4 or 5-Day Tour Cuenca,Alausi,Baños,Quilotoa,Cotopaxi and Quito
Overview
Available languages
120 hours
Mobile ticket
On this spectacular four-day tour (optional an additional 5th day to visit Mindo Cloud Forest and the Middle of the World monument at the end), departing from Cuenca, you will have the opportunity to visit several of Ecuador's tourist attractions, a combination of nature and culture, an ideal tour for people who want to walk along paths with volcanoes, lagoons, waterfalls, colonial cities, archaeological sites, indigenous markets, etc.
We invite you to take this tour and Experience the authentic!
Check our tripadvisor photo gallery.
ONE WAY: CUENCA - ALAUSI-CHIMBORAZO - BAÑOS - QUILOTOA - COTOPAXI - QUITO (optional an additional 5th day with an extra charge, to visit Mindo Cloud Forest and the Middle of the World monument at the end is possible)
Additional Info
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
If you are staying in a place different than a hotel, the guide will pick you up from the nearest hotel to your address(please let us know the name of the hotel)
Passport name, number,date of birth, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants
We need your name's hotel or apartment address
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Cuenca -Ingapirca- Alausi Village - Riobamba
Accommodations
Overnight at Riobamba's hotel
Ingapirca Archaeological Complex
07:00am- After breakfast the tour guide will pick you up to travel 1:30 hours to the north to visit Ingapirca complex considered the most important and best preserved archaeological complex of Ecuador, here the tour guide will explain many things about the Cañari and Inca cultures.
Alausi
After Ingapirca you will travel to Alausi, there you will have a walking city tour around the village , the train station. During your trip from Cuenca you will enjoy beautiful Andean landscapes and some stops for phoptography specially from the Devils Nose mountain viewpoint.
Laguna de Colta
After this you will have time for lunch and then you will travel to Riobamba, on the road you´ll visit Balbanera Church (oldest church in Ecuador) and Colta Lagoon. You´ll stay overnight in an estate close to Riobamba.
Riobamba
After visiting Colta and Balbanera church you will travel 45 minutes more to reach Riobamba city to rest and stay overnight.
Riobamba - Chimborazo-Salasaca- Baños de Agua Santa
Accommodations
Overnight at Baños hotel
Banos
08:00am-After breakfast you will travel 1 hour to visit the highest snow capped mountain of Ecuador its name is Chimborazo, here you will have a nice hike from 4800masl to 5000masl. Of course if you prefer something easier you can do only part of the trail.
Salasaca Mercado Artesanal
After Chimborazo you will travel 2 hours to visit an small but nice and colorfull indigenous market of the Salasaca people. You will see many differente accesories made by hand. You will spend only 20 minutes in this market.
Banos de Agua Santa
Finally you will go to the charming city of Baños to enjoy the famous “Av. De las Cascadas”, after visiting the waterfall of Pailon del Diablo, you´ll ride on a cable car and enjoy the adrenalin that offers this place, then you will go until viewpoint called Casa del Arbol and optional you´ll take the “Swing at the end of the world”, then you will return to Baños to rest and use the facilities from the hotel or if you prefer you can take a massage (optional and extra charge). Overnight in Baños de Agua Santa
Baños - Pujilí - Tigua - Quilotoa
Accommodations
Overnight at Quilotoa's hotel
Pujili
After breakfast You´ll go to Pujili town, once there you'll visit their nice central park , then you´ll visit Tigua is a small community, most of the people here farm the mountain slopes and valleys, herding sheep and llamas and growing their crops, it´s a good option for you know the lifestyle of Andean communities.
Quilotoa
Finally, you will go to Quilotoa Lake, for many the most beautiful place in Ecuador, here you will walk to the bottom of the lake and for the return you can rent a horse to ascend. ($ 10 extra charge). However if you prefer something easier you can walk a part of the trail around the rim of the crater. Then You will travel to Latacunga to rest in your assigned hotel
Latacunga
After visiting Quilotoa you will travel 1:30 hours to Latacunga city to stay overnight.
Latacunga-Tanicuchi-Cotopaxi - Quito
Accommodations
Overnight at Quito's hotel
Tanicuchi
After breakfast you will visit a nice rose plantation to know how the local people works to export the roses to different parts of the world. According to the experts Ecuador has the nicests roses in the world.
Cotopaxi National Park
After your first stop you will visit the Cotopaxi National Park, you will walk around the Limpiopungo Lake and if the weather is clear you will have time to enjoy the scenery of one of the highest volcanoes of Ecuador and one of the most active in the world.
Quito
After visiting Cotopaxi and getting lunch you will travel 2 hours to Quito, and end of services.
Mindo Cloud Forest and Mitad del Mundo
Mindo
Only for people that choosed the 5 DAYS TOUR OPTION, Early in the morning you will travel 2 hours from Quito to Mindo to visit a butterfly farm also you will practice a bit of Birdwatching , you will see many species of hummingbirds and other species of birds. And also in this tour you will have an excellent chocolate tour, dont forget that Ecuador has the best cacao plants in the world.
Mitad Del Mundo
After visiting Mindo you will travel 1:30 hours back to Quito and you will have the chance to visit one of the most famous places in all Ecuador, La Mitad del Mundo , in this place you will be at the same time in the both hemispheres and also you will visit a very interesting museum about the original cultures of Ecuador.
Quito
Finally after this beautiful tour the tour guide will drop you of in your hotel in Quito or if you need he can drop you of in Quito´s airport.
What‘s Included
Breakfasts
One day courtesy lunch..!!
National Park fees
4 nights accommodation based on double occupancy
Pick up (hotels or apartments)
Driver/guide SUV (1 to 3 people) - Minivan (4 to 6 people) - Minibus (7 to...
