Avenue of Volcanoes, Quilotoa Loop & Amazon Basin Self-Guided Tour

Day 1  

Quito-Sigchos-Chugchilan-Quilotoa Crater Lake-Tigua

Distance Covered:  132 miles / 212 km

After a briefing and orientation to acquaint you with the customs and rules of the road in Ecuador, you will head out on the motorcycle of your choice that has a GPS navigation system that has been pre-programmed with each day's route. We will show you how to operate the GPS and give you a "Road Book" with daily paper maps listing points of interest, gas stations, lunch suggestions, etc.  Your hotel for each night has been reserved and paid for in advance.   All you need to do now is hop on the bike - and enjoy the ride - safe in the knowledge that you will see some of the best sights and the best roads in Ecuador!

You will roll out of Quito on the Panamerican highway, passing incredibly green high-altitude pasturelands. Then after a few miles, you will find yourself in a valley surrounded on both sides by two massive mountain ranges.  This astounding stretch of road is the beginning of the famous "Avenue of Volcanoes."  You will feel tiny as you roll through this valley with snow-covered volcanoes on either side.  On the left, you will get an increasingly closer and closer view of the majestic Cotopaxi Volcano, which rises to almost 4 miles in height and is the world's tallest active volcano.

The GPS unit will indicate where you will take a right onto a stretch of road known as the "Quilotoa Loop."  This road will take you through many traditional Andean villages with friendly and helpful indigenous people and eventually to the Quilotoa Crater Lake.  For now, you will be treated to challenging (but fun) hairpin turns and majestic views.

You will pass through the town of Sigchos, a colonial town founded in the 1500s by the Spanish but has a long history as a trading center for indigenous peoples for centuries. The center of town has a colorful market, and there are plenty of restaurants serving up hearty local soups and savory meats.

The road weaves along dramatic cliffs with views of the deep canyon below and natural terraces and winds through more Quechua-speaking villages and their centuries-old ways of life.   We recommend a stop at the Don Bosco Woodworking shop, where children are taught the art of carpentry.  Their work is awe-inspiring.   You will pass through the friendly town of Chugchilan, and then you'll start climbing to an altitude of over 12,000 feet - arriving at the Quilotoa Crater Lake.

This fantastic lake is a water-filled caldera and is the westernmost volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes.  It was created about 800 years ago in a catastrophic eruption that sent pyroclastic flows all the way to the Pacific Ocean.  Today it is a calm, peaceful place that will inspire meditation and awe.

After gazing in awe at the lake, you will head south through a fertile valley and more picturesque traditional indigenous villages such as Zumbahua, a farming town known for its artisan market of foods, textiles, wool, and handmade knives.  If it is Saturday, it is market day in Zumbahua, and even more worthwhile to stop to see the market.  

From Zumbahua, you'll climb again in elevation and will give you views of a golden patchwork of the Andean countryside. You'll enter the community of Tigua, known for its artists who paint bright paintings of village life and bright colored wooden masks used in traditional celebrations and rituals.  The community of Tigua has about 20 different art studios, and you can visit the galleries there that display and sell their spectacular work.

Tonight's carefully selected accommodations are at the Posada del Tigua - a family-run farmhouse and dairy farm converted into a cozy bed-and-breakfast inn. The farmhouse dates back to the 1890s and has walls that are three feet thick to help you keep warm at night.  The family that runs this inn will show you to your private room and then invite you to join them for a healthy, organic meal created from their farm's produce.  This will be one of the best meals you will have in Ecuador. 

Day 2

Tigua-Chimborazo Wildlife Refuge-Riobamba-Baños

Distance Covered: 175 miles / 281 km 

After an excellent farm breakfast, you will re-attach your GPS and start heading towards the east.  You will rise in altitude, crossing high altitude grasslands where wild alpaca and llama graze freely.  It will be chilly here (40 - 50 degrees Fahrenheit), so be sure to bring an extra layer of clothes. The road levels out on the paramo, which is dotted with small dwellings made from mud bricks and llama dung with thatched roofs known as "chozas," which are typical simple shelters in this high altitude culture.

