After a marvelous visit to Ecuador earlier this year, we are delighted to invite you to join us again.
Gardens and Trails – Otavalo, Quito, Cotopaxi!
Refresh and Renew in the High Sierra of Ecuador. We start in Quichince above the Otavalo marketplace; we travel through the ecosystems to tour the Cloud Forest of Intag. Here we are removed from many distractions by a rushing creek to enjoy a quality experience: bird watching, moss covered trails, coffee plantaion and fine local foods. The we aim for the city of Quito for a day and night. It is on to the southern Valley of the Volcanoes to the fine Hacienda San Augustin, still operating as a working estancia. We are under the enormous Cotopaxi volcano and we hike, as much as you prefer, across the barren beautiful paramo. Our last days are spent on and around the little town of San Pablo at the beautiful Hacienda Cusin, renovated over the last 25 years to be among the finest in the country.
Our small group tours have brought together friends and acquaintances from all across the country. We design the tour based on the interest & activity level of the participants! Walk about or hike a lot! – Let us know! We will adapt for our comfort and activity preferences.
Each tour includes days full of activity, seamless transfers, well appointed boutique hotels, English speaking guides, nights in front of warm fires with friends – at an affordable price -and plenty of options for individual choice along the way.
Detailed itineraries upon request!
Quito, the Cloud Forest and & the beautiful, restored 1602 Hacienda Cusin in Ibarra province of the Andes. A gentle tour with spectacular views of the national parks,
the markets and museums: 11 nights – $3400 per person double occupancy
OPTION:
A Gentle Approach to the Altitude:
We stay 2 nights in Guayaquil on the Pacific Coast, with a day tour & guide, then we make our excursion through unique and changing ecosystems, inland through the farmland of southern Ecuador, finding the valley views to the spectacular city of Cuenca – at 7,000 ft., a World Heritage
Site and beautiful colonial city (and a popular destination for American retirees). Here the temperature and climate are perfect all year. We tour stunning churches and monuments that mark the lines of the
colonial Spanish settlers. Outside the city, small villages feature different crafts; hat making, jewelry, woodcarving, a craft collective, then we make sure to take time to sit back to admire the roof top views of the city between two rivers. See newviewtours.com/gallery
Quito is a World Heritage City.
Our list of stops includes La Compania Jesuit cathedral, San Francisco Iglesia and museum, the fine plaza Independencia and Presidential Palace in this bustling capital at 9,200 feet. Under the shadow of Pichinca volcano, the first World Heritage designation was granted in the late 1970s. We will see why!
We walk the historic colonial section of the city on Sunday, a day without cars! We’ll visit the City Museum, the high end shops including Galleria Latina & Olga Fisch. We visit the outstanding Guayasamin Museum and “cathedral” that the artist built.
Our transfer across the equator follows the newly widened Pan American highway. We stop at the Quitsato monument – in the middle of the world, “El Mitad del Mundo” where the earliest civilizations understood the alignment of the sun and the moon to the earth in perfect balance with the seasons. It is a short, but fascinating presentation: See: http://www.quitsato.org
Next stop this year is a striking contrast: the remote and remarkably comfortable El Refugio de Intag in a private compound quietly developed by birdwatcher and
environmentalist, Peter Joost. The Cloud Forest provides abundant
bird life, many unique animal and plant species that are fascinating to observe. All our meals are included here! We will absorb and appreciate sounds of the stream, fresh produce from the garden and the beauty of the cloud
We walk trails (or take the 4×4) to waterfalls, bird watching viewpoints in the warm humid climate. (Rubber boots provided – most trails are very muddy!)
Next stop is only a few kilometers around many curves – a morning drive – to the pueblo of San
Pablo de Lago to settle into the renowned 1602 Hacienda Cusin, restored by our host & owner, Sr. Nik Millhouse;! a 30 acre compound of beautiful rooms, small houses peppered with gardens – remodeled over the last 20 years. Always improving, we find each year new standards for comfort and excellent friendly service. Cusin becomes another home! – not so far away!
Day trips keep us on the move to local homes where the family traditions of craftsmanship continue..…! Miguel Andrango the weaver in his new workshop in Agato; And the Music Maker, Nanda Mamachi who will craft a panpipe for you, then demonstrate how he can play every instrument on the wall!
NOW – ADD ON AN EXTENSION TOUR!
New View Tours will assist you with:
Galapagos Tours & Cruises
Machu Picchu in the Sacred Valley, Peru
Arequippa, Peru
or try a river cruise in the Amazon Jungle!!
ECUADOR: March 9 – 19, 2015!
