Since 1993 the best option to visit Ecuador and Galapagos
The paramos surrounding Ecuador's
volcanoes are perfect for hiking,
horseback riding, llama trekking,
camping and mountain biking. With
Safari you can combine a fun filled
active day with an excellent dinner
and comfortable night at one of the
historic hostals or haciendas reating
your own fantasy holiday.
Ecuador is home to a variety of colourful Indian groups. The Otavalo and Salasacas
Indians continue the 500-year old weaving practices of their ancestors, creating
incredible handicrafts. Safari brings you into their villages and homes to see these
age-old techniques.
The Cayambe Caranques fiestas of Inti-Raymi and the Octavas (located high in the
Andes and exactly at the equator) celebrate the great cultural significance of the
passing of the sun. With Safari you are part of the party.
Running the length of Ecuador and splitting the country into two from north to
south the mountains and valleys of the High Andes form the heart of Ecuador. The
Pan American road runs down the inter-Andean valley from the border with
Colombia at Tulcan, to Loja, south of Cuenca where it turns west to the coast to
cross the Peruvian border at Huaquillas.
Quito, the capital is located at 2900m in a valley on the western slopes of the
Pichincha volcano, and there are several cities and towns to visit and stay at as one
travels north and south in the highlands.
Sadly the old railway service is limited to a once a week excursion on Sundays from
Quito to Boliche, a service on Saturdays from Quito toRiobamba, and three times a
week an excursion from Riobamba,down the Devil’s Nose and then back up again.
There is no service from Riobamba to Quito and the service from Ibarra to San
Lorenzo has been suspended. There are many hot and mineral springs, the most
famous at Papallacta, 2 hours east of Quito and at Baños 4 hours to the south.
There are also Hot Springs in Baños and near Cuenca.
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish in 1534, the Incas ruled the Andes for about 50
years from 1480, there legacy being the quechua language, still spoken as a first
language by more than half of the population. The area is still home to a number of
indigenous peoples, from the Cañaris, north of Cuenca to the black communities of
the Chota valley in the north. The most famous are the Otavaleños. Bought here by
the Cusceñous (Incas) at the end of the 15th century or early in the 16th century,
the Otavalenians have maintained their own identity while successfully integrating
into the modern economy. Their strength is their love of textiles, expressed in their
weavings, coupled with a sharp business sense, that has led the young men and
women of this nation to travel all over the globe selling their weaving and other
artisan products from Ecuador. The peaks of the Andes are as distinct as the
people. Cotopaxi (5987meters) the highest active volcano in the world has an
almost perfect conical shape, as does the Sangay (5500meters), with major
volcanic events taking place as frequently as every 15 minutes! In both cordilleras
you will find remote areas, with excellent opportunities for adventure.
Geology
With only two exceptions the peaks of Ecuador are all volcanic in origin, formed as
the marine plate is forced under the continental plate. Many of the volcanoes are
still active including Sangay, Tunguahua, Cotopaxi, Pichincha and Quilatoa. Others
are dormant. In the jungle both Reventador and Sumaco are still active.
The volcanoes dominate the landscapes
as they do the geology. In the Papallacta
valley there are cliffs with giant crystals
of basalt, there are areas of volcanic
mud, notably around Cangahua, which
has given its name to this mud. The
obsidian flows from above El Quinche
provided knife-making materials to pre-
colonial people of the Andes as far south
as Chile. Many of the volcanoes, like Cotopaxi, are no more solid than pumice and ash!
Earthquakes are common throughout Ecuador as the land is being formed. The lahars
around Cotopaxi look like frozen rivers when seen from the refuge. There are lava
flows that flowed out of Antisana that blocked the rivers above Papallacta and caused
a large lake to form. Volcanic layers laid down eons ago have been folded back on
themselves exactly on the equator visible in cuttings on the road from Guallabamba to
Tabacundo. The volcanic landscape has been modified by the action of glaciers.
Forming the basins in the inter-Andean valley that are now separate provinces of
modern Ecuador. A glacial moraine, where the continental divide crosses from one
cordillera to the other, separates each province.
Suggested Clothing
You will find it surprisingly chilly in the highlands of the Andes once you are out of the
sun. It is worth having a warm sweater or fleece, and a windbreaker at the altitude of
Quito. By 4000m, the altitudes of the paramos it can get down to freezing at night, and
feel much colder when it is windy. It is essential to have plenty of warm clothes and a hat
and gloves. By 5000 m you are approaching the level of permanent snow and glaciation
and so you need to have specialist clothing if you are staying at this altitude for more than
a few hours. Good hiking boots are the best thing to have on your feet anywhere in the
Andes, although on some of the treks at certain times of year it will be necessary to have
rubber boots, which are easily available in Ecuador in sizes up to about #44 or #45. Do not
forget sun block and sunglasses, both of which are essential and can be bought in Quito.
ADDREESS
Av. Del Establo 118 - Site Center
Valle de Cumbaya
Ecuador: (593) 2 3670120
France 09.75.18.03.40
e-mail: admin@safari.com.ec
Quito-Ecuador
Av. Del Establo 118 - Site Center Valle de Cumbaya
Ecuador: (593) 2 3670120
France 09.75.18.03.40
e-mail: admin@safari.com.ec
Quito-Ecuador
Copyright Safari Tour Operator 1993 - 2018. All Rights Reserved
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What the
people
say about us
“We just came back for
a 21 days traveling
around Ecuador and
Galapagos. We use safari
tours by
recommendation of a
friend. They were very
professional and help us
with a lot of particular
things. Hugo our guide
for the land travel shows
us many things that were
not even included in our
itinerary. The cruise on
board the Archipell yacht
was unforgettable. Safari
organizes everything for
us, all the transfers and
hotels. We really can
recommend Safari tours
Ecuador. ”
Michel and
Francoise, France
“ The best
travel in
my life”
Anna
Kraft.
U.K.