Ecuador's Amazon & Volcanoes — Self-Launched Edition

Fly into Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO). Skip the included private transfer and take an authorised airport taxi to the Mariscal or Centro Histórico area — roughly £10-12 for the 45-minute ride (agree the fare before getting in, or use the taxi desk inside arrivals). Check into a small hostel or guesthouse in La Mariscal for the cheapest beds, or a colonial guesthouse in the old town if you prefer atmosphere. Take it easy today: Quito sits at 2,850m, so drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol and walk slowly. In the evening, stroll Plaza Foch for a cheap set lunch-style dinner (almuerzo, £3-4) and stock up on cash — Ecuador uses US dollars and many small businesses are cash-only.

🚌Airport taxi ~£10-12 (shared shuttle ~£5)

🛏Hostel dorm or private room, La Mariscal or Centro Histórico (~£12-18)

• →Settle in and acclimatise
• →Evening wander around La Mariscal / Plaza Foch

Catch a bus from Quito's Terminal Carcelén to Otavalo — frequent departures, 2-2.5 hours, about £2-3. Otavalo's Plaza de Ponchos hosts one of South America's largest indigenous markets; go early-ish for the best browsing and be ready to haggle gently. If you're here on a Saturday, the animal market on the outskirts starts at dawn and is worth the early alarm. After the market, walk 15 minutes to the village of Peguche to see weavers at work — several family workshops offer short backstrap-loom demos and lessons for £6-10 (book a day ahead via your hostel or just turn up at a workshop signed on the main street). For a community lunch in the style of the tour's Kawsaymi visit, ask your guesthouse to arrange a homestay lunch in a nearby Kichwa community (~£8-10), or eat at one of the simple comedores around the plaza for £3. Overnight in Otavalo town or a rural hacienda-style guesthouse.

🚌Local bus Quito–Otavalo ~£2-3; local bus/taxi to Peguche ~£1

🛏Otavalo hostel or rural hacienda guesthouse (~£15-22)

• →Otavalo Plaza de Ponchos handicraft market
• →Peguche weaving workshop / backstrap loom demo
• →Optional community lunch (Kichwa home)
• →Optional: Saturday animal market

Long travel day but a beautiful one. Bus back to Quito (Carcelén terminal) and then onward to Papallacta — either a direct Quito–Papallacta bus (roughly 2 hours, ~£2) or a shared shuttle from Carcelén for ~£3-4. Papallacta village is tiny; stay in a budget guesthouse or cabaña near the village rather than the resort. The public thermal pools (Termas Papallacta's public section, ~£6-8 entry) give you the same mineral-rich soak and mountain views as the resort at a fraction of the cost — bring a towel, swimwear and flip-flops. If you want the fancier resort experience, day passes are available for around £20-25. Optional short hike on the Sendero La Isla trail above the village before or after your soak (~£0-2). Cold nights at 3,300m — pack a fleece.

🚌Bus/shuttle Otavalo–Quito–Papallacta ~£5-7 total

🛏Papallacta village guesthouse or cabaña (~£18-25)

• →Termas Papallacta public hot springs
• →Optional Sendero La Isla hike
• →Optional spa treatments at the resort

Head down into the Amazon lowlands. Buses from Papallacta/Baeza connect to Tena via the Quito–Tena route; expect about 4-5 hours and £5-8 — alternatively a shared shuttle from Quito (bookable via GetYourGuide or your hostel, ~£12-15) is faster and easier with luggage. On the way you'll pass through cloud forest; if you're travelling independently, the El Quetzal Protected Forest hummingbird reserve near Archidona is worth a taxi stop (~£8 return plus ~£5 entry), or you can simply enjoy the views from the bus. In Tena, most riverside eco-lodges on the Arajuno and Napo rivers arrange a motorised canoe pickup from Puerto Misahuallí or Tena — book your lodge directly (two nights, ~£20-30 per night full board in a dorm or simple cabin) and confirm pickup in advance. Most lodges include a naturalist guide and a night walk; if yours doesn't, guided night walks can be arranged locally for ~£10-15 per person. Misahuallí's town beach is famous for its resident capuchin monkeys — a free stop if time allows.

