Inland & Amazon: Self-Launched Ecuador Andes to Amazon Adventure

Land at Quito's Mariscal Sucre airport and take the Aeroservicios shared shuttle to the old airport terminal (~$8 / £6), then a metered taxi to your hostel in La Mariscal or the Old Town (~$5 / £4). Settle in, acclimatise to the 2,850m altitude (take it slow), and wander the colonial centre at dusk. Book a hostel dorm or private room via Booking.com or Hostelworld.

🚌Airport shuttle + taxi, ~£10

🛏Hostel in Quito Old Town or La Mariscal (dorm ~£10, private ~£22)

• →Self-guided walk of Plaza Grande and La Ronda
• →Altitude acclimatisation

Take a local bus or shared van from Quito's Terminal Carcelén to Papallacta (~2 hrs, $3 / £2.50). Spend the afternoon soaking at Termas Papallacta — book the public pools direct (~$10 / £8) rather than the spa package, or splash out on the spa pools if you fancy it. Stay in one of the small guesthouses in the village rather than the resort.

🚌Local bus Quito–Papallacta, ~£2.50

🛏Guesthouse in Papallacta village (~£20)

• →Termas Papallacta hot springs (£8)
• →Riverside walk

Bus back to Quito's Carcelén terminal, then onward to Tena (~5-6 hrs total, ~$12 / £10) — or take the more comfortable Baños–Tena route if you're flexible. Arrange a Quichua community homestay in advance direct (many villages around Tena, Ahuano and Misahuallí list on Airbnb or via local operators; expect ~$20-25 / £18-20 per night including meals). Afternoon nature walk and introduction to local life.

🚌Local buses ~£10

🛏Quichua family homestay, multi-share cabaña (~£20 incl. meals)

• →Community homestay
• →Guided nature walk with host family

A full day learning about Amazonian life: cooking demonstrations with your host family (try maito fish wrapped in banana leaf), a hike to nearby waterfalls, and plant and medicine walks through the forest. Bring small cash for community craft purchases and a torch for the evening.

🚌Walking; local motorised canoe if village is river-access

🛏Quichua family homestay (~£20 incl. meals)

• →Cooking demonstration
• →Waterfall hike
• →Medicinal plant walk

Transfer further downriver to a jungle lodge (book direct or via Booking.com — options like Yacuma, Sani or smaller Napo-side lodges run ~$40-60 / £32-48 per night full board). Included guided walks and motorised canoe rides spotlight wildlife: monkeys, caiman, hoatzin, river dolphins if you're lucky.

🚌Shared 4x4 and motorised canoe, ~£15

🛏Jungle lodge, full board (~£45)

• →Guided jungle walk
• →Motorised canoe wildlife-spotting
• →Night walk

Another day in the jungle. Optional whitewater rafting on the Jatunyacu/Napo (~$65 / £52 with lunch — book through any agency in Tena the day before), or a slower canoe trip and birdwatching. Keep an eye out for the lodge's resident wildlife.

🚌Local transport ~£8

🛏Jungle lodge, full board (~£45)

• →Optional Napo river rafting (£52)
• →Birdwatching
• →Canoe excursion

Bus from Tena to Baños via Puyo (~4 hrs, $8 / £7). Baños is Ecuador's adventure capital, sitting under the (still active) Tungurahua volcano. Check into a hostel, walk the town, and soak in the public hot springs (Termas de la Virgen, ~$4 / £3.50) in the evening.

🚌Local bus Tena–Baños ~£7

🛏Hostel in Baños (dorm ~£9, private ~£18)

• →Termas de la Virgen hot springs (£3.50)
• →Orientation walk

Pick your adrenaline: canyoning (~$30 / £25), ziplining (~$25 / £20), or mountain bike rental (~$10 / £8) for the famous Ruta de las Cascadas downhill ride past waterfalls. Book any of these same-day through local agency offices on Calle Ambato — no advance booking needed.

🚌Walking / bike rental

🛏Hostel in Baños (~£9 dorm)

• →Canyoning (£25)
• →Bike rental on Ruta de las Cascadas (£8)
• →Waterfall visits

Free day. Options: horseback riding (~$25 / £20), a hike up to the Virgin statue viewpoint for volcano views (free), or the Casa del Árbol swing at the end of the world. Or just eat your way around town — try melcocha (taffy) made on street corners.

🚌Walking

🛏Hostel in Baños (~£9 dorm)

• →Horseback riding (£20)
• →Viewpoint hike (free)
• →Street food crawl

Bus south toward Cuenca (~7 hrs). Break the journey to stop at Ingapirca, Ecuador's biggest Inca ruins (~$2 / £1.60 entry) — the easiest way is a bus to Cañar then a local taxi or shared pickup to the site. Arrive Cuenca in the evening and take yourself on an orientation walk of the colonial centre, a UNESCO site.

🚌Local buses + shared taxi to Ingapirca, ~£12

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Cuenca Old Town (~£11 dorm, ~£22 private)

• →Ingapirca Inca ruins (£1.60)
• →Self-guided colonial Cuenca walk

Choose your day: join a shared day trip to Cajas National Park for high-altitude paramo hiking (~£50 via a local agency or GetYourGuide), or do a self-guided Cuenca day — the Museo Pumapungo (free), the Panama hat workshops, and the flower market. Evening: try cuy or a cuencano tamal.

🚌Shared van to Cajas ~£8

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Cuenca (~£11 dorm)

• →Cajas National Park shared trip (£50)
• →Pumapungo museum (free)
• →Panama hat workshop

Short morning flight Cuenca–Quito (~£45-60 booked in advance on LATAM/Avianca; alternatively an 8-9 hr bus for ~£10). From Quito take a local bus north to Cayambe (~1.5 hrs, £2) and stay at a historic hacienda at the foot of Volcán Cayambe — some 300-400 year old estates offer rooms to independent travellers (~£40-60). Book direct.

🚌Domestic flight ~£50 + local bus £2

🛏Historic hacienda near Cayambe (~£50)

• →Hacienda stay
• →Volcano views

Bus to Otavalo for Ecuador's most famous indigenous market (Saturday is biggest; any day has stalls). Bargain for textiles, haggling is expected. Optional: hike around Laguna de Cuicocha crater lake (~£3 entry) or visit the Peguche waterfall textile workshops (free).

🚌Local buses ~£4

🛏Hostel in Otavalo (~£10 dorm)

• →Otavalo market
• →Laguna de Cuicocha hike (£3)
• →Peguche waterfall and weavers

Morning bus back to Quito (~2 hrs, £2). Afternoon to hit what you missed: the Teleférico cable car up Pichincha (~$9 / £7), the Basílica del Voto Nacional tower climb, or the Intiñan equator museum if you want the photo of standing on both hemispheres.

🚌Local bus ~£2

🛏Hostel in Quito (~£10 dorm)

• →Teleférico (£7)
• →Basílica rooftop climb
• →Equator line museum (£4)

Final full day. Consider a Mindo cloud forest day trip for birdwatching (~£55 shared tour), or stay local and explore La Floresta's cafés and the Mercado Central food stalls. Book your airport shuttle for tomorrow and eat a proper farewell dinner (locro de papa, seco de chivo).

🚌Local bus/taxi ~£3

🛏Hostel in Quito (~£10 dorm)

• →Mindo cloud forest trip (£55, optional)
• →Mercado Central food crawl
• →La Floresta evening

Shuttle or taxi to the airport for your international flight. If you have a late departure, the hostel will typically store bags free of charge.

🚌Airport shuttle + taxi, ~£10

🛏None (departure day)

• →Departure