Andes to the Coast

We’ll dri­ve for a while on the quaint old road from Quito towards the Pacif­ic Ocean coast. Dri­ve until the high­est point of the trip (3200 meters of alti­tude (10.500 feet)) where we switch to human pow­er. You’ll descend on bike 10 kilo­me­ters (6 miles) on a paved yet qui­et road, sur­round­ed by Andi­no flo­ra until we reach the vil­lage of Nono, locat­ed at 2900 meters (9500 feet) meters of alti­tude above sea lev­el. From this point the ride con­tin­ues on a quaint dirt road until Tan­daya­pa (locat­ed at 1800 meters (5900 feet)) for 26 kilo­me­ters (16 miles).

The exu­ber­ant cloud for­est is full of bromeli­ads, palm trees and orchids. At your right there is a moun­tain stream which sooth­ing sound will accom­pa­ny you. And very often small water­falls will bedaz­zle you. We sim­ply have to stop to take pic­tures of a flower, that you have nev­er seen before!

Keep one eye on the road and the oth­er peeled on the sky: there’s a good chance to see par­rots, hum­ming­birds, tou­cans and caciques. At the end of the dirt road, we can vis­it a hum­ming­bird sanc­tu­ary, where you can have hum­ming­birds feed from your hand!

At the end of this road, we will vis­it a hum­ming­bird reserve where these won­der­ful birds will feed right off your hand! Quite an experience!

After a deli­cious home-made lunch, we head towards “La mitad del Mun­do” the mon­u­ment for the equa­tor where we will also go to an inter­ac­tive muse­um to see what being right on the equa­tor is all about!

Get ready for an unfor­get­table day of adven­ture, cul­ture, and nat­ur­al won­ders! Our epic bicy­cle tour kicks off in the heart of Quito’s his­toric cen­ter, where we’ll ped­al through the charm­ing streets of Colo­nial Quito. Mar­vel at the stun­ning archi­tec­ture, vibrant plazas, and cen­turies-old church­es as you soak in the rich his­to­ry and cul­ture of this UNESCO World Her­itage site.

After a 1.5 hour dri­ve, we shift gears to a unique and exhil­a­rat­ing expe­ri­ence –rid­ing down the tallest active vol­ca­noe in the world! Once we reach the park entrance of Cotopaxi Nation­al Park. We dri­ve through pine for­est and soon reach the Vis­i­tors’ cen­ter of the park. After vis­it­ing the Cen­ter we con­tin­ue the ascent in our 4‑wheel dri­ve vehi­cle until we reach the high­est point of the tour, 4.800 meters/15.000 feet. The view from this point is stun­ning and on a clear day we are able to see 8 volcanoes.

We then put on hel­mets, gloves and pro­tec­tive pads and the bike adven­ture on the world’s high­est active vol­cano can begin. The first 8 km (5 miles) will take us down 700 meters (2.300 feet) on dirt roads through vol­canic ash and tun­dra land­scape. At 3.800 meters you actu­al­ly have to do some ped­alling while we head down anoth­er 8 km (5 miles) between vol­canic rocks and wild hors­es to our lunch spot by an Inca ruin at 3.700 meters (12.150 feet). With some luck we might see a con­dor or a caracara. 

We’ll then put the bikes back on the jeep and head for the lake of Limpi­op­un­go at 3.800 meters (12.500 feet) to find a nat­ur­al spring where you can see thou­sand year old glac­i­er water gush from the ground! We the cycle with the wind in our backs back to the entrance and con­grat­u­late our­selves for fin­ish­ing an amaz­ing day in the Andes.

Next day we head towards Baños de Agua San­ta a just under two hour dri­ve, com­mon­ly known as Baños, a pic­turesque town nes­tled in the Andean moun­tains of Ecuador. It is renowned for its stun­ning nat­ur­al beau­ty, abun­dant out­door activ­i­ties, and vibrant nightlife, mak­ing it an ide­al des­ti­na­tion for a bicy­cle trip.

