7-Day Avenue of the Volcanoes Tour with Baños and Quilotoa

• Welcome to Quito, the capital of Ecuador! Arrive at Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), where your driver will meet you for the transfer to your accommodation in the city centre, about a one-hour journey.
• The entire city of Quito is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, standing at an altitude of 9,350 ft (2,850 m). It welcomes visitors with picturesque plazas set between mountain peaks. The city also offers an abundance of market stands, shamanistic healers, fourth-generation hat makers, and a vibrant, sophisticated culinary and nightlife scene.

• After breakfast, your English-speaking guide will pick you up from your hotel and take you on a walking city tour. Quito's colonial centre was named a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978 and is home to many beautiful historic buildings and squares.
• You will visit Plaza Grande and the beautiful churches of La Compañía and La Basílica, then walk down Quito's oldest street, La Ronda.
• Afterwards, you will visit the equatorial monument, Mitad del Mundo, located just 26 km (16 miles) north of Quito, where French scientists determined the position of the central line many years ago. Ecuador is the place to stand on the Equator line - nowhere else on the planet is it easier to visit the Equator line or strike a pose with one foot in each hemisphere. Even Ecuador's name was born from its location at latitude zero.
• You will also visit the museum exhibits, including a planetarium, ethnographic museum, art exhibits, a small-scale model of Quito city, an old train station, a beer museum, cocoa and chocolate exhibits, and a small chapel, for an unforgettable experience today.

• After breakfast, you head south to Cotopaxi National Park. You will visit Lake Limpiopungo as well as the El Salitre Inca ruins located in the park's highlands. Here, you will have a spectacular view of Cotopaxi Volcano's gigantic cone.
• Lake Limpiopungo offers the opportunity to see a variety of birds and, occasionally, even wild horses. A short walk around the lake will allow you to admire the Andean plant and animal life along the way. If time permits, you can also hike up to the refuge to enjoy the view from above.
• In the afternoon, you continue your journey to Baños, where you will spend the night.

• This small town is known for two things: naturally heated thermal baths - the namesake of Baños, Ecuador - and nightlife. Nearby Baños, you will find mountains, rivers, waterfalls, and hot springs.
• By night, join the locals as they enjoy cold, good-tasting craft beers or dance the night away at one of the local clubs where Latin music plays all night long.

• In the morning, you will drive along the Avenue of Waterfalls.
• Driving south from Baños, you will follow the Pastaza River as it flows through the valley of the same name.
• Passing several waterfalls, you will reach the village of Rio Verde, where you will stop to visit the well-known El Pailon del Diablo (The Devil's Cauldron) waterfall. You may also rent a bike and ride to the waterfall.
• In the afternoon, you will have some free time. You may visit the thermal pools of Baños or the famous Casa del Arbol (tree house), or, if you are looking for more adrenaline, go rafting or ziplining.

Overnight stay in Baños.

• You will visit the picturesque volcano lagoon Quilotoa. You have the option to walk along the crater's rim or hike down the path to the crater lake.
• The return can be a bit longer, so you also have the option to rent a mule for the uphill hike. We then continue our journey back to Quito.

• You are free to explore Quito on your own before being picked up for your transfer to the airport.
• Visit the impressive monastery of St. Francis at San Francisco Square and enjoy a drink on the square terrace, one of the few in the historical centre. It is the oldest and most important religious site in Ecuador, with a vast complex containing 13 cloisters, three churches, more than 3,500 works of religious art, and a library with thousands of books and historical documents.
• Enjoy a scenic view from El Panecillo Hill, where the Virgin of El Panecillo stands tall. The Madonna is a 147-foot (45 m) monument made up of 7,000 pieces of aluminium.
• At the designated time, meet your driver at the hotel and head to the airport for your flight home.