Backroads of Ecuador Self-Guided Tour

Day 1 

Quito - Inti-ñan - Pululahua - Valle Hermoso

Our office, conveniently located in one of the prime areas in Quito, is the perfect starting point for a self-guided motorcycle tour. Located only a few minutes from the main tunnel leading out of the city; you can leave without having to deal with heavy traffic. Alongside many cafeś, restaurants, beautiful hotels, museums, and theaters; our location has just about anything waiting for you around every corner - all within walking distance!  So, arrive a day or two early to take full advantage of what this city offers. In 1978, Quito became the first place on the planet to be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for having the best-preserved historic center in all of Latin America. 
During the first morning of the tour, you’ll be outfitted with the motorcycle of your choice and given a thorough orientation answering all questions concerning local customs, rules of the road, riding signals, Ecuadorian driver courtesies, and more.  We'll review the route with you in detail, providing you with your pre-programmed GPS navigation unit along with a "Road Book" containing daily maps, including descriptions of local highlights, history, gas stations, suggested lunch stops, and other "hidden gems" that aren’t common knowledge. You can use this information to tailor your days, including as much or as little as you like.  We'll show you how to call us using the pre-paid cell phone and what to do if you have any problems along the way. 

Your first stop won't even be in the same hemisphere! After all, anyone who visits Ecuador needs to stand in both hemispheres at the same time for a photo op, don't they? You'll learn about how ancient peoples came to understand that this was the center of the world long before there were devices like GPS that made it clear. Standing directly on the Equator red line, you'll explore how the Coriolis effect affects your balance and weight, and you will see how water drains either clockwise or counter-clockwise, depending on what side of the equator you're standing on. You'll also have a chance to visit model Ecuadorian homes from different regions of the country so that you can better grasp what cultures and customs mean when you pass through other areas during your travels.

Riding outside of Quito, you have officially reached the northern hemisphere. As your first stop out here, you will visit a fantastic geological reserve known as Pululahua Crater. Here a volcano erupted 2500 years ago and created this incredible geologic anomaly. This is the only place in the world where humans live inside a volcanic crater! After that - head over to the mountain ranges on the Western Side of Ecuador's Andes mountain range; home to dense forests and gorgeous views.

You can have lunch in the garden of a fantastic restaurant in the heart of the cloud forest. You'll watch in amazement as hundreds of colorful birds surround us as you enjoy the local cuisine.

From here, you'll continue descending the western slopes of the Andes, passing several dairy and fruit farms and small welcoming villages.  The air will be a bit thicker and warmer as you descend to the lowlands. A waterfall serves as a famous swimming hole for the locals, and the GPS will direct you to it so you can enjoy a refreshing swim to keep you cool.
Check into a unique rainforest hotel and spa - built right into a waterfall. The Kashama Lodge was designed based on the layout of the cliffside town of Manarola, Italy.  It resembles an artist’s palette; vibrant buildings jostle each other for space.  The first thing you'll probably want to do is jump in for a swim in its inviting, private waterfall and the spring-fed pool.  You'll be dining here with its delicious regional recipes from the rainforest (included).

Day 2

Valle Hermoso - Pedernales - Canoa - San Clemente

Enjoy a delicious breakfast at the lodge's restaurant overlooking the flowing waterfall, and then set off on your bike to the west - towards the coastline. Passing through picturesque landscapes of rolling hills covered in grazing horses and quaint villages filled with kind people - you'll pass fields teeming with crops such as coffee, passion fruit, cassava, melons, and some other fruits you may never have heard of.  Wild orchids line the side of the road, providing an unending array of pleasant aromas.

Stop in the small city of Pedernales and catch your first sight of Ecuador's Pacific Coast. Here you can savor a delicious shrimp ceviche made out of the freshest and sweetest shrimps that exist anywhere in this world. Pedernales is located where Ecuador's shrimp trade thrives, making it one of its major exports and providing visitors with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try the succulent dishes this part of Ecuador is known for themselves!

