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Quito – Otavalo – San Roque – Andrade Marin – San Antonio – Ibarra – Quito
AM: 6:30 am: Departure from Hotel in Quito (Quito-Otavalo/Ibarra-Quito by tourist bus, Otavalo-Ibarra by steam engine) San Roque: Music and textile weaving encounter Andrade Marin: Visit to the Imbabura Textiles Museum San Antonio: Woodcarvers Cayambe: Rose nursery and lunch Return trip to Quito, dinner and night
We depart Quito early in the morning for a 1-1/2 hour drive north to the town of Otavalo (the home of a millenary market), where a carefully restored steam engine awaits us. As the locomotive makes several stops along the way, you can discover the many wonders hidden in this part of the country, including the musicians, painters, weavers and the skillful woodcarvers who keep the renowned “Quito School” art style alive. After tasting traditional Andean cuisine and visiting a very special export-class rose plantation, we will return to Quito.
Quito – Urbina
AM: 6:30 am: Departure from Hotel to Quito’s Chimbacalle Train Station Andean forest trail in El Boliche natural recreational area Lunch on board your train Urbina: Artisans’ Square and meeting with the “Last ice merchant of Chimborazo” Dinner and spend the night in Riobamba
We will board our train at Quito’s Chimbacalle Station and begin our journey south along the “Avenue of Volcanoes,” where (if the weather permits) you can spot up to twenty volcanoes from the train. Along the way, the Andes range splits into two arms that run parallel towards the south. The fertile valley trapped between these mountainous walls hosts a treasure trove of biodiversity. From the comfort of our panoramic wagons, you can witness the changes in vegetation and landscape as we slowly climb the Andean highlands to reach the town of Urbina, the highest point in our itinerary, at 11,800 feet above sea level. At the foot of Mount Chimborazo, we will meet the last ice-merchant and learn the story of his ancestral trade.
Riobamba – The Devil’s Nose – Bucay
AM: Travel from Riobamba to Colta by steam engine Stop in Guamote: Visit an ancestral Andean market Lunch on board your train Alausi: Devil’s Nose descent and Pistishi Lookout Bucay: Dinner and spend the night
This morning we will head out for the city of Riobamba and then Colta, where the Spanish conquistadors built their first settlement in Ecuador. We will cross colorful quinoa fields painted in purples, yellows and reds, alternating with endemic species of plant and wildlife, indigenous settlements and the remains of ancient cultures. We will also visit the Guamote market (one of the last indigenous markets in the Andes), before continuing south towards the legendary “Devil’s Nose” pass. A vertiginous descent of 450 meters zigzags to takes us from the Andean highlands down to the coastal plains. We will continue our descent along the narrow Chancchan River gorge and cross an impressive cloud forest towards the temperate city of Bucay.
Bucay – Guayaquil
AM: Travel from Yaguachi to Duran by steam engine Cocoa and chocolate tasting at a hacienda Montubio culture exhibition Complimentary transfer to selected hotels in Guayaquil
The landscape changes again as the train leaves the tropical forest behind and plantations of rice, sugar cane, pineapple and bananas pass before your eyes. We will have lunch at a traditional hacienda, where we can learn about the growing and harvesting of the world’s best cocoa beans -- you'll even have a chance to taste the homemade chocolate. Later, the steam engine makes its way across the fields
Guayaquil
AM: After breakfast at your hotel (included), your trans-Andean locomotive journey will conclude.
Price per person
Gold Class (Single)
USD$ 2722
Gold Class (Double)
USD$ 2322
Luxury Class (Single)
USD$ 2082
Luxury Class (Double)
USD$ 1735
Included in the price
- Transportation aboard the Tren Crucero
- Accommodations based on double occupency
- All meals during the trip
- Snacks and soft drinks on board the train
- Guide services in Spanish and English*
- Excursions, as indicated in the itinerary
- Transportation by bus/van during the program for excursions, and accommodations based on double occupancy
- On the Quito to Guayaquil route, once the train has arrived at Duran station (Guayaquil), transfers are provided on a shared basis to the Wyndham (Santa Ana) hotel.
(*) Guide services in languages other than Spanish and English (including Italian, French, German, Portuguese and Japanese) can be sought upon request, though these are subject to the availability of guides and are provided at an additional cost.
Not included in the price
- Taxes
- Alcoholic beverages (Tren Crucero offers wine, beer and whiskey)
- Meals not indicated in the itinerary
- Excursions not indicated in the itinerary
- Flights
- Personal expenses
- Gratuities
- Transfers to hotels different from those listed in the itinerary
- Travel insurance (highly recommended)
