Rafting
Quijos River (1 day)
Ready to rumble? Today we’ll take you on a full-day whitewater rafting trip on the Quijos river, near to Quito. It’s a Grade III/IV trip, which means there’s plenty of thrills (and no doubt spills!) but you don’t need to have had any prior experience. You’ll return to Quito in the evening - possibly a little damp but definitely happy!
Toachi River (1 day)
We will leave Quito early this morning as we travel down through the cloud forest on the western slopes of the Andes towards our start point on the Rio Toachi. This river offers delightful contrasts between the slow sections as we drift through tropical rainforest, and the fast-flowing mountain sections which give us all the thrills and spills we want.
Mountain-biking
Guagua Pichincha (1 day)
After breakfast this morning, we will pick you up from the hotel and drive west out of Quito towards the still-active Guagua Pichincha volcano. We will trek up to the very lip of the volcano to peer down into the smouldering crater below, and to be rewarded with spectacular views back over Quito to the east and the mountains to the west, north and south. From here, we will mount our bikes and race downwards to the village of Lloa on an abandoned dirt road. At Lloa we head west into the cloud forest before stopping for lunch. After riding on a little further we will rejoin our vehicle and return to Quito in the late afternoon.
Cotopaxi Downhill (1 day)
We will leave Quito early this morning and head south into the stunning Cotopaxi National Park. Driving through the park, we will climb the slopes of Cotopaxi itself in our 4x4, until we reach our starting point at 4,500m. Our view from here is incredible, and on a clear day you can see a further 8 volcanoes! We will set off on our downhill adventure, as we head down dirt tracks for 8km, passing through a volcanic cinder landscape. You then have to do a small amount of pedalling through a mixture of downhill and fairly level terrain as we head to our lunch spot, at a natural viewpoint offering some more stunning views. From here we will put the bikes back on the jeep and drive the short distance to the beautiful Limpiopungo lake, where we have a further 16km along dirt tracks through the cool pine forest. After this it’s time to get back on board the jeep for the return journey to Quito.
Horse Riding
Pululahua (1 day)
This morning we will set out from Quito to the Green Horse Ranch, inside the Pululahua National Reserve, where we will meet our horses for today. From the ranch we will set out for a ride through this huge ancient volcanic crater, with its amazing scenery and rich wildlife. We will ride for about 4 hours before stopping at a panoramic viewpoint for lunch, from where we can appreciate a stunning view of several of Ecuador's highest mountains. From here we will head back by a different route to the ranch, and then back to Quito.
Trekking
Trekking in Ecuador
We have a huge range of treks in Ecuador, so please see our Trekking in Ecuador page for full details.