Luxury Trip Through Ecuador's Culture & Gastronomy: Quito & the Amazon - 7 Days

Highlights

• See colonial Quito in style and learn to cook Ecuador's classic dishes
• Immerse yourself in Kichwa culture on trips to Imabura and the Amazon
• Participate in native community workshops and a shamen-led purification ritual

Brief Itinerary

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Quito, Ecuadorian Cooking Class

Welcome to Ecuador! Get ready to dive headfirst into this South American nation's rich heritage on a cultural tour. It begins with your arrival in Quito, the nation's capital and epicenter of it's most prominent history. You'll see it in style, as a personal driver will meet you at the terminal and whisk you off to your luxury hotel in the city.

The 4-star Hotel Mama Cuchara is located in Quito's UNESCO-listed Old Town, one of the best-preserved Spanish-colonial centers in the Americas. This stylish boutique hotel is itself situated in an elegant colonial home and features just a handful of lux rooms, each impeccably outfitted with plush beds and baths with walk-in rainfall showers. After settling in, relax in the courtyard or head up to the rooftop bar to sip a smart cocktail amid views of Quito's surrounding hills and the city's twinkling lights. Or grab a bite at La Plaza, the hotel's gourmet restaurant serving traditional Ecuadorian fare.

However, you'll want to save your appetite because soon after arriving, you'll transfer to a nearby kitchen for a half-day cooking workshop. Under the tutelage of expert chefs, you'll don an apron and learn to prepare classic Ecuadorian dishes, like savory empanadas and tangy ceviche. Learn the culinary techniques for preparing these recipes, which have been handed down over the generations, as you learn the flavor profiles that define Ecuadorian cuisine. At the end of the cooking process, savor the fruits of your labor by sitting down to enjoy a freshly cooked meal.

Day 2: Quito Old Town Tour, Musesums & Chocolate

Rise and shine! After breakfast, you'll meet a local guide and walk through Quito's colonial center to see firsthand why it's listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Admire the intricate stone carvings of Iglesia La Compañía and wander the 16th-century Iglesia San Francisco cloisters. Wrap up the historical center leg of your tour with a walk down La Ronda, once a pre-Columbian walking trail, now a romantic pedestrian street full of cafés, live music venues, and eclectic shops.

After all that walking around, you'll take a break at El Panecillo, one of the city's most prominent hills, capped with the iconic Virgin of El Panecillo statue. Here, enjoy lunch at a traditional restaurant—try the cuy (roast guinea pig); it's a local favorite. Later, you'll visit the former house and museum of Oswaldo Guayasamín, Ecuador's most famous artist. Nicknamed the "Painter of Ibero-America," Guayasamín was of Indigenous heritage and became famous for his Cubist-styled depictions of Latin American people. You'll see a vast collection of his works, including religious art.

In a tasty change of pace, the Guayasamín Foundation has teamed up with a local chocolatier to create a combined art and chocolate experience. So, after admiring the works of one of South America's masters, a guide will lead you on a tasting journey of Ecuadorian dark chocolates. Akin to a wine tasting, you'll sample raw and roasted cacao (cocoa) beans and different chocolates as you learn about the production methods, from fermentation to barrel-aging and more. It's a great primer for the dinner you'll enjoy later, which involves a farm-to-table meal served at Foresta, one of Quito's top restaurants. 

Day 3: Day Trip to Imbabura & Cultural Exchange

You've marveled at architectural landmarks and enjoyed some delectable cuisine—now it's time to discover Ecuador's rich cultural heritage. This morning, meet your guide/driver and leave on a day trip to Imbabura. This province is located about 2.5 hours north of Quito and is famous for its Indigenous heritage and scenic landscapes, which include its namesake volcano. During the drive, you'll enjoy plenty of spectacular highland scenery, like the snowcapped crown of the Cayambe volcano. There will also be stops along the way to enjoy roadside snacks like local pastries and farm-fresh cheeses.

Your ultimate destination is near the town of Cotacachi, where you'll visit a local Angla community, an Indigenous, Kichwa-speaking people native to this region of Ecuador. Over the centuries, the Angla have maintained rich cultural traditions, from handmade clothing and annual festivals to traditional music and dance. Upon arrival, you'll be warmly welcomed into the house of an Angla family and sit down to a home-cooked lunch. Get to know your hosts over the meal, after which you'll take a driver to a nearby waterfall.

Then, visit a family-run shop selling artisanal items like handicrafts and textiles made from alpaca wool. Watch as the owners demonstrate the artistry of time-honored weaving techniques on a traditional pedal loom. Afterward, you'll return to Quito and enjoy dinner at a historic hacienda.

