Itinerary

Day 1      Cotopaxi National Park/Inca Hacienda San Agustin de Callo

Your private guide will pick you up from your hotel to begin your journey driving through the Avenue of the Volcanoes (a series of 11 peaks that frame the Latacunga-Ambato valley in the center of Ecuador). You will drive through the scenic Andean countryside to reach the foot of Cotopaxi Volcano, the 19,340-foot peak that dominates the area.  Cotopaxi National Park is an ecological sanctuary of 36,000 hectares surrounding the volcano. You'll have time to explore the National Park, home to unique wildlife and otherworldly landscapes.  Afterwards you will be taken to your lodging for the night, Hacienda San Agustin de Callo. Built in the 16th century on the site of an important Inca Palace, and containing the finest and largest set of Incan ruins in central Ecuador, this working hacienda subsequently became an Augustinian convent with a textile workshop and later the home of the French Geodesic Mission.   The house is built directly on top of what was the Incan palace, and many rooms have original Incan walls, with extraordinary masonry work.  The dining room is a full intact original Incan palace room, an experience you can't have anywhere else.
Hacienda San Agustin de Callo, Suite Room (B,L,D)

Day 2        Local Indigenous Market/San Agustin de Callo

This morning you will make a visit to a local indigenous market with your guide. Ceramics and other crafts are considered a very fine folk art in this area, and different towns have markets on different days, and these markets are less frequently visited and very traditional. You will have lunch at a local hacienda, before returning back to San Agustin de Callo, where you have the rest of the day to relax or explore the area on your own.
Hacienda San Agustin de Callo, Suite Room (B,L,D)

Day 3 Small towns/Avenue of the Volcanoes/Hacienda Cusin


After breakfast, we depart for a 3-4 hour drive north along the Pan American Highway through mountain scenery. We stop en route at the small town of Calderon, famous for their bread-dough figures and ornaments. In Cayambe you will cross over the Equatorial Line, and weather permitting you will have views of Mount Cayambe. You will arrive to Hacienda Cusin in the afternoon, where you can relax or explore the area on your own or with your guide.
Hacienda Cusin, Suite Room (B,L,D)

Day 4       Otavalo/Hacienda Cusin

This morning, we arrive early to the Otavalo market, one of the finest and most well known street markets in South America. The Otavalenos wear distinctive blue ponchos and white pants and have long braided hair, and the women often wear gold-colored beads around their necks. At the central plaza and along side streets, you will find weavings, sweaters, belts, blankets and rugs. After visiting the market, you will accompany your guide and make visits to neighboring towns such as Cotacachi, Peguche, and San Antonio de Ibarra, each dedicated to its own handicraft.
Hacienda Cusin, Suite Room (B,L,D)

Day 5        Return to Quito

In the morning you will be picked up from your hacienda to explore more of the surrounding area as you leisurely make your return to Quito.
(B)

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