Ecuador Photo Adventure: Culture & Nature

Upon late arrival in Quito, we will be welcomed at the airport by our guide and transferred to the hotel

We will begin our day by exploring Quito's colonial past, strolling through the Main Plaza and visiting the Government Palace and churches built in the 16th and 17th centuries. Quito’s colonial center, a World Cultural Heritage Site, resembles cities from Colonial Spain with charming cobblestone streets lined with whitewashed walls and gothic-style churches. Modern Quito, a fast-growing metropolis with glass and concrete buildings, surrounds the center. During our tour, we’ll climb to the balcony of the old Cathedral for impressive views of this city.

Enjoy a typical Ecuadorian lunch at a rural Hacienda.

In the afternoon, we’ll walk through the town of Baños, and shop in the market for local handicrafts including balsa carvings, weavings and tagua animals. We will also see the traditional method of extracting juice from sugar cane and turning it into the delicious sweet jam called melcochas.   

Next, we will experience the exhilarating visit to the famous waterfall route including Pailon del Diablo and Manto de la Novia. We will cross the Pastaza River in a cable car, hanging more than 200 meters above the rushing river!   

We will meet students at the school in Patate and work to improve life in this small community. Volunteer experiences will be determined prior to the trip based on the needs of the community and the knowledge and skills that trip participants would like to share. We might paint walls, draw murals, reseed the soccer field, teach English, or read and play games with children.

We'll spend the afternoon relaxing back at the farmhouse horseback riding, hiking, practicing photography and/or taking a tour of the estate.

In the afternoon, we’ll visit the town of Salasaca. The Salasacas people are descendants of a mitimae (colonist) group which arrived from Bolivia during the Incan Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries. Salasacas’ main economic activities are agriculture, livestock-raising, and handicrafts including tapestries showing different aspects of traditional life, woven by hand on looms. While in Salasaca we’ll visit a local family who will demonstrate their weaving process.

Late afternoon departure to Hacienda Hato Verde.  

After our market visits, we’ll explore majestic Quilotoa Lake, with an optional hike from the top of the crater to the lake below, rigorous due to altitude, but with exceptional views. For the return back up to the lip of the caldera, we can either hike or hire a mule.

After an early breakfast, we’ll visit the indigenous community of Zumbahua for the timeless Saturday market where you’ll see people arriving in colorful ponchos with llamas carrying their wares. This area is less developed than the rest of the country and people coexist with nature in a simple way.  After our morning exploring and photographing the vibrant market, we’ll stop in tiny Tigua where we can shop for handicrafts including colorful masks representing animals of the area.

After tea, we’ll return to Hacienda El Porvenir for dinner.  

After a hearty breakfast, we’ll drive to Hacienda El Porvenir for a spectacular horseback ride amid the dramatic landscape, visiting the foothills of Rumiñahui Volcano. To get the truly immersive experience, we can wear the typical bright red cape of the “Chagra,” the local cowboy! Other fun hacienda activities are available for anyone who prefers to skip the ride. 

After mid-day lunch at the main house, we’ll visit Hacienda Pachamama for an unforgettable afternoon with owners Jose Luis and Chiri. We’ll get our hands dirty working alongside the farmers, planting, harvesting, milking the cows, and learning how to make cheese and butter with the fresh milk. 

Early departure and drive to Santo Domingo province

Following a safety briefing, we'll begin our whitewater adventure. While floating along a verdant river we’ll learn about the tropical ecosystem and be on the lookout for wildlife including egrets, cormorants, kingfishers, and southern river otters. Our guides and the support team will provide snacks and a healthy river beach lunch. 

These rivers start high in the Andean volcanoes and thunder their way westwards to the tropical rainforest of Ecuador's coast. The Toachi flows within a spectacular gorge with high lush-green walls before merging into the Blanco, where water flow increases to produce continuously exhilarating white-capped rapids. The combinations of these two rivers provide the best tropical water rafting west of the Andes!  

After a scenic drive to Mindo, we will have free time to rest and/or enjoy hummingbird-watching and the lodge. 

After breakfast, we will return to Mindo town for an exciting day.  First, we will visit a butterfly farm, where our local guide will show and teach us about the metamorphosis of this insect and introduce us to the butterflies' world -- they might eat from our hands, and we’ll learn how to capture them in flight and create close-up photos of their iridescence. 

After a visit to a nearby orchid farm, we’ll enjoy a delicious lunch at a local restaurant.  In the afternoon, our guide will drive us to the Zip-Line Canopy Tour where we will have a thrilling experience zooming along 10 cables high up in the cloud forest, flying from tree to tree like a bird.  

Next, we’ll visit a chocolate farm where we will see, learn about and photograph the process of making chocolate from "bean to bar".