Day 4: Transfer to Ahuano & the Amazon, Cacao Community Project

Meet your driver early for the five-hour transfer southeast of Quito, watching as the páramo (high Andean landscapes) give way to the rainforest. Eventually, you'll arrive in the town of Ahuano and La Casa del Suizo jungle lodge, your home for the next couple of nights. Welcome to the Amazon basin! Like the town itself, the resort-style Casa del Suizo sits on the Río Napo and offers prime amenities like spacious rooms with private terraces, a vast tropical pool, and a fine restaurant serving international and Ecuadorian fare with ingredients sourced fresh from the surrounding forest.

After dropping off your bags, you'll visit nearby Santa Rita, a local Kichwa community famous for its cacao production. In a savvy ecotourism initiative, the residents have begun offering tours where you can learn the whole process of creating some of the finest chocolate in the world, from bean to bar. Besides chocolate tastings, the tour offers a fascinating overview of agroforestry and the family farming systems that have existed for centuries. The visit ends with a traditional Amazonian lunch prepared by the Santa Rita community.

Later, you'll take a short boat ride down the river to visit a Kichwa family who, among other things, are known for producing chicha. One of the oldest spirits in South America, chicha, was innovated by Indigenous communities in the Amazon region and is typically fermented with corn or other grains. It's a potent potation, which you'll quickly discover during a tasting. Afterward, the family will show you some handmade crafts, like a traditional Amazon blowgun, before you return to the lodge in time for dinner.

Day 5: Amazon Purification Ritual

The traditions of the Amazon region date back to the first Indigenous people to have ever existed here. Many such tribes have retained this cultural heritage and still practice their ancient rituals. Today, you'll immerse yourself fully in this culture as you meet a local shaman for a purification ritual.

First, though, you'll spend the morning on a 1.5-hour guided nature hike. As you walk under the rainforest canopy, your expert guide will point out the area's exotic flora and fauna, including orchids, ceiba trees, medicinal plants, monkeys, sloths, tree frogs, and more. The route will take you through trickling streams and up hills to scenic viewpoints, where you can snap photos of the incredible vastness of the Amazon rainforest. At the end of the hike, hop on a traditional balsa-wood raft for a 30-minute ride downstream back to the lodge.

After lunch at La Casa del Suizo, you'll spend the next two hours on a different kind of journey as you participate in a traditional purification ritual. It takes place at an Indigenous cultural center, where a local shaman will immerse you in the ancient ritual of cleansing, the result of which is a profound connection to the land and people as you release and renew your energy. Later, you'll enjoy another nature hike then return to the lodge in time for a farewell dinner at the lodge.

Day 6: Transfer to Quito, Cave Lunch & Dinner at Zazu

Say goodbye to the Amazon as you leave early on the return drive to Quito. When you reach the outskirts of the city, you'll break for lunch at a remarkable boutique lodge whose rooms are built right into a network of caves. After a gourmet meal amid this sculpted earthen wonderland, you'll continue into Quito. There, you'll check back into Hotel Mama Cucha and have time to relax and explore the city.

In the evening, enjoy your final dinner in Ecuador at Zazu. This fine-dining restaurant's tasting menus are a captivating culinary journey that fuses artistry with flavor, blending locally sourced ingredients with global influences to create a symphony of flavors that dance on your palate. Dishes might include seared duck breast with Andean grains, octopus carpaccio, and a modern twist on classic Ecuadorian ceviche. Tempting desserts include South American sweets, like passion fruit cheesecake.

Day 7: Day Trip to Papallacta Hot Springs, Depart Ecuador

Pack as much adventure into the final hours of this itinerary as you can with a morning transfer 1.5 hours southeast of Quito to the famous Papallacta hot springs, where you'll soak in volcanic waters. Situated at 12,100 feet (3,700 m) in an evergreen páramo landscape, this area is renowned for its healing waters. If the weather is clear, you'll spot the giant Artisana volcano looming above.

You'll also spend time at the Termas de Papallacta Resort and Spa, which offers nine warm and three cold pools at various temperatures, plus an on-site spa with multiple health and beauty treatments, including hydromassage, a Turkish steam bath, and a mud wrap. It's also a great spot to have lunch with local dishes such as fresh-grilled trout. When the time comes, you'll get back on the road and return to Quito and the airport, where you'll catch your flight home. Adiós!

More Great Ecuador Itineraries

Looking for more inspiration for your trip to Ecuador? Check out these other Ecuador itineraries, explore other ways to spend a week in Ecuador, or discover the best time to visit Ecuador.