Ecuador Self-Launched: Andes Markets, Amazon Jungle & Volcano Country

Land at Mariscal Sucre airport (note: 2026 runway maintenance closures on selected dates — check your airline) and take an airport taxi or the Aeroservicios bus into the city (~£3-7 vs. the tour's included transfer). Base yourself in the historic centre or La Mariscal. Spend the afternoon acclimatising gently at 2,850m — stroll Plaza Grande, the Basilica and Calle La Ronda. Eat light and sleep early; altitude is real.

🚌Airport taxi ~£6-7 or Aeroservicios bus ~£3

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Quito Old Town / La Mariscal (private double ~£15-22, dorm ~£8-12)

• →Old Town walking orientation (Basilica, Plaza Grande, La Ronda)
• →Altitude acclimatisation

Take a bus from Quito's Terminal Carcelén to Otavalo (~2.5 hrs, £2-3). Stop off at Peguche village on the way (local taxi/shared pickup ~£2) for a cheap set lunch and a look at the waterfall. Afternoon at Otavalo's Plaza de Ponchos — South America's biggest indigenous market — where bargaining is expected and fair. Aim to be here for the Saturday market if you can time it.

🚌Public bus Quito-Otavalo ~£3; local taxi to Peguche ~£2

🛏Family-run guesthouse or rural hacienda near Otavalo (~£15-25 private)

• →Peguche village stop and waterfall
• →Otavalo Plaza de Ponchos market
• →Optional: Quichua weaving demo in Peguche

Morning visit to a traditional weaving home-studio in the Otavalo area (many families welcome visitors for a small fee or a purchase — ask your guesthouse to arrange, ~£5-10). Then head back south and east: bus Otavalo to Quito Carcelén (~£3) and onward bus to Papallacta (~1.5 hrs, £2). Check into a simple hostal near the Termas de Papallacta and soak in the public thermal pools (entry ~£8-10) surrounded by cloud forest.

🚌Bus Otavalo-Quito ~£3, Quito-Papallacta ~£2

🛏Hostal in Papallacta village (~£15-20); the resort itself is much pricier

• →Traditional weaving demonstration
• →Papallacta thermal hot springs

Early bus down the eastern slopes to Tena (~3.5-4 hrs via Baeza, £4-5) — a spectacular descent into the Oriente. En route, arrange a stop at Guango Lodge for hummingbird feeders and cloud-forest trails (entry ~£4-6; reachable by asking the bus driver to drop you at the lodge gate and flagging a later bus). From Tena take a local taxi to Misahuallí (~£3) to see the riverfront capuchin monkeys, then arrange a motorised canoe transfer up the Arajuno to a budget jungle lodge (many lodges include transfer + meals in their nightly rate, ~£35-50 per person). Evening night walk with a lodge naturalist.

🚌Bus Papallacta-Tena ~£5; taxi to Misahuallí ~£3; canoe transfer included with lodge

🛏Budget Amazon lodge on the Arajuno River, full board (~£35-50 pp/night)

• →Guango Lodge cloud forest and hummingbirds
• →Misahuallí capuchin monkeys
• →Canoe transfer to jungle lodge
• →Night walk with naturalist guide

Pre-dawn canoe to a saladero (parrot clay lick) with the lodge guide — one of the trip's best wildlife moments. Breakfast back at the lodge, then visit a small local animal rescue centre (entry ~£3-5). Afternoon at an Amazonian family's home to learn about cacao, chicha, blowpipes and jungle plants, with a home-cooked lunch included. Most of today's food is covered by the lodge's full-board rate.

🚌Canoe and lodge vehicle with guide

🛏Budget Amazon lodge, second night (~£35-50 pp/night full board)

• →Parrot clay lick by canoe
• →Animal rescue centre visit
• →Amazonian family visit and home-cooked lunch

Say goodbye to the jungle and canoe back to Misahuallí, then bus to Baños via Puyo (~4-5 hrs total, £6-8). Break the journey at the Omaere Ethnobotanical Park just outside Puyo for a guided walk with a Shuar/Waorani guide (~£3-5). Arrive in Baños de Agua Santa — a friendly backpacker town under the active Tungurahua volcano — and settle into a hostel.

🚌Canoe + taxi to Misahuallí ~£5; bus Misahuallí/Puyo-Baños ~£7

🛏Hostel in Baños (private ~£12-18, dorm ~£6-9)

• →Omaere Ethnobotanical Park guided walk
• →Baños town and thermal springs (entry ~£3)

Pick your own adventure: whitewater rafting on the Pastaza (~£25-30), canyoning (~£25-30), the Ruta de las Cascadas by rented mountain bike (~£8), ziplining (~£18), horse riding (~£20) or the free hike up to the Virgen viewpoint over town. Book directly with operators in town the day before — no need for a middleman.

🚌Walking / bike rental

🛏Hostel in Baños

• →Whitewater rafting or canyoning
• →Ruta de las Cascadas mountain bike ride
• →Hot springs and Virgen viewpoint hike

Bus Baños to Latacunga (~2.5 hrs, £3), then a shared tour or collectivo up to Cotopaxi National Park (~£20-30 including park entry) for a hike to the José Ribas refuge at 4,800m and views of the 5,897m peak. Alternatively take the daily public bus toward the park gate and hitch/tour from there. In the late afternoon continue by bus from Latacunga to Quito (~2 hrs, £3).

🚌Bus Baños-Latacunga ~£3; shared Cotopaxi tour ~£20-25; bus Latacunga-Quito ~£3

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Quito (~£12-20)

• →Cotopaxi National Park hike to refuge
• →Limpiopungo lagoon and wildlife spotting

Last morning for a coffee in the Old Town or the Intiñan equator monument if time allows, then taxi or bus to the airport for departure. Check 2026 runway closure dates before booking flights.

🚌Airport taxi ~£6-7 or bus ~£3

🛏—

• →Free morning in Quito
• →Departure