Biking Dutchman

Drive through p·ramo landscape to highest point. Enjoy stunning view of 8 different volcanoes.The bike adventure on the world's highest active volcano begins. Bike on dirt roads through volcanic ash and p·ramo landscape to Inca ruin at 3.700 m Packed lunch while keeping an eye towards the sky - you might see a condor! In the afternoon bike on dirt roads and single track down from Lake Limpiopungo through pine forest.

Similar to 1 day Cotopaxi. Subsequent drive south on Pan-American Highway. Overnight on the slopes of Chimborazo.
Day 2: Drive to Chimborazo (6310 m) the highest mountain of Ecuador. Arrive at first refuge. We ascend on foot to second refuge at 5000m. Amazing bike ride through p·ramo landscape. Vicuñas are the sole inhabitants of these wild stretches.Altitudes: 5000-2800 m (16700-9400ft)

Antisana (5705 m) is the fourth highest and one of the most beautiful snow capped volcanoes in Ecuador. It has huge extensions of paramo which has endemic plants and endangered animals, such as the Condor which is the national emblem of Ecuador.

Cotopaxi NP - Chinmorozo -Baíos - Puyo and the Avenue of the Orchids - Amazon Basin - Papallacta

Even the jeep ride to where we start this biking journey is spectacular. Donning our gear near the top of still-active Guagua Pichincha Volcano we descend a steep and technical mountain side which is surely one of the premier downhills in the entire country. On a clear day we can see the sprawling metropolis of Quito, back-dropped by numerous snow-covered volcanoes. Look towards each of the other three compass points and you will be awed by great expanses of p·ramo, and, if lucky, a soaring condor. We trek to the edge of the crater to peer over the rim and into the heart of this active volcano after which we mount our bikes and race downward to Lloa on an abandoned dirt road. At Lloa we head west into the cloud forest where we enjoy a picnic boxed lunch. By late afternoon we return to Quito by jeep.Altitudes: 4800-2000 m (16000-6700ft)

Single tracks, dirt and paved roads will lead you on your bike through striking landscape in the area of volcanos Imbabura and Cotacachi.imgAs we approach Otavalo, you will notice an area rich with culture. Indigenous people in local dress come from all over the country to sell their handmade wares. Once we have had time to fill our bags with goods we drive to Cuicocha Lake. Lunch.After a refortifying lunch we bike on dirt roads through quaint Indian villages back to Otavalo. Return on jeep to Quito.

This is an excellent way to see a cross section of Ecuadorís ecosystems in two days. As we travel, we are dwarfed by the striking Andes Mountains that surround us. You will pedal across the p·ramo - the Ecuadorian equivalent of the arctic tundra - and down through stunning cloud forest, traversing steep Andean slopes as you descend down into the Amazon basin.

Drive northwest until we reach the highest point on this trip (3.000 mts). At this point, we switch to our mountain bikes and start the descend. We'll pass the quaint village of Nono. Watch the vegetation change from p·ramo to cloud forest to low montane forest as you whiz down the mountain until reaching the small bearding paradise of Tandayapa. Keep one eye on the road and the other toward the sky: there's a good chance to see parrots, hummingbirds, toucans and caciques. Picnic lunch. Afterwards we will let you end the biking tour through desert like areas until we reach the Equatorial Line Monument. Drive back to Quito.

This is an excellent way to see a cross section of Ecuadorís ecosystems in one day: the first part of the trip starts high up in the p·ramo - the Ecuadorian equivalent of the arctic tundra - and ends in low montane cloud forest at the edge of the Amazon basin. Once we reach our first destination, we throw our bikes on the jeep's roof and drive back up the pass to the Papallacta hot springs for a soothing swim in the natural thermal pools. If the day is clear, views of Antisana Volcano will bedazzle. After lunch we drive over the Papallacta pass at 4200m and remount our iron horses for the two thousand meter (over 6000ft.) whiz downward to Tumbaco valley just outside of Quito.

Day 1: Drive to Otavalo, famous in South America for its Indian market. After time to stock up on goodies we start our biking journey around Lake San Pablo. Arrival at Peguche sacred Waterfalls. Packed lunch.In the afternoon drive to impressive volcanic lake Cuicocha. Stop at Cotacachi, famous for its leather goods. Long bike ride through quaint villages to Otavalo. Overnight in hotel.Altitudes 3500-2600m (11700 - 8700 ft.)
Day 2: An all downhill bike ride to Ibarra, the provincial capital with colonial atmosphere. Visit wood crave market in San Antonio. Drive up to eastern slope of Volcano Imbabura. Stunning bike ride to indigenous town of San Pablo del Lago. Return to Quito.