The Andean highlands offer a delightful mixture of scenery and culture and make exceptional extensions to the Galapagos Islands. In only two or three hours of driving from Quito we'll find the kind of breathtaking scenery that one would expect to find in such places as Tuscany and the Alps. Ecuador offers an opportunity to see wildlife found nowhere else and experience thriving indigenous societies along with the living remnants of both ancient and colonial cultures. This aesthetic and cultural bounty, paired with incomparable accommodations offering historic architecture and excellent cuisine, makes Ecuador a rich and varied destination.

The Hacienda system of Ecuador has played a very important role in the social, economic, and political activities of the country. Like the once-great estates of Europe, Ecuador’s hacienda system formed the basis of agrarian economies during the Spanish colonial era in which most of them were built. Many of the haciendas remain largely intact today, and their transition and preservation into the modern day provides a world class experience in an alluring land of active volcanoes and indigenous tribes.

Itineraries-at-a-Glance

The Otavalo Highlands
Day 1: Quito to Hacienda Pinsaqui • Day 2: Otavalo Indian market • Day 3: Cuicocha Lake.

The Cotopaxi Highlands
Day 1: Quito to San Agustin de Callo • Day 2: Pujili market and Quilotoa Lake hike • Day 3: Cotopaxi Volcano Refuge.

The Southern Highlands
Day 1: Quito to Loja • Day 2: Podocarpus National Park • Day 3: Saraguros to Cuenca • Day 4: Cuenca.

Otavalo
Day 1: Otavalo textile market, Peguche village and weavers.