Activity Level: Challenging
Accommodation: 5-Star Category
Trip Length: 5 days
Season: Year round
Private Tours: Available for any date of your preference
Group Tours: Max 12 – Avg. 6
Activities: Biking
Minimum Age: 14 years old
Begins/Ends: : Quito, Ecuador / Quito, Ecuador
Nearest Airports: Mariscal Sucre, Quito, Ecuador (UIO)
The 5-day Ecuador Biking Adventure is Ecuador's premiere biking excursion. Active travelers will cycle through Andean mountains as well as lush tropical jungles to enjoy the beautiful landscapes of lakes, active volcanoes, wildlife, craters and remote indigenous villages. You'll quickly see why Ecuador is considered one of the most biodiverse countries on earth. It's also a great opportunity to awaken your adventurous spirit as you follow some of the best biking guides of Ecuador. This adrenaline-fueled Ecuador adventure brims with amazing things just waiting to be experienced.
Just 20 minutes away from Quito, in Tumbaco, we ride through an abandoned railroad, the first day is easy just slightly uphill. We will enjoy a picnic along the way.
Depending on how we feel, we will head to Quitoloma in the afternoon, this is one of the largest pre-Inca ruins in the world. The ride here is a bit uphill and mostly downhill, descending through the Cayambe Volcano to finish at the Equator where we learn about the Imbaya Culture.
We enjoy dinner at Hacienda Miraflores
Accommodation: Hacienda Miraflores or similar
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
After breakfast, we head to Zuleta village to learn about their work and sample the famous cheeses of this area. We ride our bikes through the indigenous farmlands through Imbabura volcano.
We ride down a narrow path passing the town of Peguche to Otavalo, the famous indigenous town, full of culture and handicrafts. On the edges of the Market, restaurants serve local dishes like Llapingachos and Fritada.
After shopping, we go to Hacienda Pinsaqui, a historic hacienda with more than 3 centuries of history.
Accommodation: Hacienda Pinsaqui or similar
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Today our biking adventure tour starts with a ride to Ibarra, we cycle through a dry ecosystem full of cacti on a fun single track down into the Chota Valley, famous for the many soccer players born here.
After this unique ride, we trade our bikes for a scenic train ride off to Salinas, Ibarra. We spend the night in the mystical Polylepis lodge.
Accommodation: Polylepis lodge
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
To enjoy a different experience, we will hike through El Angel reserve, home of the best preserved Polylepis forest. We hike to get to a waterfall and another endemic ecosystem, the Giant Speletia forest, the enchanted forest.
We enjoy lunch at the Polylepis lodge and hop on our bikes to ride this magical forest, to finally arrive in the town of Inguesa. We drive our way to Hacienda Pinsaqui where we have dinner and spend the night.
Accommodation: Hacienda Leito or similar
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
On our last day as part of this amazing biking trip of Ecuador, we will visit the Mojanda lakes, three beautiful crater lakes of elevation. The biking here is tougher but worth the distance and effort! A steep downhill with incredible views of the volcanic landscape descends us in a transition between cloud forest and dry forest.
To reward ourselves, we enjoy a great lunch in Guayllabamba, home of the best Locro de Papas of Ecuador.
In the afternoon we return to Quito to enjoy the city.
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Discounts available for larger groups