We’ll return to Sachatamia Lodge for a swim, and/or relaxation in the hot tub, dinner and overnight. 

Later, we’ll drive to Hacienda Zuleta, stopping en route at Quitsató (Ecuador Sun Dial) – a monument that marks the real Middle of the World.  We will enjoy exploring Hacienda Zuleta where we’ll have dinner and overnight. 

Early in the morning, after a cup of hot coffee, we’ll visit the famous Paz de las Aves Refuge for a special opportunity to see hundreds of tropical birds, including the Cock of the Rock, before returning to the main house of the reserve for a typical breakfast of the region.  

After lunch, we’ll visit the Condor Huasi, the condor rehabilitation project located 5 km from the house in a valley surrounded by native forest. Here we’ll observe and photograph eight condors in captivity and with some luck, you might see wild condors flying above you or landing on the aviary.   

On route, you will have the opportunity to see the largest and best-preserved archeological sites of the ancient Caranqui culture, 132 small earth mounds dating as far back as 700 A.D., and five large square truncated pyramids from 1200 A.D.

After breakfast you will have full day to enjoy of the amazing 16th century Hacienda Zuleta and its surroundings. Zuleta is a colonial working farm of 4,000 acres with a cheese factory, trout pond, Andean Condor rehabilitation center, horses, mountain bikes and more.  Its tranquil gardens and cozy living and reading rooms offer a peaceful atmosphere. Delicious Ecuadorian cuisine is prepared with organic vegetables, trout and dairy products produced on the Hacienda. 

You can admire the wonderful organic garden where you can learn about permaculture.  Zuleta grows seventeen vegetables, five fruit, and several herbs, spices, and medicinal plants. Perhaps you’ll tour the cheese factory.   

We will also visit the local indigenous community where the Hacienda funds a community library and embroidery project.  Embroidery has been an important form of artistic expression and adornment in the village of Zuleta for centuries. We’ll meet women who demonstrate their craft and offer their exquisite work for sale.   

Next, we will visit Cuicocha Lake in the Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve. The lake lies inside the crater of an active volcano surrounded by native vegetation, and is considered a sacred lake by the native people. We’ll walk along a trail which surrounds the crater and enjoy the amazing view of Taita, Imbabura, and Cayambe mountains.  After this visit our guide will drive us to a local hacienda for a delicious lunch. 

This afternoon we’ll visit Don José’s house in Carabuela town, where we will learn about the traditional weaving and textile process used to make Ecuadorian handicrafts. With this knowledge, we will go to the Otavalo Ponchos Market to explore, photograph and perhaps purchase traditional rugs, sweaters, Panama hats, art, jewelry, and more.   

After an early breakfast, our guide will be waiting for us to depart to Otavalo where we will visit a local rose farm – Ecuadorian roses are one of the most demanded flowers around the world.  This farm has over 88 varieties of roses in production, and we can walk through the greenhouses and watch them select and prepare flowers for exportation as we learn about the science and business of roses.  

We’ll drive to Papallacta where we will end our trip, taking in the views and relaxing at the beautiful Termas de Papallacta Resort and Spa, for dinner and overnight. 

The richness of the hydrothermal waters of Papallacta stems from a volcanic complex with more than 3 million years of persistent activity called Chacana, consisting of a large volcanic caldera.  The hot springs that feed Termas Papallacta arise from deep geological layers through fissures up to the surface, offering healing elements from the earth’s minerals.   

The SPA's hydrotherapy area consists of five hot thermal pools and one cold pool. The Thermo ludic Area is the ideal place to experience a variety of different hydro massages using either water jets or air bubbles. 

After breakfast, depending on your flight time, take time to enjoy the beautiful and relaxing Termas de Papallacta Spa and hot springs.  (Note: you are welcome to extend your trip beyond this itinerary with additional nights here) 

Later, you will be transferred to the airport in order to catch your international flight home, or stay longer to enjoy one (or both!) of our Trip Extensions in the Galapagos or Amazon Rain Forest! 

Lisa Merrill is a photographer whose compelling images of vibrant cultures and fascinating places have been featured in National Geographic Traveler and other magazines, books, and websites around the world.   Her powerful visual stories add impact to the communications of travel companies, tourism organizations, and nonprofits working to improve education and tackle other societal challenges. 

Lisa believes in the power of sustainable tourism to transform lives, strengthen communities, and build family bonds.Ecuador was one of her family’s favorite trips, and Lisa is excited to return and share it with Global Family Travel families See some of Lisa’s images from her trip to Ecuador Here .  

An inspiring educator, Lisa enjoys helping people of all ages unleash their creativity and tell vital stories through photography. Learn more and view online galleries at Merrill Images.