This ecotour has been designed for young travelers already present in Ecuador and who are traveling on a tight budget.  This tour takes place in the provinces of Loja and Zamora Chinchipe.  The price of this tour is cheaper because all the traveling required in Ecuador will be done using coach buses.  The good thing about using Ecuador's bus network is that you do get a better feeling of what it is like to live in Ecuador.  Also, bus stations are great places for taking pictures!  Please note, that at all times you'll be with an Ecuador Tierra Viva Travel Company staff member who will be your tour leader.  Most lunches will consist on sandwiches, fruits and vegetables.

During this tour you'll visit among other places two different geographical regions of Ecuador (Highland or Andes Region and Amazonian Basin Region), two different ecosystems (lower montane rain forest on the eastern slopes of the Andes and dry shrub forest) and  two different native cultures (Saraguro and Shuar). Also, you'll engage in community tourism, ethnic tourism and nature tourism and in activities such as camping, hiking and nature interpretation.  Please expect to do a lot of traveling because we'll be covering a lot of terrain in this 8-day tour.  Lastly, please note that presently we are the only tour operator that offers this tour route in Southern Ecuador.

Day 1:  This eco-adventure tour starts in Quito, where we will take a bus and engage in a 12 hour long ride to the city of Saraguro, located in Loja province.  We'll leave Quito at 6:00 pm and we'll reach Saraguro at 7:00 am the following morning.

Day 2: Once in Saraguro we'll head towards our host Saraguro home.  There we'll go to our rooms and relax until breakfast time. After breakfast we'll head to the Smiling Mountain where we'll participate in a shamanistic ritual. During the rest of the morning and the afternoon we'll visit handicraft shops and some Saraguro communities. At night we'll have dinner with our host family and spend the rest of the night in the family's company.

Day 3: After breakfast, we'll say bye to our host Saraguro family and head towards the city of Zamora. Once in Zamora we'll go for a stroll around the city and have lunch. Later in the afternoon we'll buy groceries and  head towards the Podocarpus National Park. After a 30 minute hike we'll reach the park's administrative centre and the park's camping grounds. Once settled in the park we'll head towards "La Poderosa" Waterfall.

Day 4: After breakfast we'll relax at the park and by 9:00 am we'll head towards the park entrance, where a van we'll be waiting to take us to Yankuam Cabins located in the Nangaritza Valley. We'll drive for about 3.5 hours and we'll have a late lunch at Yankuam Cabins. In the afternoon we'll walk through the nearby trails and head towards a waterfall. After dinner we'll go for a night walk in order to see some of the local nocturnal fauna.

Day 5: After breakfast we'll climb on a boat and navigate along the Nangaritza and Numpatkaime Rivers in order to witness the breathtaking landscape of the area. By noon we'll make a stop at Shaime, a Shuar village, where we'll learn about the culture of this native people. After having lunch we'll climb back on the boat and continue our navigation along the river network of the area. By 5:30 pm we'll be back at Yankuam Cabins, just in time for a shower before dinner.

Day 6: After breakfast we'll check-out from Yankuam Cabins and we'll head towards the world renowned valley of longevity, the Valley of Vilcabamba.  By 4:30 pm we'll reach Vilcabamba and the Rumi Wilco Nature Reserve and Ecolodge. We'll spend the rest of the day at the Rumi Wilco Ecolodge.  By 6:00 pm we'll head towards the town of Vilcabamba to have dinner.

Day 8: After breakfast at the ecolodge we'll head towards Vilcabamba where we'll board a bus to go to the city of Loja. The rest of the day we'll spend it in Loja and at 5:30 pm we'll board the bus back to Quito. We will be in Quito's bus terminal at 7:00 am the following morning and our 8-day tour will formally end.

The price of this tour ($420 USD) includes,

• All transportation within Ecuador (bus & boat), 3 meals a day (non-alcoholic beverages included), all accommodation needed, Podocarpus National Park entrance fees and all other fees, Ecuadorian taxes and tips.

The price of this tour does not include,

• Plane ticket from home country to Ecuador and back, departure from Ecuador tax ($31.60 USD), medical expenses, insurance, phone calls nor any extra activities you may wish to part-take.

To book this tour please use the on-line reservation form, give us a call or write us an e-mail using the contact info provided. 

Don't  forget  to check-out our suggested things to bring list and the immunization requirements needed for this eco-adventure tour.

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