How long is the Ecuador: Quito, the Avenue of the Volcanoes and Cuenca route?

This route takes 10 days taking in 7 stops.

Where does this route start and end?

The route runs from Quito to Quito in Ecuadorian Andes, Ecuador.

When is the best time to travel this route?

The best time to travel this route is June to September.

How active is this route?

Activity level: Active. Moderately active — expect some walking and light physical activity.

What transport do I need for this route?

This route works best with a car or a campervan.

What budget do I need for this route?

Budget-friendly — this route is well-suited to travellers keeping costs low.

What type of accommodation suits this route?

Mixed accommodation works well along this route.

What is the pace of this trip?

Balanced — a good mix of sightseeing and downtime.

What type of trip is this?

This route is well-suited to: Scenic, Adventure, Nature, Culture, Classic road trip.

Ecuador: Quito, the Avenue of the Volcanoes and Cuenca

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The route · 7 stops

6 overnight bases · 1 stop on the way

Quito

2 nights

Ecuador's colonial capital at 2,850 metres, whose historic centre was among the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Explore the ornate La Compañía de Jesús church, take the cable car up Volcán Pichincha to 4,000 metres for city panoramas, and make a half-day trip to the equator monument at El Mitad del Mundo.Ecuador's colonial capital at 2,850 metres, whose historic centre was among the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Explore the ornate La Compañía de Jesús church, take the cable car up Volcán Pichincha to 4,000 metres for city panoramas, and make a half-day trip to the equator monument at El Mitad del Mundo.

Recommendations

56m · 67 km drive to Cotopaxi National Park

Cotopaxi National Park

1 night

Home to one of the world's highest active volcanoes, Cotopaxi rises to 5,897 metres, the second-highest summit in Ecuador. Within the park, Limpiopungo Lagoon sits at 3,800 metres with wild horses and llamas grazing on the páramo. The Josè Rivas refuge at 4,864 metres is a 2-hour hike from the car park for those acclimatised.Home to one of the world's highest active volcanoes, Cotopaxi rises to 5,897 metres, the second-highest summit in Ecuador. Within the park, Limpiopungo Lagoon sits at 3,800 metres with wild horses and llamas grazing on the páramo. The Josè Rivas refuge at 4,864 metres is a 2-hour hike from the car park for those acclimatised.

Recommendations

1h · 72 km drive to Quilotoa

Quilotoa

1 night

A volcanic crater lake at 3,914 metres, its water an iridescent green from dissolved minerals. The rim walk circles the crater in 3 to 4 hours. A steep trail descends 400 metres to the lake surface, where kayaks can be hired for $5. Quilotoa village has simple Kichwa-run guesthouses and colourful weaving stalls.A volcanic crater lake at 3,914 metres, its water an iridescent green from dissolved minerals. The rim walk circles the crater in 3 to 4 hours. A steep trail descends 400 metres to the lake surface, where kayaks can be hired for $5. Quilotoa village has simple Kichwa-run guesthouses and colourful weaving stalls.

Recommendations

1h 27m · 104 km drive to Baños de Agua Santa

Baños de Agua Santa

2 nights

Ecuador's adventure capital where the Andes drop toward the Amazon basin. The Ruta de las Cascadas is a 17 km downhill bike ride through riverside gorges ending at the Pailón del Diablo waterfall. A second day covers the thermal baths, white-water rafting on the Pastaza River, and the swing-at-the-end-of-the-world platform above the gorge.Ecuador's adventure capital where the Andes drop toward the Amazon basin. The Ruta de las Cascadas is a 17 km downhill bike ride through riverside gorges ending at the Pailón del Diablo waterfall. A second day covers the thermal baths, white-water rafting on the Pastaza River, and the swing-at-the-end-of-the-world platform above the gorge.

