Cuisine & Culture in the Ecuadorian Andes - 8 Days

Day 1: Arrive in Quito, Craft Beer Tour

Welcome to Quito! You'll arrive at the airport and meet your driver, who will transfer you to your hotel in the city center. This UNESCO World Heritage Site stands at an altitude of 9,350 feet (2,850 m) and welcomes visitors with its picturesque plazas between mountain peaks. After you get settled in, you'll set out in the afternoon for a craft beer tour. During the two hours, you'll dive into Quito's craft beer culture, learning about the city's history along the way. You'll sample various delicious beers during the excursion. Have dinner on your own before returning to the hotel to rest.

Day 2: Quito City Tour, Ecuadorian Cooking Class

This morning, you'll meet a local guide and set off to explore Quito's UNESCO-listed historic center, known for its density of important historic sites and well-preserved 17th-century colonial architecture. Start by visiting the Baroque La Compañía, a church with a gold-covered interior, and the neo-Gothic La Basílica del Voto Nacional. Take a walk down La Ronda, one of the oldest streets in the city that traces its roots to an Inca trail, and then head to the summit of El Panecillo for incredible panoramic views.

Following the tour, it's time to begin a fun cooking class with a local chef. This is your chance to learn about—and taste—Ecuador's traditional dishes, such as locro de papa (potato stew), bolon de verde (plantain dumplings), and encocado de pescado (fish in coconut sauce). You and the chef will take a trip to a market to buy the ingredients needed for each dish. Learn the culinary techniques for preparing these recipes, handed down over generations, as you learn the flavor profiles that define Ecuadorian cuisine. Savor the fruits of your labor at the end of the cooking process.

Day 3: Day Trip to Otavalo Market & Laguna de Cuicocha

Spend today enjoying a day trip out of Quito, waking up early for a two-hour transfer north to Otavalo. This city is home to Otavalo Market, one of South America's most important and traditional markets, where Indigenous artisans come to sell their goods. Munch on fritada con mote (fried pork with corn) and salted mango as you shop for textiles, hand-painted bowls, carvings, paintings, and more. Afterward, head to Cotacachi, a town nearby renowned for its leather products. Here, you can enjoy some free time and do some more shopping. 

Then, continue to the beautiful Laguna de Cuicocha at the foot of the Cotacachi volcano, formed by a massive eruption approximately 3,100 years ago. With your guide, follow the trail along the crater rim that leads to various viewpoints. If you're up for it, you can hike around the lake, which takes between four and five hours. Or, take a boat ride past the two islands formed by lava domes, then have lunch at the nearby restaurant and enjoy its panoramic views. This evening, your driver will take you back to Quito for the night.

Day 4: Pasochoa Volcano Trek, Empanada Workshop, Transfer to Cotopaxi

It's time to depart Quito. This morning, you'll set off for a day of hiking on a volcano about two hours south of the city. The Pasochoa volcano is a beautiful 13,770-foot (4,199 m) peak, surrounded by a humid cloud forest that provides habitat to over 100 bird species and 50 endemic plant species.

This hike is also one of the best places to see the famous and elusive Andean condor, and the climb to the top offers beautiful views of other surrounding volcanoes. It takes a few hours to ascend, and you can hike up to all three summits along a lovely trail that connects them. After descending back to the car, you'll travel southward and spend the night near the entrance to Cotopaxi National Park.

End the day with a culinary experience focusing on delicious Ecuadorian fried cheese empanadas. Prepare these savory pastries from scratch as you learn the proper techniques to fold the masa (dough). Of course, no Ecuadorian empanada is complete with a dash of ají (hot sauce), which you'll also learn to make. At the end of the class, snack on your creations and wash them down with a cup of delicious canelazo, a spiced hot drink from Ecuador's highlands.

Day 5: Explore Cotopaxi National Park, Transfer to Isinliví

After breakfast, meet your guide and enter the high-altitude Cotopaxi National Park. The park is most famous for its eponymous active volcano, whose 19,347-foot (5,897 m) symmetrical snowcapped peak is the second-highest summit in Ecuador (and one of the highest active volcanoes on Earth). Be sure to bring plenty of layers to prepare for a change in weather and altitude as you explore the park to see birds, wild horses, and a mix of Andean plants and wildlife amid rugged páramo scenery—and perhaps even an elusive Andean condor.

In the park, your guide will take you to Laguna Limpiopungo and point out some species native to the area, as well as the ancient El Salitre Inca ruins, located in the park's highlands. Then, trek to the 5,748-foot (4,800 m) Refugio Jose Rivas for the best Cotopaxi views of the day. You can also take a two-hour horseback riding trip through the park, a less strenuous option. In the afternoon, your driver will continue southwest to nearby Isinliví, where you'll spend the night in a cozy mountain lodge.

Day 6: Explore Isinliví: Cheese, Markets, Hiking & Horseback Riding

Today, you'll have a free day to explore the village of Isinliví at your own pace. Choose from countless activities in this picturesque small town and its high-altitude Andean surroundings. Take a short hike up the sacred Ñahuira, a subject of local myths and legends and a great spot to view the surrounding mountains. Opt for a longer hike through the Toachi Canyon through the small village of Itualo to reach a dramatic suspension bridge and cross to a plateau, where you'll find impressive canyon views.

Isinliví is also easily explored by horseback, and this is one of the best ways to see the surrounding mountains, canyons, and rivers. For views of Isinliví, the Río Toachi, and the canyon, ride up the pre-Columbian hilltop, Calvary, which the Inca once used as a lookout point. You can also hike a section of the Quilotoa Loop, one of South America's best multiday trekking routes. If you'd prefer to stay close to town, visit a market, tour a local cheese factory, or hang out in a hammock at your lodge.

Day 7: Transfer to Quito via Laguna Quilotoa & Traditional Andean Market

Today begins with a short, scenic drive through the heart of the Andes, where you'll visit the incredible Quilotoa, a 2-mile-wide (3 km) crater lake filled with 820 feet (250 m) of mineral-rich turquoise water. You can hike down into the crater on a trail that takes just under an hour. At the bottom is the opportunity to rent a kayak and paddle around the lake to see 360-degree views. Don't worry if you aren't looking forward to the climb back up—you can rent a mule to make the return journey less strenuous.

Alternatively, if you don't want to walk down to the lake and back, you can follow the path along the crater rim to reach various viewpoints without too much exertion. Either way, you'll sit and have lunch at the top before visiting a nearby market, either in Pujilí or Saquisilí, depending on the day, to browse locally-made crafts and paintings. You'll return to Quito in the afternoon for your final night in Ecuador.