Arrival in Quito – Hacienda Pinsaqui
PM: As soon as you land at the new Quito international airport, you will be welcomed and driven to Hacienda Pinsaqui (or comparable lodgings). The hacienda’s pleasant, meandering corridors are adorned with hanging baskets and natural mosses, leading to central courtyards, numerous outbuildings and lush tropical gardens – a great place to relax before beginning your Ecuadorian travel experience.
Otavalo Indigenous Market – Otavalo Area
AM: This morning, we will visit the biggest indigenous market in Ecuador: the Otavalo market, which is brimming with authentic handicrafts as well as the aromatic food markets that are a feast for all the senses.
PM: Enjoy your time at your leisure, go for a stroll around glassy Cuicocha Lake, or simply stop to people watch in this colorful market town.
Otavalo – Hacienda San Francisco
AM: This morning we will mount up for some horseback riding through agricultural areas in which sugar cane and other crops are grown. This horseback ride is one of the best in Ecuador, as the landscapes range from the “paramo” grasslands to cloud forests. Along the way, it’s even possible to spot condors.
PM: Hacienda San Francisco will be the destination for this afternoon. Hosteria San Francisco offers rural accommodations in a charming farmhouse that overlooks the mountains in Chachimbiro. Indeed, Hacienda San Francisco can be described as not only a hotel, but also an “activity center,” as it will allow you to recover your energy as you enjoy the beautiful setting. The hacienda features a restaurant and a private orchard. In addition, regional homemade dishes prepared with natural ingredients can be ordered at the hacienda’s restaurant, while “Temazcalli healing and cleansing treatments” practiced by local tribes can be requested at the spa. Guests can also unwind in the hot spring pool or make use of the hacienda’s Turkish baths.
Piñán (Cotacachi-Cayapas National Park)
AM: Our destination for the day will be the village of Piñán, near Cotacachi-Cayapas National Park. Today’s horseback riding to Piñán can be along any one of several routes – from Intag, Chachimbiro (in the Urcuquí area), Sachapamba or Buenos Aires. In all, there are more than 35,000 hectares of paramo, forest and mountain areas for you to discover. This region is crowned by Cotacachi Volcano (reaching a height of 4,937 meters) and the Yanaurcu Volcano (4,535 meters), among other peaks over 4,000 meters. Due to the elevation of this area, it offers the best place for acclimatization in the Ecuadorian Andes.
Piñán – Hacienda San Francisco
AM: This morning – like every morning on this tour – will bring with it new experiences and a chance to contemplate the beauty of Ecuador’s majestic mountains and valleys. Friendly “chagras” (Ecuadorean cowhands) are likely to take a pause from their work to greet you, exchange news and views, and even to offer you a drink as a way of wishing you luck on your travels.
PM: Our ride for today will also incorporate visits to the Cotacachi and Yanahurco volcanoes as we spend the day riding back to Hacienda San Francisco along a route different from the one that brought us to Piñán.
Hacienda San Francisco – Lake Yahuarcocha – Quito
AM: After breakfast at Hacienda San Francisco, we will ride out along the “Old Trail” to Lake Yahuarcocha, riding through El Chota Valley on the way to the San Miguel de Yahuarcocha community.
PM: This evening, we will drive back to Quito, where you will spend the night
Quito – Departure
AM: Following breakfast, you will be accompanied to the Quito airport in time for your flight home or onward.
Price per person
Tourist
USD$ 2800
Included in the price
- Use of horse, spare horse(s) available
- Services of an expert bilingual guide leading the trip (also, at least one skilled, local horseman accompanies the group
- Saddlebags and ponchos (wool & rain) provided for each guest
- Guide and local groom(s) who saddle and unsaddle the horses etc.
- 3 meals per day (from lunch day 1 to breakfast day 8)
- Snacks and water on rides
- Six (6) nights’ accommodations
- Entrance fees to national park/private reserve etc.
- Transport from & back to Quito (normally from/back to your hotel)
- Transport of bags between lodgings
- All local taxes
Not included in the price
- Bottled soft drinks & alcoholic drinks
- Pre/post tour meals & accommodations
- Misc. Expenses (telephone calls, laundry, etc.)
- Discretionary tips & gratuities
- Souvenirs