Southward, you'll journey over the Equatorial line once again into the southern hemisphere. Return the smiles and greetings to the locals who live in picturesque villages as they go about their daily business. Ride atop high cliffs overlooking miles of ocean until clearings through forests reveal expansive views of nothing but sea and sand for miles ahead. A side trip leads you past fields full of shrimp ponds, where flocks of waterfowl soar overhead - long necks stretched out for an easy feast from those same ponds. If so inclined, take a short detour off course onto a secluded and out-of-the-way beach for some solitude in this beautiful environment.

The beach town of Canoa is full of great restaurants, ex-pat hangouts, and surfers looking for the perfect beach break.  You'll want to stop and have a break here if for nothing else than to soak up the vibe while sipping on some deliciously cold beverages. Afterward, you will continue along the coast and cross the bridge over the scenic Bahia de Caraquez. 

Passing through a dry forest and past peanut and dragon fruit plantations, you will arrive at the coastal town of San Clemente. Here you'll find yourself in the heart of Ecuador's sunniest regions - where palm trees line your route towards Palmazul Hotel & Spa. With gorgeous views overlooking the Pacific Ocean and perfectly manicured gardens dotting its landscape, this property welcomes guests with spectacular hospitality- promising to indulge them in incredible cuisine and relaxing spa treatments during their stay before returning home refreshed from all they've experienced while in this beautiful place.  You'll feel happy to know you'll be here for two nights.

Day 4

San Clemente - Manta - Santa Ana - Vinces - Hacienda La Danesa

The day will start with a last dip in the ocean and another one of those fresh shrimp omelets - something sure to start your day off just right. Soon, you'll find yourself riding away from the coastline, venturing into the farmlands and forests which dot this area. This part of the country is full of fishing birds of all types, and a natural wood kept intact by the locals, where hundreds of South American squirrels live in the wild. You will hear - and may be lucky - to glimpse the famous howling monkey.  

There are many wonderful fruits grown here in these farmlands, and the roadside farm stands are a perfect place to stop to sample what this region has to offer.
Here you will see many of the majestic and crazy-looking Ceibo Trees. Their big bulbous branches and wide trunks look like they belong in a Dr. Seuss book.  These trees were fabled by the ancient people to be the Earth's ties to the spiritual world.  Since the only place they grow in the world is along the equatorial belt, their bare branches were thought to be roots that kept the world attached to heaven. They flower only once every five years and can store thousands of liters of water in their massive trunks.

You will pass through the friendly town of Santa Ana and the tranquil countryside of Los Rios and Guayas Provinces.  Here you will see the landscapes change as you enter the flood plains.  The farming changes here, too, and you will now see plantations of bananas, teak, and chocolate - crops that require abundant water and sunlight.

Imagine what it would have been like back in the 1800s when the French and Swiss established the town of Vinces. Back then, this new food - chocolate - was all the rage of this era, and Vinces had become renowned as being home to some of the best chocolate growers in the world. Known today as Little Paris thanks to French architecture and statues centered around its beautiful plaza, Vinces has also been attracting visitors with their Eiffel Tower (a more petite replica). Whilst you're there, why not indulge your sweet tooth with a delicious ice cream at Pinguino (located next to the tower)? As if that wasn't enough excitement already, locals love to watch the boats and jetskis race up and down the river - something you can see for yourself from Vince's Malecon (boardwalk)

You are in for a treat tonight.  Before heading into the Andes, you will spend the night at the Hacienda La Danesa. This award-winning Hacienda offers discrete luxury, a subtle traditional aesthetic, privacy, and graciousness. Hacienda La Danesa models hospitality with enduring land and family expressions that foster and sustain the Olsen-Peet family's charming 6-bedroom farmhouse.  It is also a working dairy and cacao farm.  You will have a chance to milk the cows and turn cacao into tasty chocolate. A three-course dinner and full farm breakfast are included here.

