Worldwide Escorted Tours

What’s included ✔ Return flights Heathrow to Ecuador with British Airways (via Madrid) ✔ Where you’ll stay Quito, 5 H Hilton Colon Quito Hotel Mindo, 3 H Septimo Paraiso Lodge Cotopaxi, 3 H Hacienda El Porvenir Riobamba, 4 H Hostería La Andaluza Cuenca, 4 H Carvallo Hotel Quayaquil, 4 H Unipark Hotel ✔ 13 meals ✔ 13 excursions ✔ Expert local tour guide Tour pace: Challenging Day 1: UK to Quito D Depart the UK on your flight to Quito. On arrival, transfer to your hotel, to relax before dinner. Day 2: Quito B After breakfast, enjoy a city tour. Your first stop will be the Basilica Church, then continue to Plaza Grande and San Francisco de Quito Church. Your last stop will be La Compañia Church – a vast, Baroque masterpiece made of volcanic stone! Day 3: Quito B Today you’ll visit the ‘Middle of the World Monument’, then onto the Ethnographic Museum and planetarium. In the afternoon you’ll be taken to your lodge within the Septimo Paraiso Reserve. This cloud forest protects one of the largest bird counts in Ecuador as well as puma, white-tailed deer, sloth, spectacled bears, black howler monkeys, and armadillo. Day 4: Quito to Mindo B Today explore Mindo, considered one of the most biodiverse places on earth. Its Protected Mindo Forest is home to many speices of birds, mammmals, reptiles, orchids and butterflies. You can visit this natural reserve via ‘tarabita’ or cable car that will ride above breathtaking scenery. This afternoon has a visit to the Butterfly Garden, where you can observe all 4 stages of life. Later on, take a chocolate tour. Day 5: Mindo to Cotopaxi B/L Adventure into the Andes to witness the Cotopaxi volcano – one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. Impressively snow-capped, it stands proudly in the middle of this beautiful national park where you’ll be led around Limpiopungo Lake which sits in the middle of the ‘paramo’ grasslands and where you can find hummingbirds, lapwings, sandpipers, the caracara, and even wild horses. Day 6: Cotopaxi to Riobamba, via Salcedo B/L Visit the Nevado Rose Plantation in the small town of Salcedo where you’ll be able to see how Ecuador’s exquisite floral exports are grown, treated, and harvested. The Chimborazo province’s greatest asset is a perpetually snow-capped volcano, and the world’s highest point when measured from the Earth’s core. Day 7: Riobamba to Cuenca B Today, witness an incredible archaeological complex of the ancient Incas. The Ingapirca site is situated in the province of Cañar and is Ecuador’s largest and best-preserved Incan site. Day 8: Cuenca B Set off to explore the local area of Cuenca where you’ll experience architectural marvels up close as well as from an elevated view at the Turi viewpoint for breathtaking panoramas. Then visit a Panama hat factory (these hats are originally from Ecuador!). The rest of your day will be at leisure. Day 9: Cuenca to Guayaquil via El Cajas National Park B Travel to Cajas National Park today, where various types of ecosystems can be found; from misty, clouded forests to rocky, lunar-like landscapes. Watch the park transform in front of your eyes as the light of the sun shifts through the day. Warm clothing is advised here as the temperatures can drop to 12 degrees. In the evening transfer to Guayaquil, ready for your departure in the morning. Day 10: Guayaquil to the UK B After breakfast you’ll be transferred to the airport to catch your flight back to the UK or continue on to your chosen extension. What you’ll see  See the wondrous sights of Quito, a unique city nestled in the shadows of the Pichincha volcano  Discover the ancient Incas as you walk the Ingapirca site  Visit the ‘Middle of the World’ monument on the equatorial line  Witness the majestic landscapes in Cajas National Park  Be charmed by the vast, diverse array of avian wildlife seen through this epic journey Whether you’re a seasoned traveller, or new to this magnificent continent, you’re bound to be thrilled and amazed at the sights, scenes, and landscapes throughout the journey across this equatorial nation, and into the ‘Sacred Heart.’ Cotopaxi Ecuador: From the Andes to the Amazon THIS TOUR EXPLORE Galapagos Islands Extend your tour Santa Elena Beach Stay, 3 nights 4 H from £649 Galapagos Island Hopping*, 4 nights 3 H from £1,499 *One night spent in Guayaquil Departures & from prices Sep 24 £2,599 Sep 25 £2,699 Oct 24 £2,499 Oct 25 £2,499 Mar 25 £2,599 Nov 25 £2,399 May 25 £2,699 • Lead-in price based on 26 Nov 25 • A single supplement starts from just £349 • Tipping paid locally $50 pp per tour 90  The Americas Hundreds of escorted tours are available on our website www.mercuryholidays.co.uk