Then you will descend twisty switchbacks and into a valley to arrive in the pretty little market town of Pujili.  Pujili has a beautiful town square and has market days on Sundays and Wednesdays.  From Pujili, you will take an ancient cobblestone backroad into the town of Latacunga.  

With fantastic scenery at all times, rejoin the Panamericana Highway and ride along the palm-lined boulevards of the city of Ambato.  Ambato has terrific restaurants and upbeat, positive energy.  You'll leave the city on the Ecoruta - a small, lesser-known back road that will take you along the roaring whitewater Rio Ambato.  You'll climb along this canyon road and watch as the river becomes narrower and narrower as you increase in altitude. You'll carve through tight corridors of rock and cross several narrow bridges. The air is chilly again as you reach the paramo at over 14,000 feet. You can stop at the Kunuyacu Hot Springs for a soak.  It is a unique, local place where the local gauchos relax in the volcanic waters while restoring their energies with freshly roasted river trout.

You will curve around the Chimborazo Volcano base, which soars above at the height of 6,310 meters (20,702 feet). Chimborazo is the highest mountain in Ecuador and is the highest landmass on earth when you take into account its proximity to the equator.  In other words, this is the place on Earth that is closest to Heaven.

The Chimborazo National Wildlife Refuge is home to one of the most well-protected populations of vicuña in the world.  Vicuña is in the same animal family as the llama, alpaca, and camel and is especially well-adapted to very high altitude environments.  You should able to get a few good photos of these majestic animals.

Coming down again in elevation, you will cross through the colonial city of Riobamba and continue eastward, following the Chambo River and scenic valleys.  You will see the active Tungurahua Volcano take up more and more of the horizon as you approach it. It is a very active volcano and erupts several times a year.  The sounds of the pyroclastic flows are imposing.

You will then arrive in the town of Baños at the base of the Tungurahua volcano - one of the best adventure-sports centers in the world. Be sure to soak away the day's ride in the volcanic baths that are kept at varying temperatures, and then grab a meal at one of the town's fantastic restaurants.

You will be staying in the carefully selected Posada del Arte, which has excellent service and access to all of the things that Baños has to offer, such as rafting, hiking, canyoning, rappelling, kayaking, and puenting.

Day 4

Puerto Misahualli - Papallacta - Quito

Distance Covered: 139 miles / 224 km

In the morning, you will be treated to a full breakfast at the lodge with fresh fruits, juice, and eggs and then taken to the boathouse, where you will be fitted with a life vest and rubber boots.  You'll board a long, motorized canoe that will take you up the Napo River.  You will go for a short hike through the secondary forest with a native guide who will point out several plant, animal, and insect species in this Amazon jungle rainforest.  He will explain their traditional uses and herbal remedies. Then you will go for a swim in the beautiful Cascada de las Latas. This amazing waterfall has a natural rock waterslide and a water pit for bathing. There are a couple of other waterfalls that you may visit during your stay, depending on time.   Other activities are available, such as a visit to a local Kichwa community where you will learn to hunt with a blowgun, pan for gold, make chicha (a local alcoholic beverage made from root vegetable) and make pottery.

To get back to the Lodge, you will float down the Napo River on inner tubes and enjoy the serenity of the jungle. Please note that the excursions provided by the lodge are subject to change due to weather conditions or other factors that we cannot control, and other activities may be available on request.

Back on the bike, you cross a one-lane metal bridge into the town of Puerto Misahualli. This town is the western-most navigable port of the Amazon river basin. From here, you could take a boat all the way to the Atlantic ocean via the Amazon river. Puerto Misahualli has a mischievous monkey population that loves to play with the local dogs and tourists.  Be sure to bring your camera!

Further up the road are the Jumandi Caves, created by the river currents. There are guides there that can show you around the caves, but you will need to wade through water - so be sure to have a pair of shorts handy.

You will pass through the rainforest town of Baeza and start the climb back into the Sierra.  Then you can have another stop and opportunity for bathing and swimming in the thermal springs of Papallacta before heading over a high (and chilly) mountain pass at 4,200 meters (about 13,400 feet) and a smooth ride back into the magnificent capital city of Quito via the funky bohemian neighborhood of Guapulo.