Baños is famous for its ther­a­peu­tic hot springs, which are rich in min­er­als and believed to have heal­ing prop­er­ties. After a day of cycling, soak­ing in these warm waters is a per­fect way to relax and reju­ve­nate. The most pop­u­lar hot springs, such as Ter­mas de la Vir­gen, offer spec­tac­u­lar views of water­falls and the sur­round­ing moun­tains, enhanc­ing the tran­quil experience.

Cycling through Baños offers breath­tak­ing views of lush green moun­tains, deep val­leys, and cas­cad­ing water­falls. The scenic routes are dot­ted with view­points that pro­vide panoram­ic vis­tas of the Tun­gu­rahua Vol­cano and the sur­round­ing Andean land­scape. These routes cater to all lev­els of cyclists, from begin­ners to advanced, with options for both leisure­ly rides and chal­leng­ing climbs.

As addi­tion to our bik­ing tour and for adren­a­line enthu­si­asts, Baños offers thrilling zip-line expe­ri­ences. Cycling to one of the many zip-line parks and soar­ing over the canopy pro­vides a unique per­spec­tive of the region’s nat­ur­al beau­ty. The zip lines range from short, begin­ner-friend­ly rides to longer, more dar­ing lines that span over rivers and valleys.

Last but not least! As the sun sets, Baños trans­forms into a live­ly town with a vibrant nightlife. The cen­tral streets come alive with music, danc­ing, and the aro­ma of local cui­sine. Bars, clubs, and restau­rants offer a vari­ety of enter­tain­ment options, from live music to tra­di­tion­al dance per­for­mances. The nightlife in Baños is a per­fect blend of local cul­ture and mod­ern enter­tain­ment, pro­vid­ing an excit­ing end to a day of adventure.

We dri­ve for just over an hour to Mount Chimb­o­ra­zo (6310meters (20.700 feet)), the high­est and most impres­sive of Ecuador’s vol­ca­noes. We Park at the low­er refuge (4800 meters (15.750 feet)) and con­tin­ue on foot to the Edgar Whym­per Refuge. Locat­ed at 5000 meters this is the high­est refuge in the world! 

From here, it’s all down­hill — first on foot, and then by bike on a sin­gle track. We then descend all the way to Ambato (2800 meters (9.800 feet) on one of the most scenic and spec­tac­u­lar roads in Ecuador. This road is tar­mac, but it nev­er seems to dis­ap­point! It’s the old road to Ambato so traf­fic is a bare min­i­mum. This is an amaz­ing bike ride through the high­lands, with vicuñas being the sole inhab­i­tants of these wild stretch­es. On this tour, cyclists enjoy a breath­tak­ing 70 kilo­me­ters (44 miles) ride through vary­ing land­scapes in just one day. 

This day is by far a guest favorite. Sel­dom does one have the chance to ride from the snow line of a vol­cano, through rur­al Andean patch­work fields, pic­nic with vicuñas and at the end of the ride arrive in a mod­ern city. We then dri­ve for one hour to Las­so, where we spend the night.

The next day, the jour­ney con­tin­ues from the town of Las­so in Lat­a­cun­ga. This seg­ment of the trip takes you through a mag­nif­i­cent dirt road that leads to the stun­ning Quilo­toa Lake, offer­ing an immer­sive expe­ri­ence of Ecuador’s rur­al charm and indige­nous culture.

Cycling along these dirt roads, you’ll pass by numer­ous tra­di­tion­al farms, where you can observe the dai­ly life of local farm­ers. The land­scape is dot­ted with fields of crops and graz­ing live­stock, pro­vid­ing a pic­turesque back­drop of rur­al Ecuador. The air is filled with the fresh scent of the coun­try­side, and the tran­quil­i­ty of the area is only inter­rupt­ed by the occa­sion­al sounds of farm animals.