Lunch-dinner
Personal expenses
Tips
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Options
Standard 4 days( shared Tour)
Standard (shared tour): Option with a nice tourist class hotels (shared tour)
(In this kind of tour is possible that more people join)
Pickup included
First Class 5-day tour
First Class hotels: 5 nights
SUV,VAN,MINIBUS: Professional Transportation
First Class: Excellent option in private service with better category of hotels, you can decide some details about this tour.
Pickup included
First class 4 days Tour
First class: Great tour with excellent hotels,and designed only for your group (private tour)
Pickup included
Tourist Superior
Special tour with standard hotels
(In this kind of tour is possible that more people join)
Pickup included
Tourist Superior 5-day Tour
Tourist Superior Hotels: 5 nights
SUV,VAN,MINIBUS: Professional Transportation
Tourist Superior: Good options of Hotels.
In this option more people can joined the tour.
Pickup included
Standard 5-day (shared Tour)
Standard Class hotels: 5 nights
SUV,VAN,MINIBUS: Professional Transportation
Standard (Shared Tour): Good economic option with the possiblity oy traveling with other people.
Guaranteed Departures.
Pickup included
Reviews
8 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Polylepsis (and Diego) are the real deal!!
markvade,,Mar 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Wow, wow, wow! Polylepsis Tours is the real deal! From start to end, our experience was amazing. Because of some other travel plans, we had to do it the other way around (from Cuenca to Quito), and Edison from Polylepsis helped us out and created a perfect itinerary. They were super flexible, which made our experience great. The tour itself was so awesome too. You definitely hit all of the highlights the Ecuadorian Andes has to offer. It’s a jampacked schedule, but every day and every early wake up call is worth it. We loved the Chimborazo and Cotopaxi the most. Chimborazo was surreal: 5.000 meters above sealevel!! And then the tour guide, Diego. From moment one, Diego was great! He was so knowledgable about Ecuadorian history, the indigenous legends, the local fauna and flora. We had a great time listening to Diego, either during the activity or the car ride. We learned a great deal, from Inca history and legends about the mountains we were seeing to what the plants are used for by locals and what birds/trees/animals we were seeing. Diego was also a good driver, we never felt unsafe despite the often times bad road conditions. We made a friend in Diego, and would highly recommend him! Altogether, we would highly recommend Polylepsis. As we said: they are the real deal!
Comfortable, safe and interesting way of travelling Ecuador
749katharinaj,,Nov 16, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It was the perfect way to travel from south to north Ecuador and getting to know many great places and learn a lot about Ecuadorian culture. We visited so many places (and Ecuadorian restaurants) we would have never seen without our guide Edison. We highly recommend Polylepsis tour to travel safe, comfortable and to see as much as possible of this great country.
Unforgettable tour in the Andes
marionar493,,Sep 9, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We recommend 100% this tour. Visiting Quilotoa and Cotopaxi has been impressive, accompanied by an extraordinary guide, Flavio, who has made our trip an unforgettable experience. We take a nice memory of Ecuador.
Best trip ever
Dara M,,Sep 9, 2021
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was the best trip ever, and I'm 72 years young and have some traveling under my belt, so that is saying something. We had a private driver plus my friend and I for 6 days, 5 nights. The guide, Eddie, made sure we could stop when we wanted, hang out when we wanted and he catered to our physical abilities. The swing at the end of the world, although fascinating, was just too scary for me. Not to mention the cable ride over a gorge. However, watching others was just as fascinating. We saw volcanoes along the way, the hotels were more than accommodating and one felt like we were overlooking the world. We even stopped in one town and I bought some mosaic tiles I had not seen in Cuenca. Although Cuenca is 8 hours from Quito, we were never in the car more than 1 1/2 hours at one time. Stopping for markets, volcano watching, food and some educational tours. I just can't say enough.
Tour of a lifetime with the most considerate and amazing guide.
janicej767,,Aug 21, 2021
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00An amazing experience of a life time. Eddie was an adventurer, historian, botanist, and biologist all rolled into one.
Five days of Beauty and History
sallieannb2021,,Jul 20, 2021
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Edison is a fantastic guide and driver. He's very knowledgeable about the Ecuadorian people and their rich history. He's accommodating and tries to please his guests. He has a great personality, which made the beautiful trip even more enjoyable. I'm excited to go on my next trip with Polyepsis, and hopefully with Edison.
4 Day Magic Tour
prosperob69,,Jan 3, 2020
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00An exceptional experience. A truly impressive and phenomenal journey. We have explored the best of Ecuador with Jorge Ferigra, an extraordinary guide who at all times assisted us and tried to offer us the best possible Service. We are very pleased with the quality of Service we receive from Polylepis. The assigned accommodations were all first on each occasion and in tune with the destination visited. The Personalization of Service was amazing. The sites visited stunning. We would gladly re-engage these services. A highly recommended tour and unsurpassed guide. Thanks to Polylepis and Jorge for making our stay in Ecuador the best of memories.
Great 4 day tour from south to north
Nicole S,,May 22, 2019
- Review from Viator
5.00This 4-day-tour is great for anyone who wants to go from Cuenca to Quito (and does not want to do it self-organized) and make the most out of it . Our guide Luis was absolutely great. He is from Ecuador and knows everything about the land, the people, vegetation and culture - and he is a very good and safe driver. We really enjoyed spending the 4 days with him and had a great time! You will be amazed about all the different "worlds" you will be seeing on this tour. From our point of view, you could leave out the city of Riobamba, but apart from that the accommodations, restaurants and sights were absolutely ingredible!
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Operated by Polylepis Tours