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Best of Ecuador 8-Day tour

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Overview

Available languages

English
Spanish

192 hours

Mobile ticket

Embark on an indelible adventure through Ecuador with our 8-day experience. Discover the vibrant culture and natural beauty of this South American gem. You will visit the UNESCO cities of Quito and Cuenca and immerse yourself in the rich history, culture, and architecture. Next, explore the stunning volcanoes, including Chimborazo and Cotopaxi, and the hot springs in Baños. Get ready to be awed by the spectacular waterfalls, such as Pailon del Diablo. Explore the breathtaking Quilotoa crater lake, and take a day trip to the Amazon rainforest for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Conclude your journey with a visit to Cajas National Park, a stunning natural reserve with diverse landscapes and wildlife. Book now to experience the best of Ecuador on our ideal tour!

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Public transportation options are available nearby

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

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Vegetarian/Vegan/Gluten Free/Lactose Free options are available, please advise at time of booking if required

Infant meals not included

For 1 to 5 passengers, a bilingual guide will also be the driver. For more than 5 passengers, a driver and a bilingual guide will be provided.

We reserve the right to cancel the tour if the tour does not have a minimum of participants.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

Day 1

Quito city tour + Equator line

Accommodations

Overnight in Quito

Food and Drinks

LUNCH

Lunch

1

Quito

Join us on a journey to explore the rich history and architecture of Quito, the world's highest capital and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Discover the iconic basilica in gothic style, La Compañía church, a masterpiece of Spanish baroque, and the stunning Plaza Grande surrounded by magnificent buildings such as the Carondelet Palace, Cathedral, Archbishop's Palace, and Municipal Palace. This tour is a must for anyone interested in exploring the cultural heritage of this historic city.

7 hours • Admission Not Applicable
Day 2

Otavalo Indigenous Market

Accommodations

Overnight in Quito

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

1

Otavalo

Discover the vibrant culture and rich heritage of Otavalo, one of South America's most famous indigenous towns. Explore the colorful handicraft market and browse the traditional wares. Take a step off the beaten path and visit a fascinating weaving workshop, where you can learn about the local artisans and their techniques. Enjoy a delicious lunch at a local restaurant and have the opportunity to meet an indigenous family who make and play traditional musical instruments. This is a unique and immersive experience that will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of the culture and traditions of the area.

8 hours • Admission Not Applicable
Day 3

Cotopaxi National Park

Accommodations

Overnight in Cotopaxi area

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

1

Cotopaxi National Park

Cotopaxi Volcano is 5,897 meters high, it's the second-highest peak in the country and elegantly adorns the Cordillera Real of the Ecuadorian Andes. We will enter the Cotopaxi National Park for a close encounter with the Paramo biodiversity and an ecological explanation of its importance. After a short hike, let the adventure begin! We will continue to the parking lot (4500 m. above sea level) in order to ascend the first refuge of the volcano (4810 m.a.s.l). You can rest and eat some hot soup at the refuge and/or continue the ascent to the Glaciers (depending on weather conditions).

8 hours • Admission Included
Day 4

Quilotoa Crater Lake

Accommodations

Overnight in Baños

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

1

Laguna Quilotoa

We’ll travel south through the famous "Avenue of the Volcanos" to Quilotoa. On the drive, we'll have the opportunity to enjoy the spectacular views of the Andes, Quilotoa lake, and the colorful landscape of the moors that surround it. Upon arrival, you can descend to the edge of the crater lake and return on horseback, or simply take a walk around the rim. In order to get closer to local communities, a visit to a local indigenous market will be arranged depending on the weekday. Please contact us for more details about market days.

8 hours • Admission Included
Day 5

Baños en the Waterfalls

Accommodations

Overnight in Riobamba

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

1

Banos

After a one and a half hour drive from Baños, we will take a short hike to visit the "Treehouse", here is where the National Geographic photo contest winner picture of 2014 was taken. This is a place with great views of the valley, beautiful gardens where you can spot hummingbirds, and of course the swing that made this place famous. Then we will continue our drive for about 45 minutes, making several stops along the waterfall route to enjoy the beautiful scenery, before reaching the “Pailon del Diablo waterfall”. After a two-kilometer hike, we will reach this magical place, one of the top ten largest waterfalls found in Ecuador. We will also visit "El Manto de la Novia waterfall", for those adventurous it is possible to take the cable car across the valley or do the zip-line activity.