As you make your way through the route, you will encounter indige­nous peo­ple dressed in their tra­di­tion­al attire. Women in bright­ly col­ored skirts, pon­chos, and hats, and men in their dis­tinc­tive cloth­ing, often shep­herd­ing their sheep. These encoun­ters offer a glimpse into the rich cul­tur­al her­itage of the region, where tra­di­tions have been pre­served for generations.

The route to Quilo­toa Lake takes you through breath­tak­ing canyons and val­leys. The dra­mat­ic cliffs and deep gorges carved by rivers over cen­turies offer spec­tac­u­lar views and chal­leng­ing ter­rain. These nat­ur­al for­ma­tions are a tes­ta­ment to the pow­er­ful geo­log­i­cal forces at work in the region and pro­vide a stun­ning back­drop for your cycling adventure.

The jour­ney cul­mi­nates at Quilo­toa Lake, a mes­mer­iz­ing crater lake with strik­ing turquoise waters. The lake is set with­in a caldera formed by a vol­canic erup­tion, and its vibrant col­or is due to the min­er­als dis­solved in the water. Quilo­toa is a pop­u­lar des­ti­na­tion for hik­ers and cyclists, and the view from the rim of the crater is noth­ing short of breathtaking.

Our next day is very spe­cial because we start descend­ing down the Andres and into the coast! Your adven­ture begins in the charm­ing Andean vil­lage of Chugchilán. From here, you embark on a thrilling descent from the high­lands to the lush low­lands, head­ing towards La Maná. This seg­ment of the jour­ney is a hid­den gem, show­cas­ing some of Ecuador’s best-kept secrets.

The dirt road winds through the moun­tains, offer­ing panoram­ic views of the val­leys below. The crisp moun­tain air grad­u­al­ly gives way to warmer, more humid con­di­tions as you lose ele­va­tion. As you descend, you’ll ride into the enchant­i­ng cloud for­est, a mys­ti­cal envi­ron­ment where the for­est canopy is often shroud­ed in mist. The cloud for­est is teem­ing with bio­di­ver­si­ty, and you might catch glimpses of exot­ic birds, vibrant orchids, and oth­er unique flo­ra and fau­na. The dense veg­e­ta­tion and the sound of wildlife cre­ate an immer­sive nat­ur­al experience.

As you con­tin­ue your descent, the cli­mate becomes notice­ably warmer. The tran­si­tion from the cool high­lands to the trop­i­cal low­lands is marked by a change in veg­e­ta­tion and a rise in tem­per­a­ture. The lush green­ery of the cloud for­est grad­u­al­ly gives way to the ver­dant, trop­i­cal land­scape of La Maná.

Our day ends in a jun­gle lodge where we can relax the rest of the day, swim­ming in rivers or doing some amaz­ing hikes.

After a two hour dri­ve, we embark on our cycling adven­ture through the end­less banana and coconut plan­ta­tions that define this region. The plan­ta­tions stretch as far as the eye can see, with rows of banana trees and coconut palms sway­ing gen­tly in the trop­i­cal breeze. The vibrant green of the foliage con­trasts sharply with the deep blue of the sky, cre­at­ing a pic­turesque set­ting for our ride.

As we ped­al through this new ter­rain, the dif­fer­ences from the Andes are pal­pa­ble. The flat, fer­tile plains of the coastal region pro­vide a stark con­trast to the rugged, moun­tain­ous land­scapes we’ve left behind. The pace of life here seems more relaxed, reflect­ing the laid-back atti­tude of the coastal com­mu­ni­ties. The peo­ple we meet along the way greet us with warm smiles and a friend­ly wave, embody­ing the hos­pi­tal­i­ty for which Ecuador is known.