Recommendations

43m · 51 km drive to Riobamba

Riobamba

1 night

Base for Chimborazo (6,268 m), a dormant volcano that due to the equatorial bulge is the point on Earth's surface closest to the sun. The upper refuge at 5,000 m is reachable by 4WD. Riobamba is the starting point for the Nariz del Diablo railway, considered one of South America's most spectacular train journeys.Base for Chimborazo (6,268 m), a dormant volcano that due to the equatorial bulge is the point on Earth's surface closest to the sun. The upper refuge at 5,000 m is reachable by 4WD. Riobamba is the starting point for the Nariz del Diablo railway, considered one of South America's most spectacular train journeys.

Recommendations

2h 34m · 185 km drive to Cuenca

Cuenca

2 nights

Ecuador's third city and a UNESCO colonial capital with a well-preserved historic centre of domed churches and blue-tiled mansions. Two nights give time for the old town, the Ingapirca Inca ruins 80 km north (Ecuador's largest), and one of the Panama hat workshops for which Cuenca is the world's main production centre.Ecuador's third city and a UNESCO colonial capital with a well-preserved historic centre of domed churches and blue-tiled mansions. Two nights give time for the old town, the Ingapirca Inca ruins 80 km north (Ecuador's largest), and one of the Panama hat workshops for which Cuenca is the world's main production centre.

Recommendations

On the way

Quito
5h 27m · 392 km
Close the loop with the 4.5-hour drive north to Quito on the Panamerican Highway. The road passes through the central valley of the Andes with Chimborazo and Cotopaxi visible to the east. Allow extra time for the Quito ring road to reach the airport 37 km north of the historic centre.Close the loop with the 4.5-hour drive north to Quito on the Panamerican Highway. The road passes through the central valley of the Andes with Chimborazo and Cotopaxi visible to the east. Allow extra time for the Quito ring road to reach the airport 37 km north of the historic centre.
Recommendations

Route highlights

Viewpoint
Quilotoa Crater Lake
At 3,914 metres, Quilotoa is one of the most visually striking crater lakes in South America. The turquoise-green water comes from dissolved minerals in the volcanic rock. The 3 to 4 hour rim walk offers changing perspectives of the lake, the surrounding Andean plateau, and on clear days Cotopaxi to the north.
Viewpoint
Cotopaxi National Park: The Perfect Cone
Cotopaxi is one of the world's highest active volcanoes at 5,897 metres, and its almost perfectly symmetrical snow-capped cone is one of the most dramatic views in Ecuador. Wild horses and Andean condors share the páramo grassland below. The Josè Rivas refuge at 4,864 metres is accessible to acclimatised trekkers.
Activity
Ruta de las Cascadas
A 17 km downhill bike ride from the high páramo into the subtropical gorge of the Pastaza River, passing six waterfalls including the Pailón del Diablo, which drops 80 metres into a basin in the jungle. Bikes can be rented in Baños for $5 to $10; the return bus back to town costs $1.
Viewpoint
Chimborazo: Closest Point to the Sun
At 6,268 metres, Chimborazo is Ecuador's highest peak and, due to the equatorial bulge of the Earth, the point on the planet's surface furthest from its centre and closest to the sun. A paved road reaches the first refuge at 4,800 metres; 4WD vehicles can continue to the upper refuge at 5,000 metres.
Culture
Ingapirca: Ecuador's Largest Inca Ruins
An hour and a half north of Cuenca, Ingapirca is the best-preserved pre-Columbian site in Ecuador, combining Inca stonework with the earlier Cañari culture who occupied the site before the Inca expansion. The Temple of the Sun is the centrepiece, aligned with the summer solstice sunrise.
Culture
Cuenca's Panama Hat Workshops
The world's finest Panama hats are made not in Panama but in Cuenca, Ecuador, where master weavers (toquilleras) have practiced the craft for generations. The process is recognised by UNESCO and the hats are woven from toquilla straw in grades from everyday tourist quality to fino fino, which can take three months to weave.

Ecuador: Quito, the Avenue of the Volcanoes and Cuenca