🚌Bus/shuttle Papallacta–Tena ~£6-12; canoe transfer often included by lodge

🛏Amazon jungle lodge, Arajuno/Napo river (~£22-30 incl. meals)

• →Scenic descent through cloud forest to the Oriente
• →Canoe transfer to jungle lodge
• →Guided night walk in the rainforest

An early canoe start (5:30-6am) to a saladero — a parrot clay lick — where flocks of parrots and parakeets gather at dawn. Ask your lodge to include this; if not, guides in Misahuallí run clay-lick excursions for ~£15-20 per person. Back for breakfast, then visit AmaZOOnico, the wildlife rescue centre on the Arajuno River reachable by canoe (~£8-10 entry, plus canoe transport). In the afternoon, arrange a visit to a local Kichwa family through your lodge or the Misahuallí community tourism office (~£10-15 including a homemade lunch) — the same kind of home experience the group tour includes, but booked directly and with the fee going straight to the family. Evenings are for hammock time and torch-lit wildlife spotting.

🚌Canoe and walking; canoe hire ~£3-5 per trip

🛏Amazon jungle lodge (~£22-30 incl. meals)

• →Dawn parrot clay lick excursion
• →AmaZOOnico animal rescue centre
• →Kichwa family home visit with lunch

Leave the jungle after breakfast: canoe back to Misahuallí or Tena, then take a bus toward Puyo (1.5 hours, ~£2) and onward to Baños (about 1.5-2 hours from Puyo, ~£2-3). Get off near the Jardín Botánico Las Orquídeas outside Puyo — a self-guided or locally guided walk (~£5-7 entry, guided tours ~£4 extra) through orchids, medicinal plants and secondary forest; ring ahead or check opening days. Arrive in Baños in the afternoon, check into a hostel (plenty of cheap options with volcano views, £8-15 for a dorm, £18-25 private). Spend the evening wandering the streets, trying melcocha (taffy) and soaking in the free-to-cheap municipal thermal pools (Termas de la Virgen, ~£2-3).

🚌Bus Tena–Puyo–Baños ~£4-5

🛏Baños hostel or guesthouse (~£10-20)

• →Jardín Botánico Las Orquídeas walk
• →Evening stroll and melcocha tasting in Baños
• →Termas de la Virgen hot pools

A full free day to build your own adventure. Most travellers hire a mountain bike (~£7-10/day) and ride the Ruta de las Cascadas past the Pailón del Diablo waterfall, or take the local bus along the same road for pennies if you'd rather not pedal. White-water rafting on the Pastaza or Patate rivers is ~£25-35 including transport and gear — book through any agency on Ambato or Montalvo street. Alternative options: canyoning (~£25), a hike up to the Mirador de la Virgen for volcano views (free), the Casa del Árbol swing (~£2), or a taxi up to the Tungurahua viewpoint (~£10 return). Round the day off at one of the thermal spa complexes (~£4-8). Evening: cheap set meals around the market for £3-4.

🚌Bike hire ~£7-10 or local bus ~£1 each way

🛏Baños hostel or guesthouse (~£10-20)

• →Ruta de las Cascadas by bike or bus
• →Pailón del Diablo waterfall
• →Optional whitewater rafting
• →Optional canyoning or Casa del Árbol swing

Travel back up the Avenue of the Volcanoes. Take a bus from Baños to Latacunga (1.5 hours, ~£2), then arrange a shared tour or taxi from Latacunga into Cotopaxi National Park — day tours from Latacunga or Quito run ~£35-50 including park entry (~£8) and a guide, and cover the Limpiopungo lagoon, the interpretation centre and a walk up to the refuge at 4,800m if conditions allow. If you'd rather DIY, buses to the park entrance exist but are slow and infrequent; a group day tour is the better value. Afterwards continue by bus to Quito (Latacunga–Quito ~1.5 hours, ~£2.50). Check back into a Quito hostel and treat yourself to a proper dinner — Ecuadorian ceviche or llapingachos for around £6-10.

🚌Bus Baños–Latacunga–Quito ~£5; shared park tour ~£35-50

🛏Quito hostel or guesthouse (~£12-20)

• →Cotopaxi National Park day tour
• →Limpiopungo lagoon and refuge walk
• →Wildlife spotting (condors, foxes, deer)

Check out and head to the airport by taxi (~£10-12) or the cheaper Aeropuerto bus from Río Coca (~£1.50). If your flight is later in the day, squeeze in a self-guided wander of the Centro Histórico — the Plaza Grande, the golden Compañía de Jesús church (~£3 entry) and the Basílica del Voto Nacional tower climb (~£2-3) — or book the Quito city tour and equator line excursion via GetYourGuide (~£35-45) if you have a full day. Remember: Quito's airport closes for runway maintenance on some 2026 dates, so check your flight times well in advance.

🚌Airport bus ~£1.50 or taxi ~£10-12

🛏—

• →Self-guided Centro Histórico walk
• →Optional Quito city tour & equator line (GetYourGuide ~£35-45)