Ecuador: Andes to the Amazon

Day 1 | Arrival day in Quito

Arrival and acclimatisation day - Quito is situated in the Andes at 2850 meters (9350 ft). Organised airport pick-up and hotel check-in throughout the day, follow by a tour briefing and welcome dinner. The hotel is centrally situated in the beautiful and lively old colonial city centre.

Day 2 | Quito

After a good night’s sleep and a relaxed breakfast, we will visit the highlights of the historic centre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The capital of Ecuador was founded in the 16th century on the ruins of an Inca city. Despite several earthquakes, the city has the best-preserved, least altered historic centre in Latin America. There will be plenty of opportunity for interesting street photography in the old colonial city centre. After a day exploring, we will have an early dinner at one of our favourite restaurants with an amazing view overlooking the old town and the volcanoes in the distance. This is a much-needed day to acclimatise to the altitude and also serves as a crash course in the beautiful Ecuadorian way of life (trust us, you will understand what we mean on arrival).

Trekking: Approx. 3 hours city tour

Day 3 | Quito – Sigchos – Isinliví

Morning departure to the town of Sigchos (2h30 drive), which will mark the start of a three-day trek to El Quilotoa Lagoon - an epic sapphire-blue crater lake situated in an extinguished volcano. The trail goes through the Andean mountains, valleys, villages, over rivers and past genuine Quechua communities to ultimately end up at an El Quilotoa Lagoon after three days. The trail starts at the town of Sigchos where we will be dropped by our support vehicle, which will continue with our bags to the small village of Isinliví. We will have plenty of opportunities for photography before arriving to our cosy family-run eco-lodge. It is a perfect route to acclimatise, giving us the opportunity to get used to the altitude. We will have a sunset photography session from a viewpoint offering beautiful views of the Andes. At night, a warm and delicious dinner will be waiting for us and perhaps a visit to the small cosy spa.

Trekking: 10 Km (6.2 miles), +450 (+1476 ft), -430 (-1410 ft), highest point at 2900 m (9514 ft)

Day 4 | Isinliví – Chugchilán

The day’s hike is from Isinliví to the village of Chugchilán. From Isinliví the trail follows the beautiful lush Toachi canyon, offering amazing landscapes along the river, then climbs up to the typical high Andean plateaus and through small villages before arriving to Chugchilán.

Trekking: 12 Km (7.4 miles), +740 (+2427 ft), -480 (-1574 ft), highest point at 3220m (10564 ft)

Day 5 | Chugchilán – Quilotoa Crater – Parque Nacional Cotopaxi

The day’s hike is at points steep, wild and at high altitude. Following a wholesome breakfast at the eco-lodge, we will descend to the valley floor to cross a river before we can begin our climb up to 3900 meters (12795 ft) and El Quilotoa Lagoon. As we have had previous acclimatisation, this should not be a problem but be prepared to work for the reward - just imagine an azure-coloured crater lake surrounded by steep shadowy mountains. The landscapes along the route and the views from the crater rim will make everything worth it. Following our arrival to the crater, we will get into our support vehicle and drive over to the Parque Nacional Cotopaxi (2h30 drive), which is centred around one of the world’s highest active volcanos – El Cotopaxi. We will arrive in the afternoon and have some time for relaxation – the national park is considered one of the most beautiful places of Ecuador. Since 1738, Cotopaxi has erupted more than 50 times resulting in the creation of numerous valleys formed by mud flows around the volcano, making the surroundings of El Cotopaxi just amazing. A variety of wild animals live in the park such as Andean foxes, bears, rabbits, Andean condors, and the beautiful wild horses. The mountain lodge where we will be staying is situated at almost 4,000 meters (13123 ft).

Trekking: 11 Km (6.8 miles), +1000m (+3280 ft), -350m (-1148 ft), highest point at 3900 meters (12795 ft) feet

Day 6 | Parque Nacional Cotopaxi

We will head out early to photograph the sun rising over the volcano Cotopaxi. After the early session we head back to the lodge to enjoy a hearty breakfast. Afterwards we pack our bags for a day of trekking in the national park. Our goal for the trek the Manantiales (the small streams of glacial meltwater from Cotopaxi) which are often visited by the beautiful herds of wild horses. We will enjoy a packed lunch and stay out the whole day. In the afternoon our 4x4 vehicles will pick us up and drive us across the park to the lava fields where we will scout for landscapes and wildlife like the numerous birds, Andean fox, rabbits, condors, and the beautiful wild horses. As the sun sets, we will return to the lodge for a great big dinner and some canelazo (a local alcoholic beverage made from sugar cane and cinnamon that shouldn’t be missed). If anyone has energy left after this full day, we can spend some time shooting for the stars with astrophotography.

Trekking: 7 Km (4.3 miles), +100m (+328 ft), -100m (-328 ft), highest point at 4000 meters (13123 ft)

Day 7 | Parque Nacional Cotopaxi - Quito

Another bright and early start as we ascend the slopes of the volcano El Rumiñahui. The goal is to reach a plateau that provides almost surreal views of the wild landscape below with Cotopaxi at the horizon. We will bring a packed breakfast and eat after sunrise. We trek back down to the lodge, have some rest and enjoy a big, cooked lunch. In the afternoon we will set out on foot to explore the incredible landscapes and then get into our vehicle for the drive back to Quito (2hrs drive) to ensure easy access to the airport the following morning.

Trekking: 7 Km (4.3 miles), +500m (+1640 ft), -500m (-1640 ft), highest point at 4800 meters (15748 ft)

Day 8 | Quito - Yasuní National Park

In the morning we will tranfer to the airport for our 30 min flight to the port city of Coca - set deep in the Amazon and the departure point for the next part of our adventure – it is time for the rainforest! The last part of the journey is by river boat (around two hours). It will take us deep into the Amazon rainforest and finally we will reach our eco-lodge by canoe (around one and a half hour). We will now be far from civilisation and deep in what is estimated to be the most biologically diverse place on earth! This is truly a unique experience that we think everyone should experience once in life. With the guidance of local nature guides we set out in search of unique images and memories for life. The home for our stay - The Yasuní National Park has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1989. The park is home to at least 596 bird species (that is one-third of the total native bird species for the entire Amazon rainforest), 121 reptile species, 382 fish species, 117 bat species, and over 100,000 species of insects – and this is only what has been documented so far. Yasuní National Park will be our home for four nights so that we get an opportunity to explore the forests, rivers and lagoons by foot and canoe to photograph landscapes and animals and to have a truly unique experience.

Trekking: local trails

Day 9-11 | Yasuní National Park

We stay at the reserve making day trips by foot and canoe to see endless varieties of birds, reptiles, monkeys, toucans, parrots, sloths and hopefully the jaguar. Besides the wildlife we will spend time documenting wild landscapes full of unique plants and trees. We will also make visits to meet local communities.

Trekking: local trails

Day 12 | Yasuní National Park – Quito

After having spent a few days in the deep rainforest, we will head for the crisp air of the high Andes again. We will fly back from El Coca to Quito and our expedition is officially concluded as we arrive at the airport around mid-day.