Experience Quito Day Tour

1 Days

This tour has been carefully designed to create a unique experience in Ecuador's capital, Quito. The one-day tour is filled with activities in and around Quito, which can be customizable. You choose whether you want to start with an immersive walking tour through Quito’s historical centre or La Floresta's hipster neighbourhood. Then, whether you are a foody, culture curious, nature lover or are looking for a truly relaxing afternoon, choose from a variety of unique experiences that will match your desires.

Price	From 70 USD per person. The price will vary depending on the activity and number of people you are travelling with.
Private Trip	On this private trip, you’ll have our expert guide + transportation all to yourself and your travel party. Some activities have their own specialized guide on site. During those experiences, other travelers might also join your travel group, depending on the season.
Departure & Return	This trip starts and ends in Quito. Please contact us if your hotel is located in the valleys or the airport area as there might be a small extra fee.
Accomodation	No accommodation included. In case you would like us to include accommodation please send us an enquiry below to find out more on prices, promotions and the great hotel options that we have available.
Included	Activities as mentioned Equipment for activities Our expert local guides 24/7 support. Private transportation throughout the day
Excluded	Travel insurance Meals not mentioned

Enquire

Morning option 1: Quito's old town

Quito’s historic centre is the best preserved in Latin America. What really excites us is that contrasting to their South American counterparts, this piece of living history is not merely reserved for the local elites. Instead, the eclectic mix of indigenous people and mestizos live in and run their small businesses from the beautiful colonial-style houses. Our local expert takes us through the steep, little streets, submerging us in the country’s turbulent history. The mix of colonial and pre-Columbian influences comes together perfectly in one of our stops, the stunning San Francisco Monastery, blending together the extravagant golden interior with local mythology and indigenous art. And we’ll climb up to our preferred spot to appreciate the city from above: the towers of the Basilica. Taste exotic, and deliciously sweet fruits at the local produce market, and choose a mix of your favourite ones for freshly made juice. Some of our favourite combos are guanabana with naranjilla and mora berries with coconut. And in true Quiteño spirit, we’ll have our lunch served amongst the locals at the food market.

Morning option 2: La Floresta

La Floresta is a hipster neighbourhood avant la lettre, and not on the radar of most tourists. A collective of activist residents turned this area into a vivid neighbourhood and hot spot for passionate young creatives with big ambitions. Expect lots of aesthetic street art, coffee shops, and quirky little businesses. A Floresta local will introduce us to Quito’s young alternative scene, take us around the colourful streets, to our favourite art-house cinema, and for a refreshing juice. We’ll visit a resident artist and furniture maker, best known for his paintings’ social critique and characterful house (we can’t help ourselves but think about the moving stairs at Harry Potters’ Zweinstein when we’re there).

We will also visit a social entrepreneur success story whose chocolate bars have received important international awards, and of course, get to taste them. For lunch, we stay far away from the touristy restaurants and take you to one of the best local secrets, where the forward-thinking chef uses local ingredients with a modern touch.

Afternoon option 1: Relaxing at Papallacta volcanic hot springs

Ceci n’est pas your typical spa. These are Andean style hot springs, where all of the bathings happens outside, surrounded by lush green, mountain slopes, hummingbirds, and beautiful flowers. The volcanic activity of two nearby volcanoes, Cayambe and Antisana, naturally heat up the thermal waters. Legend has it the Incas knew about the thermal waters of Papallacta, and its healing properties. For us, it’s our go-to spot to escape the city (it’s just a 1.5-hour drive) for a few hours of relaxing, and bathing.

Meals included: Lunch

PRICE:

80 $ p.p. (6+ people)
100 $ p.p. (3-5 people)
130 $ p.p. (2 people)
230 $ p.p. (1 person)

Afternoon option 2: Teleferico - view from top of the mountains

A 20-minute cable car ride takes you from the hubbub of Quito town, up the slopes of the dormant Pichincha Volcano. Arriving at an altitude of 3,945m/12,943ft, it’s not just the altitude that is taking our breath away. It’s the 360° views of the Avenue of the Volcanoes, with its picture-perfect Cotopaxi, snow-capped Antisana, Ilinizas twin mountains, en even Ecuador’s highest mountain, the mighty Chimborazo. The contrast between the typical, muted green Andean landscape, valleys, patchwork of farmlands and the sprawling metropolis of Quito is unparalleled. We love breathing in the fresh mountain air on a short walk and having a warming drink at the local community’s little shack.

Meals included: Lunch

PRICE:
70 $ p.p. (6+ people)
80 $ p.p. (3-5 people)
100 $ p.p. (2 people)
170 $ p.p. (1 person)

Afternoon option 3 - Local cooking class

Bring your culinary curious self because our super friendly chef will guide us through a local market in the old town, talking fiercely about his passion: Ecuadorian culinary traditions. We’ll buy all of our ingredients for the cooking class from the neighbourhood market vendors. Our kitchen is the beautiful patio of a 100+ years old colonial house, and on the menu: three typical dishes that you can recreate at home. We’ll learn how to make the classic locro quiteño, an Andean potato soup, followed by a coastal encocado, fish or seafood in coconut sauce, and finally a chocolate soup.

Meals included: Lunch

PRICE:

95 $ p.p. (7+ people)
115 $ p.p. (5-6 people)
130 $ p.p. (3-4 people)
150 $ p.p. (2 people)
250 $ p.p. (1 person)

Afternoon option 4: Equator line, pre-Columbian culture & inhabited volcano

Latitude 00°00’00’’ is calling, and we’re answering. Just north of Quito, you can jump from the Northern to the Southern hemisphere and walk the true equator line. That is, if you can because the equator curiously affects your ability to walk a straight line. We’ll also do experiments with some of the other effects that solely occur on the exact equator line.

Then we’ll immerse ourselves in pre-Columbian, rural Ecuador, learning more about the spirited life of native peoples, construction of huts, and ancient rituals. And we’ll get to meet two native species: llamas and guinea pigs. In the land of the volcanoes, Ecuadorians constantly live with, and in a single, unusual case even inside of a volcano. Pululahua is one of only two inhabited calderas in the world. This extinct volcano erupted over 2,500 years ago, but some 40 families have settled in the fertile crater, growing staple Andean crops like quinoa and corn. We’ll drive up the sandy road to a panoramic viewpoint overlooking Pululahua’s cloud forest, fields, and dense vegetation of mosses, orchids and bromeliads.

Meals included: Lunch

PRICE: