July, 2024
10 Days - 9 Nights
This tour is all inclusive! From the moment you embark with us to the moment we say our goodbyes - we've got you covered. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ecological and cultural adventure of a lifetime!
What's Included
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All meals
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Drinkable water
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Hotels & lodging
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Domestic ground transportation
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Domestic flights + 1 checked bag
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Local guides
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Entrance fees
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Activity fees
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On site doctor for medical assistance
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Tips for appropriate staff & guides
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Credit card and processing fees
What's NOT included
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Alcoholic beverages
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Souvenirs
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Laundry service
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Extra baggage fees
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International airfare
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Traveler's insurance ("Cancel for Any Reason" plans are recommended)
Double Occupancy Standard: $2,750 per person
Single Accommodation Upgrade: $3,350 per person
Signups Close December 1st, 2023
The Itinerary
Day 0
June 30
Arrival in Quito
Individual pickup from the airport.
As long as you get to Quito before 5:00am July 1st you're good to go for the main tour.
Most flights direct from the states come in late at night.
Need something to do this day?
Feel free to send Nancy an Email and she can either set you up with something or personally guide you.
Day 1
July 1
Towering Agaves
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7:00 AM - Breakfast
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7:30 AM - Pickup from hotel
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8:30 AM - Arrival to Jerusalem Dry Forest
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12:30 PM - Lunch in the reserve
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3:30 PM - Return to Quito
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4:00 PM - Free time
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6:30 PM - Dinner
Welcome to your first full day in Ecuador! Today, we'll be headed out to the dry forest on the outskirts of Quito. Here dazzling millipedes, jumping sticks, cacti, bromelias and flame colored birds area all waiting for you!
Day 2
July 2
Majestic Mountains
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8:00 AM - Breakfast
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8:30 AM - Pickup from hotel
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9:00 PM - Cable car to Pichincha Volcano
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12:00 PM - Lunch on the mountain
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2:30 PM - Return down the mountain
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3:00 PM - Rumipamba Ecological Park
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5:30 PM - Dinner
We'll explore the volcanic paramo while overlooking the city of Quito! Enjoy a leisurely stroll while learning about the adaptations plants have to survive at this high altitude!
In the afternoon we'll visit the Rumipamba Archeological and Ecological park where we'll look into Ecuador's past, visit archeological dig sites, and learn about the plants people past and present use.
Day 3
July 3
July 2
We'll explore the volcanic paramo while overlooking the city of Quito! Enjoy a leisurely stroll while learning about the adaptations plants have to surivive at this high altitude!
In the afternoon we'll visit the Rumipamba Archeological and Ecological park where we'll look into Ecuador's past, visit archeological dig sites, and learn about the plants people past and present use.
Travel to the Amazon
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6:30 AM - Travel to Airport. (Boxed Breakfast)
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7:30 AM - Arrival to the Airport
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9:30 AM - Flight to Coca
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11:00 AM - Coca Food Market (Palm Weevils!)
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12:00 PM - Travel to Canoe Pickup (Boxed Lunch)
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2:00 PM - Canoe Ride to Waita Lodge
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5:00 PM - Arrival to Waita Lodge & Lodge Intro
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6:30 PM - Natural History Talk
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7:00 PM - Dinner
Leaving Quito, we'll fly to the small town of Coca where we'll try some palm weevil larvae as a snack! Then it's a boxed lunch and we make our way up the Aguarico and Cuyabeno rivers to our home away from home deep in the heart of the Amazon.
Day 4 - Day 6
July 4-6
The Amazon
Activities will be conducted depending on the current day's weather.
As it tends to rain in the Amazon at least once a day we will schedule the outdoor activities around the rain and around the times the animals tend to be most active.
Scheduled Activities
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Visiting clay licks to look for parrots
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Canoe Rides
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San Francisco River
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Cuyabeno River
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Floating Lagoons
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Paddle Boarding
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Night walks and Light Trapping
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Rainforest Hikes
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Learning about Medicinal Pants
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Turning cacao into chocolate
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Visiting the observation tower
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Fishing
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Variety of natural history talks
The Cuyabeno Reserve is bursting with flora and bustling with fauna. Dolphins dance around the canoe, monkeys howl from their perches, parrots lick clay from the river, frogs call the rains, caimans watch the lagoons, and insects rule the night.
