We will have an early departure in a North-east direction until we reach the small village of Cumbayá in the outskirts of Quito.

We start our biking tour along the old railroad line which has been converted to a single track, exclusively for bikes.

Until 1975 the rail road from Quito to Ibarra was still in use. Unfortunately it’s been abandoned ever since then! Due to the effort of many institutions, among which we count the City government of Quito, few kilometers have been restored and provide a unique opportunity for bikers to ride along this trail!

From Cumbaya we bike 22 kilometers towards Puembo along the Chiche river basin. We’ll cycle through five tunnels, one of which is 322 meters long. The spectacular ride takes us speeding through the canyon of the river with the Andean sun illuminating the way. In Puembo we pile the bikes on the jeep’s roof and drive & bike in direction of Otavalo.

After exploring the colorful market in Otavalo, we head to the Crater Lake Cuicocha. The afternoon ride will lead us back to Peguche, through quaint villages and striking views of surrounding volcanoes. Night in Hotel.

(Lunch)

Often taking advantage of our support vehicle to take us on the uphill legs, we head eastwards towards the jungle and the hot springs town of Papallacta. Volcano Cayambe, and Antisana watch over our every move.

This is an excellent way to see a cross section of Ecuador’s ecosystems in just one day. As we travel, we are dwarfed by the striking Andes Mountains that surround us. If we are lucky and have a clear day, we can see all the snow capped volcanoes of the Eastern Cordillera (Cayambe, Cotopaxi, Antisana, Chimborazo).

You will pedal across the paramo – the Ecuadorian equivalent of the arctic tundra – and down through stunning cloud forest, The terrain for this leg of the journey is a combination of dirt and paved roads of scenic rolling hills.

Drive to the high pass “Paso de la Virgen” at 4200 meters (13300 ft). Stop to have a swim in the best hot springs of Ecuador. Papallacta has crystal clear water at ten different temperatures. If the day is clear, views of Antisana Volcano will dazzle you!
From here the descent begins by mountain bike all the way to Baeza, the Gateway to the Amazonian rainforest.

(Breakfast – Lunch)

Six hour ride through lush rainforest to Tena, in the Amazon basin. Night in Hotel

(Breakfast – Lunch)

A jungle hike accompanied that will give a good introduction of the Amazon Rainforest.

Visit a Preservation and Research center, that will teach us about the exotic species of flora and fauna found in the rainforest. We will learn how the locals use the plants to construct homes and rafts and make medicine to cure their illnesses. Night in Hotel

(Breakfast – Lunch)

Today we are back on our bikes beginning with a ride to Puyo. The scenery is striking with rolling hills of farmland and dense forest.

We stop for lunch midday and then bike to Baños through the famous “Avenue of Orchids. Here we can soak any sore muscles in the hot baths.  Night in hotel

(Breakfast – Lunch)

Free day in Baños, a chance to rest tired muscles in the hot springs, hike the surrounding hills, or relax in one of the town’s lovely cafes.
If you’re a “hard core” we will accompany you on bike rides that will take away your breath! Night in hotel

(Breakfast – Lunch)

Drive for just over an hour to Mount Chimborazo (6310m), the highest and most impressive of Ecuador’s volcanoes. We park at the lower refuge (4800 m) 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 we descend all the way to Ambato(2800m).

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 km ride through varying landscapes in just one day.

This trip is by far a favorite ride of previous customers. It is seldom for one to 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, Ambato, where we load up the bikes and drive to Latacunga by jeep.  Nicht in hotel.

(Breakfast – Lunch)

After a short drive on the Pan-American Highway we reach the park entrance of Cotopaxi National Park.

We drive through pine forest and soon reach the museum of the park. After visiting the museum and savoring a cup of ginger tea we continue the ascent in our 4-wheel drive vehicle until we reach the highest point of the tour, 4.500 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 protection pads and the bike adventure on the world’s highest active volcano begins. The first 8 km will take us down 700m on dirt roads through volcanic ash and páramo (Ecuadorian tundra) landscape.

At 3.800m you actually have to do some pedaling while we head down another 8 km between volcanic rocks and wild horses to our lunch spot by an Inca ruin at 3.700m. With some luck we might see a condor or a caracara. We put the bikes back on the jeep and head for the lake of Limpiopungo at 3.800m where we start the 16 km downhill biking on dirt roads. After another 2 km on a beautiful single track the bike adventure is over for this time.

We trade mountain bikes for our support vehicle and travel back to Quito along the “Avenue of the Volcanoes”.

(Breakfast – Lunch)