8 hours • Admission Not Applicable
Day 6

Devil's Nose Hike - Ingapirca - Cuenca

Accommodations

Overnight in Cuenca

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

1

Ingapirca

We will first visit a little community called Pistishi. Here we will hike on a trail that leads us to the best viewpoint of the Devil's Nose mountain. Unfortunately, the train is not operating at the moment. However, our tour guide will explain the magnificent engineering that was involved in the project and you will get to enjoy the same views. For those who like biking, we offer a nice activity on dirt roads with very little traffic down to Sibambe train station. We will also visit a local family farm to learn about the local crops, traditions, and culture. Then we will continue to Ingapirca, it’s the largest Incan ruins in Ecuador which encapsulates the sophisticated Inca design, architecture, and engineering. You’ll discover how the Incas merged their own community with the Cañaris, native indigenous. Then, we will drive to Cuenca.

8 hours • Admission Not Applicable
Day 7

Cuenca Half-Day City Tour

Accommodations

Overnight in Cuenca

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

1

Cuenca

Visit the most beautiful city in Ecuador. We will explore some of the most traditional neighborhoods of the city. We will also visit the flower market, the main square, and the “New Cathedral” which is considered one of the biggest churches in Latin America. The famous gold leaf altar is found here. We continue our tour to a Panama hat factory. Here we’ll observe the process of making “Paja toquilla” These hats range from classic simple ones to colorful, elegantly designed, and costly ones. Afterward, we will go to the “Barranco”, an area of terraced houses which is located next to the Tomebamba River. Finally, we will go to the “mirador de Turi” (scenic viewpoint) to enjoy the beautiful vista of the Cuenca landscape. Free afternoon to rest or explore the city on your own, a great option is to visit the Piedra de Agua hot springs.

4 hours • Admission Not Applicable
Day 8

Cajas National Park - Cocoa Farm - Guayaquil

Food and Drinks

BREAKFAST

Breakfast

LUNCH

Lunch

1

El Cajas National Park

we will drive through the western Andes to Toreadora in Cajas National Park, considered to be one of the most important protected areas in Ecuador and the main source of water for Cuenca. You will be impressed with the beautiful scenery of the area, we will take a hike to explore the Polylepis Forest, Moorland ecosystem, and lakes. Then we will continue our driver to the lowlands, ever tasted the pulp of fresh cacao beans? We will visit a local family farm, the main product growing here is cacao (base to make chocolate), however, they have many other products such as breadfruit, coffee, passionfruit, pineapple, among many others. You will be able to experience the process of craft chocolate making and try it if you like while our tour guide explains the history of cacao. Dropp of at the Guayaquil aiport or hotel​

8 minutes • Admission Included

What‘s Included

Licensed tour guide/driver

7-nights accommodation

Private transportation

Hotel/port pickup and drop-off

Based on satisfaction

Something not specified in the itinerary

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Options

Standard | Guayaquil to Quito

7-nights accommodation: 3-4 start Boutique Hotels
SUV, Van, Minivan: Based on the size of the group
Pickup included

Standard | Quito to Guayaquil

7-night accommodation : 3-4 start Boutique Hotels
Car, Van, Minibus: Based on the size of the group
Pickup included

Reviews

4.92

13 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

12
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  • Lifetime memories

    224vrindas,,Oct 26, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    We travelled to Ecuador for a 9 day trip with Cuenca bestours. They made the itinerary to fit our schedule with perfect and comfortable use of each day . We had great tour guides like Lincoln and Vicente who were very knowledgeable.Javier, our tour coordinator was always available and made sure we made it to the next adventure everyday.There was a lot of moving around involved since we went to the Galapagos islands and also did the Amazon jungle adventure. Thank you Cuenca bestours for the lifetime of memories.