Our home away from home
We'll be staying at WAITA LODGE - a community project deep in the heart of the Cuyabeno Reserve in Northern Ecuador. SciBugs has worked closely with the owners of Waita Lodge since 2019 to make memorable and customizable jungle tours. They work intimately with the neighboring Kichwa community without exploiting them. Waita shows off the community's knowledge and traditions in an authentic way that helps connect cultures through time and space.
Day 7
July 7
Leaving the Amazon
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6:00 AM - Bird Watching activity
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8:00 AM - Breakfast
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9:00 AM - Waita activities
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11:30 PM - Lunch
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12:00 PM - Canoe ride to pickup point
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3:00 PM - Transport to Coca
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6:00 PM - Dinner at Auca Hotel
Our last day in the Amazon before we have to say goodbye! We'll start off with one final morning activity before making our way to Coca where we'll spend the night at Auca hotel. Auca has a beautiful garden and frequently rescues wildlife. Look out for the tortoises and agutis hanging out on the grounds.
Day 8
July 8
Expansive Landscapes
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7:00 AM - Breakfast
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8:00 AM - Travel to Coca Airport
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10:30 PM - Flight to Quito
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12:00 PM - Travel to Papallacta Hot springs
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1:00 PM - Lunch on the road
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2:00 PM - Nature journaling / Nature walk
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4:00 PM - Free Time
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6:00 PM - Dinner
Massages and other spa treatments can be scheduled for an additional cost.
Papallacta is a beautiful area right in the transition between the high paramo and the cloud forest. An interesting mixture of insects, plants, and birds can be found here!
The hot springs are heated by the neighboring Antisana Volcano. Relax away in the bubbling paradise to escape the chilly nights.
Day 9
July 8
July 9
Misty Mountains
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7:00 AM - Travel to Guango
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8:00 AM - Breakfast
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9:30 PM - Nature Journaling / Nature Hike
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1:00 PM - Lunch
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2:30 PM - Nature Journaling / Nature Hike
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4:00 PM - Free Time
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6:00 PM - Dinner
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7:30 PM - Return to Papallacta
High in the Andean mountains, cloud forests bespeckle the land and are the best place to see a variety of hummingbirds!
Papallacta is a beautiful area right in the transition between the high paramo and the cloud forest. An interesting mixture of insects, plants, and birds can be found here!
The hot springs are heated by the neighboring Antisana Volcano. Relax away in the bubbling paradise to escape the chilly nights.
Day 10
July 10
Farewells
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8:00 AM - Breakfast
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1:00 PM - Checkout
This last day will be flexible depending on when people's flights are. Official checkout is 1 PM but many flights leave late at night. If that's you - don't worry, we'll have you covered =) We have some ideas up our sleeves if this applies to the majority of the group. There's plenty of things to see and draw in the beautiful country!
Day 2
July 2
Day 2
July 2
Majestic Mountains
Majestic Mountains
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8:00 AM - Breakfast
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8:30 AM - Pickup from Kitu Hotel
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9:00 PM - Cable Car to Pichincha Volcano
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12:00 PM - Lunch on the mountain
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2:30 PM - Return down the mountain
-
3:00 PM - Rumipamba Ecological Park
-
5:30 PM - Dinner
We'll explore the volcanic paramo while overlooking the city of Quito! Enjoy a leisurely stroll while learning about the adaptations plants have to surivive at this high altitude!
We'll explore the volcanic paramo while overlooking the city of Quito! Enjoy a leisurely stroll while learning about the adaptations plants have to surivive at this high altitude!
In the afternoon we'll visit the Rumipamba Archeological and Ecological park where we'll look into Ecuador's past, visit archeological dig sites, and learn about the plants people past and present use.
-
8:00 AM - Breakfast
-
8:30 AM - Pickup from Kitu Hotel
-
9:00 PM - Cable Car to Pichincha Volcano
-
12:00 PM - Lunch on the mountain
-
2:30 PM - Return down the mountain
-
3:00 PM - Rumipamba Ecological Park
-
5:30 PM - Dinner
In the afternoon we'll visit the Rumipamba Archeological and Ecological park where we'll look into Ecuador's past, visit archeological dig sites, and learn about the plants people past and present use.
