Escorted Tours 2024 - 2025

Day 1: UK to Quito D Depart the UK on your flight to Quito. On arrival, you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel, to relax and unwind before dinner at the hotel. Day 2: Quito B After breakfast, enjoy an exploratory tour around this stunning and unique city. Your first stop on the tour will be the Basilica Church, considered one of the most important pieces of neo-gothic architecture in Ecuador. Continue to Plaza Grande and San Francisco de Quito Church, home to a gallery of masterpieces from indigenous artists of its famous Art School. Your last stop will be La Compañia Church – a vast, Baroque masterpiece made of volcanic stone! Day 3: Quito B Today you’ll be taken to see the ‘Middle of the World Monument’ built to honour the 18th century French Geodesic Mission, then onto the Ethnographic Museum and planetarium. In the afternoon you’ll be taken to your lodge to stay within the Septimo Paraiso Reserve. This 420 hectare area of cloud forest protects one of the largest bird counts in the North-West of Ecuador as well as a number of mammalian species such as puma, white-tailed deer, sloth, the spectacled bear, black howler monkeys, and armadillo. Day 4: Quito to Mindo B Today you will explore Mindo. The site is 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 is defining our senses, with a visit to the Butterfly garden, where you can observe them in all 4 stages of life. Later on, our taste senses are delighted by taking a chocolate tour, learning about the necessary steps to produce the best chocolate in the world. At the end of the tour you will be able to try several chocolate products. Day 5: Mindo to Cotopaxi B/L After breakfast you’ll be adventuring high into the Andes to behold the Cotopaxi volcano – one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. This impressive, snow-capped volcano stands proudly in NEW Ecuador: From the Andes to the Amazon Explore the astounding beauty of Ecuador on this captivating tour where you’ll meander through the cobbled streets of Quito, marvel at the wonders of the Incan sites at Cañar, and bear witness to the mighty condor gliding over volcanic peaks in Cajas National Park. Whether you’re a seasoned traveller of South America, 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 Volcano What you’ll see ⚫ See the wondrous sights of Quito, a unique city nestled in the shadows of the Pichincha volcano ⚫ Visit the Basilica church where, in 1874, the nation was officially consecrated into ‘the sacred heart’ by the Archbishop of Quito and former president – Gabriel Garcia Moreno ⚫ Imagine the ancient Incas into life as your local guide walks you around the Ingapirca site ⚫ Pose for photos by the ‘Middle of the World’ monument, on the equatorial line of the planet ⚫ Witness the majestic landscapes in Cajas National Park, with their snowcapped peaks and enchanting lagoons ⚫ Be charmed by the vast, diverse array of avian wildlife seen through this epic journey < < Quito Riobamba Cuenca Guayaquil Mindo Cotopaxi National Park      3 1 1 1 1 2 Coach Air Nights 2 South America 84 Hundreds of escorted tours are available on our website www.mercuryholidays.co.uk