Amazon Underground | Journey Across Ecuador

Ecuador packs extraordinary biodiversity into a compact territory that covers just 0.2 percent of the planet’s land surface yet shelters 5 to 10 percent of its species. Ninety-one distinct ecosystems stretch from Pacific mangroves and Andean páramo to Amazon rainforest and high volcanoes. A single hectare of Yasuní forest can hold more tree species than all of North America combined. The country ranks among the world’s 17 megadiverse nations and first in biodiversity per square kilometer. Indigenous Shuar, Kichwa and other nations still shape daily life alongside colonial cities.

Hidden in the Cordillera del Cóndor of Morona Santiago, Cueva de los Tayos is Ecuador’s longest known cave system and a living cultural site of the Shuar. Visitors rappel 50 to 70 meters down a vertical chimney into vast galleries named the Cathedral, the Amphitheater and the Stalagmite Hall. Oilbirds called tayos nest in the darkness and give the cave its name. Expeditions last three days and include canoe travel, rainforest hikes and overnight camping inside the earth. Access is controlled by the Shuar community of Kuankus, who perform a permission ritual before descent.

Cotopaxi rises 5,897 meters as one of the world’s highest active volcanoes and the perfect snow-capped cone that dominates the Avenue of the Volcanoes. Its national park protects páramo grasslands, wild horses, Andean condors and vicuñas against a backdrop of lava fields and glacial ice. Horseback rides from nearby haciendas follow old Inca paths across open plains at 4,000 meters. On clear days the mountain is visible from Quito itself. The volcano remains geologically restless, adding a quiet tension to every photograph.

Cuenca’s UNESCO old town produces the world’s finest toquilla-straw hats that the world still mistakenly calls Panama hats. Quilotoa’s turquoise crater lake invites kayakers to paddle 250 meters above a mineral-rich caldera floor. Baños offers a wooden swing that launches riders over a cliff facing Tungurahua volcano. At Mitad del Mundo travelers stand on the equator and watch water change direction or an egg balance on a nail. These layered curiosities turn a short itinerary into a journey across worlds.
Let’s go!
Day 0 :: Departure day

Day 1 :: Welcome to Ecuador!!
Arrival at Quito’s Mariscal Sucre Airport, transfer to hotel, overnight.

We kick start the trip with visit Mitad del Mundo and the nearby Intiñan museum to stand on the equator and try the classic experiments: water that appears to change direction and an egg balanced on a nail.
In the afternoon short domestic flight to Cuenca.
Overnight in Cuenca.
DAY 2 :: Cuenca
Walk in Cuenca historical quarter, to cover the blue-domed New Cathedral, flower market, Tomebamba river terraces and a working toquilla hat workshop, the genuine origin of "Panama hat".
Continue east into the Amazonian foothills to the small town of Limón Indanza. Check into hotel.
Its time to meet the cave expedition team for safety briefing. Rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight Limón Indanza.
Day 3 :: Cueva de los Tayos day 1 (descent)
After breakfast we'll drive and then canoe along the Namangoza and Santiago rivers to Shuar territory. A two-hour rainforest hike leads to a family homestead where a permission ritual is performed. We'll put on harnesses and rappel 50–70 meters down the vertical chimney into the cave. Camp is set in a vast gallery; dinner is cooked underground. The first night inside the earth is unforgettable.
Overnight: camping inside the cave.
Day 4 :: Full day inside Tayos day 2
Wake by headlamp, eat breakfast in the cave, and spend the day exploring named chambers: the Cathedral, the Amphitheater, the Cascade and the Neil Armstrong stalagmite. Formations of calcite, underground streams and the occasional oilbird keep the hours moving. Lunch is taken in a dry gallery. In the evening we'll return to camp for a simple meal.
Overnight: camping inside the cave.
Day 5 :: Tayos day 3, exit and back to Limon
The expedition ends in the afternoon with the assisted ascent and the return hike followed by canoe ride back to Limón. Hit the road back to Limon and celebrate this life time achievement with "little party never killed nobody".
Overnight in Limon.
Day 6 :: Banos
Today we hit the road to Banos.
Our first stop is Indichuris viewpoint, a dramatic 1,000-meter viewpoint run by the local Kichwa community, about 45 minutes south of Puyo. In Kichwa the name means “Children of the Sun.” From the rim you look out across the Amazon basin to the point where the Puyo and Pastaza rivers meet. Swing for unforgettable adrenaline dose.
Lunch on the road, afternoon spent in the volcanic thermal pools under the lights of the town.
Overnight Banos.
Day 7 :: Full day Baños: swing, zipline, glass bridge, waterfalls
The day starts at Casa del Árbol, the wooden swing that hangs over a cliff facing Tungurahua volcano. More adrenaline shots as we zipline across forested gorges and a walk on a glass or a hanging bridge. In the afternoon we hea to Pailón del Diablo waterfall, offering different viewpoints of the thundering 80-meter drop.
Once set, quick look at Banos, a town full of jungle energy.
Overnight in Baños.
Day 8 :: Quilotoa lagoon, kayaks, transfer to Baños, thermal baths
Today we leave Banos behind and head north towards Cotopaxi, to a rim of Quilotoa’s collapsed caldera. We descend the steep trail to the turquoise water and paddle kayaks across the 250-meter-deep crater lake. After the climb back out, we'll hit the road to Cuello de Luna for overnight in hacienda.
Day 9 :: Cotopaxi, horse riding in páramo
After breakfast we'll ride criollo horses across the high Andean páramo, following old Inca tracks with the perfect volcanic cone always in view. The route leads to 3,800–4,200 meters, until we stop for lunch at Tambopaxi.
After lunch it’s sadly a time for airport transfer, bye bye Ecuador!
Activities: Trekking, spelunking, canoeing, thermal bathing, encounter of indigenous tribes and wildlife, cultural immersion.
Accommodation & meals: Hotels and haciendas - double sharing. 2 nights camping inside the cave. Meals during camping included, restaurant meals excluded.

Cost: 9,490 AED excl. flights until OCT 18th.

Specifically excluded: Visa, single room supplement, restaurant meals.

Visa: Visa free or e-visa

See yah in Ecuador x

Trekkup Crew
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