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The green-blue lake of Quilotoa in the floor of its volcanic crater beneath a cloud-streaked sky

Sample journey · 10–12 days

Ecuador without the Galápagos: hummingbirds, the Amazon and a crater lake

Quito, the Mindo cloud forest, the Napo River, Quilotoa and Baños

Photo: Robinson Recalde / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

For many people Ecuador means the Galápagos. Yet the mainland has what the islands don't: cloud forests on the western slopes where dozens of hummingbird species whirl around the feeders, Amazon rivers and forest lodges to the east, and between them an avenue of volcanoes with craters, markets and hot springs. Distances are short, so in under two weeks you can see all three worlds without rushing.

The journey suits nature lovers, active couples and families with older children. There's plenty of walking — forest trails, a crater rim and the path down to the lake — but no technical trekking. Stays range from forest lodges to warm mountain guesthouses. The pace, the stays and the level of activity would be shaped around you.

The route

The journey

  1. Quito
  2. Mindo
  3. Napo River
  4. Quilotoa
  5. Baños
  6. Quito
  1. A hummingbird perched on a pink bloom in the Mindo cloud forest

    01Days 1–3 · Quito & Mindo

    Hummingbirds in the mist

    After the long flight, a night in Quito at around 2,850 m and a short morning walk through the squares of the old town. Then about two hours downhill on the western slope to Mindo, where the cloud forest begins right outside the guesthouse gate. At dawn, birding with a guide; by day, a butterfly farm, a cacao and chocolate workshop and trails to waterfalls; and at dusk the feeders, where a dozen or more hummingbird species can appear at once.

  2. A canoe with a few people on a still forest lake in the Ecuadorian Amazon, a rainbow in the evening sky

    02Days 4–7 · The Napo River

    By canoe into the Amazon

    Back in Quito, a short flight to Coca and a few hours by motorboat down the broad Napo, then a paddle canoe up a narrow blackwater creek to a lodge in the forest. Four days run to a rhythm set by the light: a canopy tower at dawn, parrot clay licks on the edge of Yasuní when the birds come, trails with guides from Kichwa communities, and a night canoe when caiman eyes glow in the torchlight. Wildlife is never guaranteed, but this forest is among the richest on the planet.

  3. Looking down into the Quilotoa crater to the lakeshore and a boat on the green water

    03Days 8–9 · Quilotoa

    An emerald lake in a crater floor

    A flight back to Quito and the road south along the Avenue of the Volcanoes, past Cotopaxi, to Quilotoa, a crater at nearly 3,900 m with a green-blue lake in its floor. The night is in a simple mountain guesthouse with a wood stove lit in the evening. In the morning, a trail along the crater rim or the path down to the water (the climb back is hard, though mules can help), and for the keen a walk of several hours through canyons and villages to Chugchilán.

  4. A waterfall dropping into a rocky gorge between green slopes near Baños

    04Days 10–12 · Baños & Quito

    The waterfall road and hot springs

    About three hours downhill to Baños, a spa town at the foot of Tungurahua volcano. Here it's worth hiring bikes and riding the Waterfall Route along the Pastaza gorge, stopping at the Pailón del Diablo, where a torrent roars through a narrow throat of rock. In the evening, hot springs and dinner in town. On the last day, the road back to Quito and, if time allows, sunset from El Panecillo before heading home.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Mindo's hummingbirds

    A dozen or more species at a single feeder: a whirl of colour and wings in the cloud forest.

  2. 02

    A night canoe

    A blackwater creek, a torch beam and the sounds of the forest on every side.

  3. 03

    Around the Quilotoa rim

    A trail around the crater with views of the emerald lake and distant volcanoes.

  4. 04

    The Devil's Cauldron

    A waterfall seen up close — close enough to get pleasantly soaked.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • With the Galápagos

    Add four to six days on the islands; our Andes and Galápagos journey shows how.

  • With children

    A lodge closer to Coca, shorter trails, a zipline in Mindo and more time in the pools of Baños.

  • More mountains

    A night in Cotopaxi National Park and the Otavalo market to the north.

  • More active

    The four-day Quilotoa Loop on foot between villages, and rafting on the Pastaza.

Practical considerations

  • Quito lies at around 2,850 m and Quilotoa at nearly 3,900 m. Altitude affects everyone differently, so it's worth speaking to a doctor or travel clinic before you travel; for the Amazon, too, ask a travel clinic well in advance.
  • Most Amazon lodges are reached by boat after a flight to Coca; luggage is often limited, and river levels depend on the season.
  • Mountain roads, especially towards Baños and along the Waterfall Route, can be affected by landslides in wet weather; we plan transfers in daylight with experienced drivers and check conditions before you travel.
  • Ecuador has no single clear season: the Andes are usually drier from about June to September, while in the cloud forest and the Amazon it can rain at any time, which is what keeps them so green.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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