IT-ECRT05
Rates include accommodations, meals (as indicated), English speaking guide and transfers from and to Quito.
8 days/ 7 nights  $ 1,465   Single: +$120
rates based on 4 riders, a supplement applies if less participants
Accommodations vary  from comfortable haciendas to country inns. 
Prices exclude all personal expenditure such as bar bills, laundry and telephone calls, national park entrance fees (Cotopaxi currently US10), international airport departure tax (currently US25) payable on departure.
2003 Dates
 upon request for groups of 4+
Tour length: 8 days, 6.5 days riding.
Level: C and above
Tack: McClellan saddles and English
Horses: Paso, Qarter, Thoroughbred cross
Pace: Moderate with trots and canters
 

Itinerary
Key: AB= cooked breakfast,
L= lunch, PL= picnic lunch (different menus, never just a sandwich),
D=dinner.
DAY 1: Guests are met at Quito airport. Drive (75 mins.) north to a very picturesque riding centre set amidst pastures and eucalyptus-lined country lanes, with excellent views of the surrounding Andean peaks. Introductory ride (2-3hrs) beginning in an enclosed area to try the horses and get the feel of the new tack then a ride along the tracks into the foothills of the snow-capped Cayambe volcano which straddles the equator line. PM relax around the stables or a visit to Cayambe to see the local market and museum of Inca/pre-Inca artifacts. Overnight at the riding centre cottages, all rooms with private bathrooms. PL, D.
DAY 2: MOJANDA MOUNTAIN & SACRED IMBABURA VOLCANO.
We set out across the Cayambe Valley and ride on into the San Pablo Valley. We skirt San Pablo lake, where the locals use boats to collect reeds for drying and making into rush matting, then continue up into the foothills of the Mojanda Mountain (6hrs). Riding through small villages, we pass tiny farms with ‘tree tomato’ orchards, passion fruit vines, and giant aloes atop the earth walls which border the patchwork fields. We then cross a series of gorges cut by the streams descending Mojanda Mountain and at one point ride along an old Inca road, the valley enclosed by the jagged Fuyafuya peak and Cotocachi & Imbabura volcanoes. After finishing the ride at a country hostal, guests can relax in the hammocks, admiring the outstanding views across the valley to the surrounding volcanoes or take a walk on the hillsides and try to spot the host of the hummingbirds, mountain tanagers and birds of prey that inhabit this part of the Andes. Overnight at this comfortable hostal, some rooms with private bathrooms and fireplaces. AB, PL, D.
DAY 3: SAN PABLO LAKE & PASTORAL ZULETA VALLEY.
Guests can ride out across the hills and then descend to the shores of San Pablo Lake (3hrs) or spend the morning visiting local points of interest by vehicle, then joining the horses. The visits will include Otavalo market and several of the surrounding villages – each with a different, thriving cottage industry (weaving, hat making, musical instrument making...). Rejoining the horses, we ride on into the pastoral Zuleta Valley (4hrs) which is steeped in history. For many years the local indigenous group, the Caranqui, fought bravely to keep the Inca invaders out of the valley. We carry on through eucalyptus forests and onto the plains before descending into the meadows below and riding on to a working farm in the middle of this sleepy valley. Some fast pace riding is possible and a chance of seeing the Andean Condor. Andalusian horses, fighting bulls and a dairy herd are among the farm inhabitants. Visit to see the hand embroidery that has made the valley famous. Overnight at this working hacienda. AB, PL, D.
DAY 4: ANDEAN ‘PARAMO’ & SNOW CAPPED CAYAMBE VOLCANO.
A beautiful route through two distinct vegetation zones: along tree-lined trails between the meadows then taking to the steep tracks following the gorges we climb high into the open, wild grasslands. The dirt tracks and grassy lanes are ideal for some fast pace riding. We leave the indigenous farmers and their flocks of donkeys, goats, sheep and pigs behind as we climb to the high altitude, Andean climatic zone known as ‘paramo’. Many wild flowers carpet the rolling hills. Crossing the gently undulating highlands by following barely visible tracks carved out by the horses of the ‘chagras’ (Andean cowhands) as they herd the cattle, we then descend steeply into the Cayambe Valley which is dominated by the snow-capped Cayambe Volcano. Riding down onto the valley floor we arrive back at the riding centre. Overnight at the riding centre cottages, all rooms with private bathrooms. AB, PL, D.
DAY 5: PINTAG
Following an early morning drive south along the central valley (2hrs) we meet fresh horses in another part of the Ecuadorian Andes, east of Quito. Many of the summits that make up the ‘Avenue of the Volcanoes’ come into view as we drive along the Eastern cordillera. We set out on horseback across the foothills of the majestic Andean peaks as we head towards the highest active volcano in the world, Cotopaxi (6hrs). The route is very varied as we pass through farmland and open countryside. We follow the chagras’ routes and often meet them along the way as they head off into open pasture on their horses - dressed in their special chaps and ponchos, their saddles kitted out with lassos and their stirrups resembling clogs. Late PM we arrive at another working hacienda built of the traditional adobe walls and grass thatch roof high up in the ‘paramo’. Another chance of seeing the mighty Andean Condor. Overnight at the hacienda (some private bathrooms). AB, PL, D.
 

DAY 6: COTOPAXI (HIGHEST ACTIVE VOLCANO IN THE WORLD) & THE NATIONAL PARK.
Today we ride into the national park along the main Inca route which once joined Cusco (Peru), the former centre of the Inca empire, with Quito. Ample opportunity for fast pace riding as we cross the grassy plains at the base of Cotopaxi Volcano. We often meet up with the herds of wild horses that roam the park - it is wonderful to watch them galloping freely with their unruly manes and long tails. We cross old lava flows still barren and dotted with huge boulders thrown out by the volcano during previous eruptions. Atop one of the hills pushed up by volcanic activity sits an Inca fortress guarding the junction where the route to the jungle peels off from the main Cusco-Quito road. We see the herd of alpacas on the farm bordering the national park and sometimes come across a solitary Andean fox or Andean waterfowl waddling close to the streams traversing the largely arid park. The skyline is dominated not only by Cotopaxi peak but also the craggy heights of Ruminahui and Sincholagua. Following lunch in the park we loop back round to spend a second night at the hacienda. On clear evenings the silhouettes of the surrounding peaks against a backdrop of stars is breathtaking. Overnight at the hacienda. AB, PL, D.
DAY 7: LIMPIOPUNGO & RUMINAHUI.
A spectacular route to end the ride (5hrs). After a fast pace ride through the flatlands of the national park, guests ride around the shallow ‘Limpiopungo’ lake and turn their backs on the perfectly conical shape of Cotopaxi Volcano to ride over the rocky crest and lava slopes of the Ruminahui peak following trails marked out by wild horses. The ground is covered with tiny pumice stones and lichen and we pass many native species of high Andean flora including the ancient polylepis trees. A good chance of seeing hummingbirds which, surprisingly, manage to survive in these elevated areas. Amid dramatic scenery of sheer cliffs and scree slopes, we cross a series of crests before finally climbing over the Ruminahui peak close to the summit then riding down through areas of scrub bush as we descend into the Machachi Valley. We leave the horses at a farm in the valley and head back to Quito (75mins.) in time for some shopping (optional). Overnight in a Quito hotel. AB, L.
DAY 8: DEPARTURE.
Following breakfast, guests are accompanied to the airport in time for their outward flights. AB.

subject to change