AVENUE OF THE VOLCANOES & DEVIL’S NOSE TRAIN
6 days / 5 nigths
Prepare yourself for an amazing ride on the most exciting train route in the mountains and admire beautiful landscapes and volcanoes on your way.
Day 1: Arrival at Quito International Airport – Hotel
- Transfer from airport to the hotel.
Day 2: Quito – Guayllabamba Zoo – Middle of the World
- After breakfast, the whole family will enjoy a wonderful experience: the Quito Zoo. This zoo is located in Guayllabamba near Quito. The zoo is home to over 130 animals, rescued or donated, that have been taken from harmful living conditions. The Quito Zoo was created as a place of conservation, research and education.
- Then we continue the tour driving to the north of the city to visit the Equatorial monument “Mitad del Mundo” (Middle of the World), situated at 0o0’0” latitude where the French Geodesic Expedition according to planet calculations, designated the center of the world. Visit the Intiñán Museum. After this visit, we will have lunch and will go back to the hotel. Free afternoon to relax.
Meals included: lunch
Day 3: Quito – Avenue of the Volcanoes – Quilotoa Lagoon - Riobamba
- Early in the morning, after breakfast, we depart south from Quito, driving through the “Avenue of the Volcanoes”. During the trip, you can admire the views of the valley of Machachi and the mountains including the Cotopaxi snow-capped volcano (5.897m), which is the highest active volcano in the world. The reserve is one of the 50 protected areas in Ecuador with a lot of flora and fauna. We make a stop at the bottom of the Cotopaxi volcano at the Cotopaxi National Park to admire its beauty and its lagoon. Then we will continue our trip to the Quilotoa Lagoon. This lagoon is one of the 15 lagoons of volcanic origin considered among the most beautiful in the world. The lagoon is located inside the crater of the volcano, and because of the minerals, the waters are blue and green. It is an amazing experience at 4,000 meters above sea level.
- After a short excursion, we will have a delicious lunch and then we will continue our trip to Riobamba, also known as the “Sultan of the Andes”, which is surrounded by four active volcanoes. Dinner and accommodation.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4: Riobamba – Alausí - Devil’s Nose Train - Riobamba
- After breakfast, we drive to the Alausí Station to catch the train that will get us to an amazing experience. The journey through characteristic Andean landscapes and fascinating natural geological formations begins the descent down the famous “Devil’s Nose” route. Here the train goes down in zigzag 200 meters in 3 kilometers. A short break at a viewpoint, will let us appreciate the magnificence of this engineering work that nowadays is known as the most difficult railway project in the world. The tour includes entrance and guided tour of the Puñuna Condor Museum. After this exciting ride, we will have lunch and drive back to Riobamba. Dinner and accommodation.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 5: Riobamba – Quito
- After breakfast, we begin the trip back to Quito, making a little stop for lunch. Arrive at hotel in Quito. Accommodation.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Day 6: Hotel – International Airport of Quito
Transfer to the airport for international flight. End of services.