Day 5

Naranjito - Cajas National Park - Cuenca 

 
After an excellent farm breakfast (you may even be asked to milk the cows yourself), you'll head back towards the Andes this morning, passing through pineapple and banana farms.

You'll soon enter the Cajas National Park - one of Ecuador's most pristine wilderness areas. A primeval landscape of steep hills and glacial carved valleys, are studded with nearly 200 glacier lakes; this land has become a sanctuary for wildcats such as the puma and spectacled bear; also abundant are rabbits, guinea pigs, wild alpacas - all thriving in this natural habitat.

Make sure to stop here for lunch to enjoy some delicious trout freshly caught from these ponds and bask in this wondrous environment.

Then you'll arrive in Ecuador's most beautiful city - a UNESCO World Heritage City - the city of Cuenca.  It features narrow, cobblestone streets, harmonious houses with balconies and flowery interior courtyards, and lots of churches and monasteries built of precious stone.  The Spanish founded it in 1557 on the site of Tomebamba - a city established by the Inca in 1470, which was said to have rivaled Cusco in Peru with its pomp and majesty.

You'll check into one of the city's most renowned hotels - the Hotel Victoria - right in the colonial center of Cuenca. Have a stroll around the center of this city, visiting the Catedral Vieja - a cathedral built in 1557 and the Parque Calderon, as well as the famous flower market.  Cuenca offers an outstanding fine restaurant choice and lots of new fun bars in this lively, prosperous city.  Click here for a motorcyclist's guide to Cuenca and consider adding a rest day for this tour (see "extensions" on this page).

Day 6

Cuenca - San Bartholomé - Chordeleg - Macas

After a hearty buffet breakfast, pack up your bikes and ride through Cuenca on its ancient cobblestone streets to depart the city, heading east.  The road will first bring you past fantastic rock outcroppings and then drop down into a warmer, greener valley.  The valley is replete with fruit orchards, flower plantations, and orchid nurseries.  This is a newly paved road, and this beautiful valley is becoming a popular place for Cuencanos to buy their weekend homes.  You're soon going to be riding along what locals call Route of the Guitars - home to some of the best guitar makers in town who people from all around flock to when they want one built just for them. All this comes coupled with stunning views and beautiful villages; towns like San Bartolomé are no exception.

You'll ride along the pleasant Rio Cutilcay, which brings you to the town of Paute.  Paute is a beautiful town with a well-manicured central park.  The town is famous for its fruit, and you can pick up a great jar of the local jam from exotic fruits grown here to bring home.

From here, you'll climb again in altitude before descending on a road that cuts along the side of the Sangay National Park and leads to the Amazon basin and town of Sucua - the home and center of the Shuar people.  "Shuar" in the Shuar language means "people."  But the Shuar refer to Spanish speakers as apach and non-Spanish/non-Shuar speakers as inkis. The Shuar were primarily left undisturbed by the Inca for a good reason.  

The Spanish, in their quest for gold, tried to colonize them.  When they tried to impose taxation and laws, they became deeply angered and attacked a Spanish outpost, killing thousands of settlers.  The Spanish Governor was then killed by having molten gold poured down his throat until his bowels burst - their attempt at poetic justice.  The Shuar are famous for shrinking the heads (Tzantzas) of their enemies, which ceased some two generations ago; the process evolved to take revenge for the bewitchment of the enemy over others as well as serve as a warning to any would-be future attackers and predators. Most recently, the Shuar continued their culture of being great warriors in the war with Peru in 1995, where they consistently outwitted the Peruvians.  They have been fully integrated into Ecuadorian society, and this area of the Amazon, protected by the Shuar, remains one of the most pristine parts of the jungle in Ecuador.

Continue your ride, passing a display of waterfalls on all sides, and arrive in the town of Macas.  Macas is a very orderly and clean town with amicable people.  You'll settle into the comfortable and friendly Arrayanes & Piedra Lodge for a stay full of relaxation and fun.