The atmos­phere at sea lev­el is vibrant and full of life. The air is thick with the sounds of trop­i­cal birds and the rustling of leaves. The col­ors are more vivid—bright green foliage, gold­en banana bunch­es, and the occa­sion­al splash of col­or from trop­i­cal flow­ers. Every­thing around us seems to pulse with ener­gy and life, mak­ing it feel as though we have entered a com­plete­ly dif­fer­ent country.

One of the high­lights of this day is vis­it­ing a stun­ning water­fall nes­tled with­in the plan­ta­tions. The water­fall cas­cades down in a tor­rent of crys­tal-clear water, cre­at­ing a cool, refresh­ing oasis amid the trop­i­cal heat. The sound of the water crash­ing into the pool below is both pow­er­ful and sooth­ing, offer­ing a per­fect spot to rest and take in the nat­ur­al beauty.

As the day comes to an end, we set­tle in for the night in this remark­able area. Accom­mo­da­tions here often reflect the sim­plic­i­ty and charm of the region, with cozy lodges or guest­hous­es that blend seam­less­ly into the trop­i­cal sur­round­ings. The evening can be spent enjoy­ing a deli­cious meal fea­tur­ing local ingre­di­ents, per­haps a fresh seafood dish or trop­i­cal fruits, while reflect­ing on the diverse land­scapes we’ve encountered.

Today’s ride involves cross­ing a series of gen­tle hills. As we ped­al up and down the undu­lat­ing ter­rain, we are sur­round­ed by palm trees that stretch as far as the eye can see. The sight of end­less rows of palms, their fronds sway­ing in the breeze, cre­ates a mes­mer­iz­ing land­scape. The rolling hills add a bit of chal­lenge to our ride, but the stun­ning scenery makes every climb worth it.

Along the way, we cross numer­ous rivers, their clear waters a refresh­ing sight in the trop­i­cal heat. Some rivers are spanned by charm­ing old bridges, while oth­ers may require us to ford the shal­low­er sec­tions. The sound of flow­ing water accom­pa­nies us, adding a sooth­ing back­ground to our journey.

Our route takes us through sev­er­al qui­et and sleepy vil­lages. These small com­mu­ni­ties, nes­tled among the palm groves, exude a tran­quil charm. The vil­lagers go about their dai­ly rou­tines, often paus­ing to greet us with friend­ly smiles and waves. The sim­plic­i­ty and slow pace of life in these vil­lages offer a glimpse into a way of life that feels time­less and deeply con­nect­ed to the land.

Our faith­ful sup­port car waits for us to make the two-hour dri­ve into Man­ta, a city on the Pacif­ic Ocean where we have come to see the sun­set and have a ceviche on the beach.

From here we make a short 30-minute dri­ve to Pacoche Nat­ur­al Reserve.

On our last day we have a real treat. We start the day by dri­ving 20 min­utes to Pacoche Nature reserve. Pacoche Lodge & Reserve is locat­ed in one of the last remain­ing semi-dry trop­i­cal forests, at the Ecuado­ri­an coast, in the province of Manabí.

The for­est is a green patch in the mid­dle of a semi-deser­tic area of the coast of Man­abí. It’s fas­ci­nat­ing micro­cli­mate serves as habi­tat for count­less species that are char­ac­ter­is­tics of the area. Pacoche is well-known for the howler mon­keys, and over 250 species of birds, from which, 55 are endemic.

From here our bike tour begins! We quick­ly leave this micro cli­mate jun­gle behind and go through a dry for­est, down a dirt road towards the coast and to the fish­ing vil­lage of San­ta Mar­i­ani­ta. Here we cycle on the beach for a while enjoy­ing the ocean breeze, before we embark on a dirt road once again, this time to the fish­ing vil­lage of San Mateo. We enjoy a typ­i­cal costal lunch on the beach. After relax­ing by the ocean, we go to Mon­te­cristi by car, this is where the famous Pana­ma hats are made. We have a tour of how these famous hats are made and through this colo­nial town and then start our 20-minute trip to the air­port, where we take our flight back to Quito.