Transversal Ecotourism through Southern Ecuador

This ecotour is the most complete and diverse of our tours in the sense that we visit many different places traveling along a transversal transect through the provinces of El Oro, Loja and Zamora-Chinchipe (see map 3). The trajectory of this tour allows the tourist to experiment in 8 days what Ecuador really is about. By joining this ecotour you'll visit among other places three different regions of Ecuador (Costal Region, Highland Region and Amazonian Basin Region), four different ecosystems (lower montane rain forest both eastern and western slopes of the Andes, montane rain forest, paramo and mangrove forest) and two different native cultures (Saraguro and Shuar). Also you'll engage in activities such as community tourism, ethnic tourism, historical tourism and nature tourism. Please expect to do a lot of traveling because we'll be covering a lot of off-the-beaten-path terrain in this 8-days transversal eco-adventure tour. Lastly, please note that presently we are the only tour operator that offers this transversal ecotour though Southern Ecuador.

Please note that if you are traveling to Ecuador exclusively to take part on this transversal eco-adventure tour, you'll have to arrive to Ecuador at least one day before your tour begins and you'll have to leave Ecuador at least one day after your tour ends. This means that you'll need to spend in total at least 10 days in Ecuador. Fr an extra $100 USD, we can include in this tour 2 nights stay at Hotel Sierra Madre, which is located in Quito's downtown area, and include all extra transfers needed in Quito (airport-hotel and hotel-airport) in your tour package. Also, please note that we can arrange day tours in and around Quito (including a visit to the Otavalo Indian Market) on the day before your tour to Southern Ecuador begins or on the day after it ends. Please contact us for more information.

Day 1: This transversal eco-adventure tour starts in Quito, where we will take you to the airport to catch a morning flight to the city of Guayaquil, in Ecuador's Coastal Region. Once in Guayaquil we'll do a small city tour and then we'll drive 3.5 hours until we reach Hualtaco Bay, located in El Oro Province. At this bay we will take a boat and

navigate for 45 minutes to Costa Rica Island, which is one of the few places in Southern Ecuador that still has intact mangrove forests. Once in the island, we will set our tents for the night and then we'll proceed to have lunch. After lunch we will navigate on canoes along the island's estuary and we'll go the beach in order to swim in the Pacific Ocean. By 6:00 pm we'll be back in Costa Rica Island and we'll proceed to have dinner. After dinner we'll set up a bonfire at the beach.

Day 2: After breakfast and depending on the tide we'll learn about how the fishermen at Costa Rica Island make a living through crab and mussel farming. We'll spend the rest

of the morning walking along the island or relaxing at the beach. After lunch we'll take a boat that will take us back to Hualtaco Bay, where a vehicle will be waiting for us to take us to the historical city of Zaruma. On our way to Zaruma, we'll make a brief stop at Buenaventura Nature Reserve where will see an amazing variety of hummingbirds. Once in Zaruma, we'll check in at our hotel and after dinner, we'll go on a city tour.

Day 3: In the morning we'll go for a tour to the oldest and most famous gold mine of Zaruma. At 10:00 am we'll depart to Cerro de Arcos (Mount of Arches), climbing the Andes up to an elevation of 3400 meters above sea level. We'll walk through a paramo ecosystem in order to reach Cerro de Arcos, which is a set of very interesting geological formations. On our way back to our vehicle we'll do some mountain biking and then we'll drive to Saraguro, the

land of corn and home to the Saraguro people. Once in Saraguro, we'll proceed to a Saraguro home, where we'll spend the night in the company of a Saraguro family. Time permitting we'll participate in a shamanistic ritual at the Smiling Mountain.

Day 4: After breakfast we'll visit a couple of Saraguro handicraft shops to see how hats and other crafts are made and we'll learn more about the Saraguro culture. By noon we'll continue our traveling heading towards Copalinga Ecolodge, which is located in between the city of Zamora and the Podocarpus National Park. The rest of the day will be spent either at the lodge or we'll hike or bike towards the city of Zamora. We'll have dinner at Copalinga Eco-lodge.

Day 5: In the morning we'll head towards the Podocarpus National Park and we'll visit "La Poderosa" waterfall. At 12:00 am we'll head back to Capalinga Lodge, take our stuff and climb on a vehicle which will take us to Yankuam Lodge. These cabins are located in the Nangaritza Valley, the ancestral land of the Shuar ethnic group. After a 3.5 hour drive we'll reach Yankuam Lodge, where we'll relax or go for a short walk until dinner time.

Day 6: 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 group. 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 Lodge, just in time for a shower before dinner.

Day 7: In the morning we'll head towards the world renowned valley of Vilcabamba, the valley of longevity. During this five our truck ride we'll make a stop at San Francisco Lodge to check out the cloud forest and have lunch. By 3:00 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 a hearty dinner.

Day 8: After breakfast we'll begin our eco-tour towards the south-western area of the Podocarpus National Park. During this tour we'll walk through a millenary trail and visit the Achupallas Lagoon. By 12:00 pm we'll be back in Vilcabamba for lunch. After lunch we will go to Loja city and then we will visit Loja's main churches and plazas. After dinner we'll go for a night stroll around the city and then we'll head back to our hotel.

The following morning we'll have to wake up early in in the morning in order to catch a 7:15 AM flight to Quito. By 8:05 AM we'll arrive to Quito's airport, where our eco-tour will officially end.

ALL-INCLUSIVE PRICE:	$1120 US
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY:	MODERATE
GROUP SIZE:	3 - 6 PEOPLE
DURATION:	8 DAYS
AVAILABLE:	ALL YEAR ROUND

The price of this tour includes,

All transportation within Ecuador (plane, bus & boat), 3 meals a day (non-alcoholic beverages included), all accommodation needed, Podocarpus National Park entrance fee, Ecuadorian taxes and tips.
All activities mentioned in the itinerary.

The price of this ecotour does not include,

The air ticket to Ecuador and back, departure from Ecuador tax ($31.60 US), costs of alcoholic beverages, 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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