  • Ecuador private tour

    leannebonnici,,Sep 1, 2025

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    4.00

    We, a group of three friends, just returned from an unforgettable week-long tour of mainland Ecuador, and one of the absolute highlights was having Luis Gonzales as our guide and driver for the entire trip. From the moment we met him, Luis was professional, warm, patient and knowledgeable, making sure we had the best experience possible. What stood out most was his ability to balance structure with flexibility. We never felt rushed and he always gave us ample time to soak in the landmarks and experiences (and take lots of photos). His driving was excellent, and we felt safe and well taken care of the entire time. He also made the long drives fun and engaging. That said, we did have some frustrations with the tour operator, Javier, who we communicated with when booking via Cuenca BesTours. While he seemed nice and eager to help, there was a lack of transparency regarding extra costs—particularly entrance fees, optional activities, and some logistical details. Things were said one way during our video calls but then changed later via email/messages, which caused a few misunderstandings along the way. It wasn't a deal-breaker, but definitely something to be aware of.

  • If you want to visit Ecuador - travel with Cuenca Bestours

    jolantaa622,,Aug 19, 2023

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Travelling with Cuenca Bestours was phantastic! Javier organized our trip even twice, because we had to change the route - and it became even better. Louis G. was a perfect guide: he cared for us like a father, travelled with us like a friend, was a safe driver, had a lot of ideas and took care of ours and he could answer every question we asked him. Travelling with Louis and Cuenca Bestours we learned to love Ecuador! And had a lot of fun! Thank you, guys!!!

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  • Quito to Cuenca 6-day tour

    Joe L,,Jun 23, 2023

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    We did the 6-day tour starting in Quito, visiting Cotopaxi, Quilatoa Lake, Banos, the Waterfalls, Chimborazo, and Cuenca. The tour was great with excellent guides, and perfect beginning and ending times for each day, The hotels were excellent overall, but the Tryp by Wyndham in Cuenca was next to a discotech which was thumping late into the night. I highly recommend this tour company, providing excellent service for the value and top-notch guides,

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  • Amazing trip to enjoy the country's interior nature.

    liher5,,Apr 11, 2023

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    The whole tour of the interior part of Ecuador was amazing. Every day we were discovering amazing places in the country. Our guide, Andrés, explained perfectly both these places and the country’s own idiosyncrasies. Also, driver Frank took us perfectly and stopped us in the right places.

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  • Unforgettable experience

    martaz569,,Apr 10, 2023

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    We made a group of Spanish friends a closed tour of the interior of Ecuador with CuencaBestTours. It was the best possible choice, unbeatable quality/price. Very close guide and driver, were solving the small drawbacks that always arise in this type of trip. There is no data about the country that Andrés does not know how to answer!! We take an unforgettable memory. Thank you very much to Don Javier, Andrés and Frank for making it possible. It's an unknown but incredible country. 100% recommended.

  • Unbeatable experience 😍

    Paradise605254,,Apr 9, 2023

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Unbeatable experience! Super complete tour to know the amazing country that is Ecuador. The guide Andres always watching everyone and giving the best explanations! I would repeat a thousand times! 😍😍

  • Unbeatable. 100% RECOMMENDABLE

    676albertoa,,Apr 9, 2023

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    We did a tour from Cuenca to Quito. CuencaBestTours exceeded our expectations. The whole tour was a 10. And our guide Andres and our driver Frank unbeatable. Attentive, close, with them we never lacked anything. 100% recommended!!!

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  • Travel Cuenca - Quito

    Txapulin,,Apr 8, 2023

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    Spectacular organization and tour of Ecuador. The guide Andrés has been a 10/10, fantastic professional and person. Same words for our driver, Frank. Congratulations to you both, an unforgettable experience.

  • Travel mainland Ecuador

    taniamN8766GB,,Apr 8, 2023

    - Review from Tripadvisor

    5.00

    The trip lasted 10 days from the city of Cuenca to Quito. We could visit some of the most incredible volcanoes in Ecuador as well as the Amazon. Andrés the guide has allowed us to know much better country, both culturally and naturally. Your explanations have made a difference on our trip. Chauffeur Frank has been at our disposal even in bad weather and considering the road cuts.

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From US$1,599.00

4.92
(13 reviews)
Check availability

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