This ecotour has been designed for young people traveling on a tight budget.  The route of this tour follows a transversal path through Southern Ecuador but it does not included a visit to all the places visited during our standard Transversal Eco-adventure Tour.  The price of this tour is cheaper because all the traveling required in Ecuador will be done using coach buses.  Hence, you should expect  long bus rides and waiting times. 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 a ETV staff member who will be your tour leader.  Most lunches will consist on sandwiches, fruits and vegetables.

During this tour you'll travel through the provinces of El Oro, Loja and Zamora- Chinchipe. By joining this ecotour you'll visit among other places three different regions of Ecuador (Costal Region, Highland Region and Amazonian Basin Region), three different ecosystems (upper montane rain forest on the eastern slopes of the Andes, montane rain forest and mangrove forest) and  two different native cultures (Saraguro and Shuar). Also, you'll engage in community tourism, ethnic tourism, historical tourism and nature tourism and in activities such as camping, hiking, canoeing, mountain biking and nature interpretation.  Please expect to do a lot of traveling because we'll be covering a lot of terrain in this 11-day tour.  Lastly, please note that presently we are the only tour operator that offers this transversal tour 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 13 nights in Ecuador.  We can include in this tour 2 nights stay at Hotel Sierra Madre, which is located in Quito's downtown area, and include all the 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 2: Once in Huaquillas we'll have breakfast and then we'll board a pickup that will take us to Hualtaco Bay.  At this bay we'll take a boat in order to reach 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 up our tents for the night and then we'll hit the beach and swim in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. After lunch we'll canoe along the island's estuary and after dinner we'll set up a bonfire at the beach.

Day 3: 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 go on a fishing boat and we'll learn about the low-scale fishing most men on the island engage in. The night of this third day will also be spend in a tent.

Day 4: In the morning we'll take a boat that will take us back to Hualtaco Bay, where a truck will be waiting to take us to the historical city of Zaruma.  Once in Zaruma, we'll check in at our hotel and then we will go for a tour tour "El Sexmo" gold mine. After dinner  we'll go on a night city tour.  Zaruma is a cultural heritage site of Ecuador and is a candidate to be declared by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, due to its unique architecture and history.

Day 5: After breakfast we'll make our way to the city of Loja.  Once in Loja, we'll switch buses and take another bus to the city of Saraguro. This city literally means the land of corn and it is home to the Saraguro people.  At this city, we'll spend the night at a Saraguro family home and we'll experience their lifestyle. Time permitting we'll participate in a shamanistic ritual at the Smiling Mountain.

Day 6: In the morning 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 near  the city of Zamora and the Podocarpus National Park. The rest of the day we'll spend it either at the lodge or we'll visit city of Zamora.

Day 7: After breakfast we'll head towards the Podocarpus National Park and we'll visit "La Poderosa" waterfall.  We'll have a box-lunch at the park. At 12:00 pm we'll head back to Capalinga Lodge, take our stuff and climb on the truck that will take us to Yankuam Lodge. These cabins are located in the Nangaritza Valley, the ancestral land of the Shuar people. 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 8: Right 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 9: After breakfast we'll head towards the world renowned valley of Vilcabamba, the valley of longevity.  By 2:00 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 10: After breakfast we'll go for a hike along the trails of the Rumi Wilco Nature Reserve.  At noon we'll go to Vilcabamba for lunch and after lunch we'll rent some bikes and tour around Vilcabamba for the rest of the afternoon.  After dinner we'll walk back to our ecolodge and we'll light up a bonfire and have a small farewell party because this will be our last night in Southern Ecuador. 

Day 11: After breakfast at Rumi Wilco Ecolodge, we'll head towards Vilcabamba where we'll board a bus that will take us to the city of Loja. The rest of the day we'll spend it in Loja and at 6:00 pm we'll board the bus that will take us back to Quito. We will be in Quito's bus terminal at 7:00 am the following morning, where ETV's staff we'll meet us and take you to your respective hotels.

• 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.

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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