Day 7

Macas - Chimborazo Wildlife Refuge - Baños de Agua Santa

Today you're going to explore lots of different terrains and changes in climate, so you will need to be prepared with extra layers of clothes and a heavy set of gloves.  You'll set out of Macas, heading west to enter the pristine Sangay National Park on the smooth tarmac.  The government had been promising to create this road for the past 111 years- and it was just completed in 2014.  There had been a lot of controversy about bringing vehicles into what is considered one of Ecuador's most beautiful natural areas.

We're delighted they built this road - and you will see why! It starts, in the lower elevations, with a show of several dramatic waterfalls and provides the perfect cambering in the many curves it climbs in altitude.  You'll pass into the cloud forest and through the small town of Zuñac- with amiable residents.  You'll have some fantastic views of this Amazon jungle and the active Sangay Volcano, which constantly emits ash and smoke a few miles in the distance.

From Zuñac, you'll start climbing again - with more dramatic tumbling waterfalls to entertain as you twist and turn.  The forest will begin to give way to a windswept paramo, and you will come upon the stunning Lagunas de Atillo. The ancient natives of this region, the Puruháe people, used to drown their convicted criminals in the icy waters.  Jagged, pointy peaks frame the lakes.  You'll be stopping here for some photos. You'll descend a bit in elevation to arrive at a patchwork of bright and dark green fields interspersed between cold, flowing brooks.  Here the people are raising sheep, and the scenery is stunning.  You'll come through a dusty little horse-powered town of Calceta and turn to the west to re-join the Panamerican Highway north.  You'll pass the Laguna de Colta, from which the local women gather the reeds and sell baskets alongside the road. You can stop to see the ancient Balbanera Church,  the first chapel the Conquistadors raised in 1534.  It still has carvings of angels and gargoyles and makes a great photo with the snow-capped Chimborazo mountain behind it.

Begin rising into highlands paramo, climbing the base of the mighty Chimborazo Volcano.  With permanent glaciers at its peak, Chimborazo is the highest point in Ecuador and is the highest point on Earth.  This vital fact is because the Earth bulges at the Equator and Chimborazo's peak is the furthest piece of land from Earth's core.  You can say that it is the closest place to Heaven on Earth, literally.

The road crosses through the Chimborazo National Wildlife Refuge, home to thousands of wild vicuña, the smaller, lighter, faster, high-elevation cousin of the llama and camel.  Ecuador has one of the best-protected vicuña populations in the world, and you will be sure to see these majestic creatures as you wind around the colossal mountain.  You'll reach an altitude of over 14,500 feet (4.500 meters), and here, the weather is unpredictable.  Be ready for bright sunshine, freezing rain, hail, or even snow!  

You'll come around the north side of Chimborazo, and you'll start to feel your fingers again.  Then you'll drop down to about 6,000 feet in elevation on the eastern slopes of the Andes.

It's a series of small, narrow, twisty backroads through beautiful farms and along raging whitewater rivers.  Cross a narrow gorge of the Pastaza River and enter the small city of Baños at the active Tungurahua Volcano base.  Baños was settled in 1553 and enjoys a warm, subtropical climate nestled among soaring green hills lined with waterfalls.

Volcan Tungurahua (meaning "throat of fire") rises above the town at 5053 meters (about 16,500 feet) and erupts frequently. These mild eruptions provide an animated display of pyroclastic flows and ash, which we can view from the hills above the town.

You'll check into the cozy and friendly Posada del Arte Hotel.  Just a block up the street is the volcanic baths that make this town famous.  There are various pools of different temperatures and sizes. One is so hot that it will leave a red mark around you like a cooked lobster once you get out!  These baths are a great way to relax after a day of excitement and great riding. 

Day 8

Baños de Agua Santa - Paillon del Diablo - Puerto Misahualli

Take another luxurious volcanic hot bath, followed by a hearty breakfast at the inviting Posada del Arte hotel before heading back out into the world. You would never want to leave this paradise! Your next destination is the Route of Waterfalls - an unforgettable ride down the eastern Andes slopes to reach the vast Amazon River Basin. 

