11:00 a.m. You can reach it by overnight bus from Quito, around ten hours, or instead fly in the day before. Inside: a three-hour hike through primary forest, and canoe paddling on lagoons where pink dolphins may appear. Then comes a full day with the Siona community of Tarabeaya, making casabe and meeting the shaman. After that, a night canoe expedition goes looking for caimans. The tour includes full board, rubber boots and ponchos, while the community and shaman visits are $10 each. Rates on request.
The Napo: a lodge on the Arajuno river
The other Amazon is the Napo, near Tena, the gentler way in. Our Napo Amazon EcoLodge sits on the Arajuno river, 20 minutes by motorised canoe from the Arajuno River Bridge. There, Explore the Amazon: 3 Days on the Arajuno River starts at 12:00 any day, from $243 per person.
Three days, two nights, full board. Dawn goes to birdwatching at the saladero, a natural clay lick. Few of them remain in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Then come the Pañayaku reserve and Caiman Island, conditions permitting. Next comes an afternoon with the San Bartolo Sharayaku Kichwa community, brewing chicha and cooking maito on the tulpa fire. Finally, a chocolate workshop lets you roast and taste the cacao. The lodge runs on solar power, with a pool, kayaks and Starlink in the common areas.
Chimborazo and the glaciated summits
At the serious end are the ice climbs. Chimborazo, 6,310 m, is the highest summit in Ecuador. Thanks to the equatorial bulge, it is also the farthest point from the centre of the Earth. Two days, $485 per person with a minimum of two climbers, or a private departure for one. Rated demanding, ASEGUIM-certified guides, rope teams of two climbers per guide, all technical equipment included.
Gear check happens at our Quito office at 8:30 a.m. Then: the Hermanos Carrel refuge at 4,800 m, or three hours on foot to a high camp at 5,500 m. The summit push leaves at 22:00 from the refuge, or at midnight from the camp. After that come 9 to 10 hours of very slow walking on ice at 30 to 45 degrees. You reach the top at dawn. Nobody should walk into that unacclimatized. So the Rucu Pichincha Acclimatization Hike is the honest test first. It uses the cable car to 3,945 m, ticket not included, with the summit at 4,698 m.
Galapagos: the adventure is underwater
Everyone sells Galapagos as wildlife watching, but the adventure there happens with a mask on. Island hopping between Santa Cruz and Isabela means five days sleeping on land, with daily departures. It revolves around snorkelling. Expect reef sharks, sea turtles and sea lions off Pinzon, then nesting marine iguanas and penguins at Tintoreras. Also on the list: the lava arches of Los Tuneles at Cabo Rosa, calm enough for children. On land, giant tortoises roam free in the highlands of Santa Cruz. Meanwhile, on Isabela, wetlands hold the biggest flamingo population in the archipelago. Outside the programme: the $200 national park fee, the $20 Transit Control Card and flights. The rate is on request.
Put your Ecuador adventure in order
We are the operator, not a middleman. That means our own lodges in Cuyabeno and on the Arajuno. It also means our own transport and guides, and 15 years running these routes from Quito. So we can tell you which of these fit the days you have, and in what order. Start with the Cotopaxi Hike and Bike or the Cuyabeno 4-Day Jungle and Community Tour, or browse our tours page. Then send us a WhatsApp at +593 98 094 2338, and we will build the route around your dates.