On the way down the eastern slopes, you will encounter many exciting adventures such as zip lining across the Pastaza River Gorge or even having a swing jump - just think of it as bungee jumping with an ordinary rope. It's something exciting and great for those who love thrills!

In the town of Rio Verde, stop to view the incredible Pailon del Diablo or Cauldron of the Devil waterfalls. The falls crash about 250 feet into a hole that has been bored into the rock over centuries. To get an even better view of these remarkable falls- take a hike across one of two bridges crossing to different levels and continue on until you come down another set of stairs right next to them. The updrafts are amazing.

Again, you will see the vegetation and cultures change dramatically on today's ride. The air will become warm as you arrive in Puyo - and you are now officially in the Amazonia region.  You will be riding north, and with a great view of the Sierra to your left as we ride the comfortable, newly paved road with rolling hills and plenty of sweeping curves to keep it fun.  

Stop to swim in the divinely peaceful lagoons below a flowing double waterfall. You will have a chance to dip your toes and revel in one of the most mystical swimming holes in Ecuador.

You'll turn east to ride further into the wilderness along the south bank of the Napo River, the 5th largest tributary to the Amazon River. You'll arrive at the Jardin Misualli Lodge, where you'll be shown to your private cabin with its own plunge pool - the perfect place to relax and rejuvenate after a motorcycle ride

At the lodge, you'll enjoy a gourmet dinner at their restaurant - known as one of the very best in the country. You'll enjoy a night of the pure cacophony of sounds in the Amazon jungle.

Day 9

Puerto Misahualli - Tena - Papallacta

In the morning, you will be treated to a full breakfast buffet at the lodge with fresh fruits, juice, and eggs and then taken to the boathouse where you will be fitted with a life vest and rubber boots.  You'll board a long, motorized canoe that will take you up the Napo River.  The Lodge provides many exciting excursions to local communities who will teach you to hunt with a blowgun, pan for gold, and make the local drink - chicha.  Or you will go tubing down the river after visiting a local animal shelter.  There are many exciting activities in the jungle that you will enjoy with your local guide.

Back on the bike, you head west a few miles and cross a one-lane metal bridge into the town of Puerto Misahualli, the most western navigable port of the Amazon river basin.  From here, you could take a boat to the Atlantic ocean via the Amazon river.  Puerto Misahualli has a mischievous monkey population that loves to play with the local dogs and tourists. Be sure to bring your camera!
You will pass through the cloud forest town of Baeza and start the climb back into the Sierra.  
End the day's ride soaking limbs in a private hot spring bath outside your private adobe thatched cabin at the Termas Papallacta Hot Springs Spa & Resort. There is no better way to relax than staying at this award-winning luxury lodge high in the Andes. After these past few days of riding, you will deserve the pampering!

 

Day 10

Papallacta - Jerusalem Forest Reserve - Quito

Relax and enjoy the hot springs - check-out time isn't until 1:00 p!.  There is no rush today.

Once back on the bike, you'll cross over the Papallacta Pass at 13,400 feet and descend the twisties into the valley. You'll head on another set of narrow serpentine roads to take us into the Jerusalem Dry Forest Reserve.  The average rainfall is about 500 mm per year, and temperatures range between 16-19 degrees Celsius.

Despite having fewer species than the Rainforest, the Andean Dry Forest is a particularly rare and endangered ecosystem with unique species. This desert-like section of the road will give you one last taste of Ecuador's incredible diversity and beauty.

You'll end the day carving through one of Ecuador's most breathtaking landscapes; Guayllabamba River Canyon. One of the world's most picturesque routes, this twisting road will give you one last thrill before taking you back to our base in Quito where there is plenty of time for post-adventure relaxation - including a hot shower, and hot tub, and honor bar. You may also want to go out exploring the historic district of Quito if time permits!