Offroad Ecuador ADVenture Guided Motorcycle Tour

You’ll begin your six-day “Offroad Ecuador ADVenture" from our shop located in the fashionable neighborhood of La Carolina in Quito, Ecuador - 2850 meters (almost 2 miles above sea level) in the Andes Mountains, on the Equator, in South America.   Quito was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the 1970s for having the best-preserved and least altered historic center in all of Latin America.  We recommend you arrive a day or two in advance of the tour to experience this majestic city and to acclimate yourself to the high altitude. 

On the morning of the tour departure, you’ll be outfitted with the offroad motorcycle of your choice, thoroughly equipped for the adventure ahead. We will provide a thoughtful presentation that will answer all of your questions concerning the route, local customs, rules of the road, and group riding techniques.

The first day's ride is designed to give you a sampling of the different types of roads you will be riding.   We will ride asphalt, cobblestone, and unimproved dirt roads.

The first stop will be in the middle of the world. The Inti-ñan museum is situated right on the Equator.  Inti-ñan means "path of the Sun" in Quechua, a native language of Ecuador.  We'll get a short tour of this magical site, a place that the indigenous peoples have revered for thousands of years.You will learn how the ancient people came to understand that this was the center of the world, centuries before "modern" geography or GPS devices. You can play with gravity here and perform some experiments to learn about the Coriolis effect caused by the Earth's rotation. See the water spin different directions down a drain, depending on which hemisphere it is.  You will also get to know how the indigenous populations of Ecuador live and visit some typical homes of a few different cultures you will find in Ecuador. This tour will give you excellent background information on Ecuador and its people so that you will better understand the people as we pass through the various regions of Ecuador.

After the visit to the Inti-ñan museum, we will be riding in the Northern Hemisphere.  We will first pass through a desert canyon on a road that will bring you into a deep gorge. This area resembles the landscapes you would find in Arizona or the California desert. Then ride out of the canyon into a lush green patchwork of fields of vegetables, roses, and dairy cattle.  We'll stop in the charming little town of San José de Minas with its beautiful stone church and well-manicured central park.

From San José de Minas, climb in altitude on spectacular dirt back roads giving grand vistas of the serene farmlands and forests below. The beautiful aromas of eucalyptus and pine forests will waft into your helmet.

Stop to add a layer of clothing as you ride up to a height of over 12,000 feet (3714 meters) to view the majestic Mojanda Lake surrounded by the Fuya-Fuya mountain which stands guard over it. This high road will be the first time you will be in the high-altitude paramo climate on this ride.

From there,  ride down, through the colonial city of Otavalo, famous for its expansive indigenous market. Otavalo is known to have one of the most highly concentrated 

 Native American populations in all of the Americas. You should stop here to view the various crafts, textiles, and other unique colorful items for sale at the Plaza de Los Ponchos.

We will finish the day's ride along the calming shores of Lake San Pablo and settle in for the night in a private lakeside cabin at the Hosteria Cabanas del Lago.  We will have a delicious dinner alongside the lake and you will return to your private cabin, warmed by a wood fireplace.

After a hearty breakfast at Mama Hilda's, we leave the village and take a dirt road down the side of a cliff and into the deep canyon.  The scenery is stunning, and the varying landscapes of rocky precipices, dry forests, and lush farmlands will amaze you.  After a climb out of the canyon, we reach an altitude of over 12,800 feet to arrive at the awe-inspiring Quilotoa Crater Lake. This caldera was formed after a catastrophic volcanic eruption about 800 years ago. It still has a strange, unusual blue-green color due to the minerals that bubbled in from the earth's core.

We'll then ride into the town of Zumbahua. Zumbahua is an indigenous town where people here dress in the brightly colored traditional dress. You'll notice that most people here are still speaking the language of the Incan Empire - Quechua - and the townspeople are super friendly and welcoming. We'll enjoy another snack of empanadas at the market square. We'll be heading into the cooler elevations from here, and we'll want to be full of energy.

After Zumbahua, we will again be on unpaved dirt and gravel roads and through some of Ecuador's most picturesque regions. We will rise through the cloud forest, then into highlands pampa, where wild alpacas and llamas roam free.  You will get to a height here of about 13,500 feet.  Be prepared as the weather can change here quickly.   We'll see traditional mud homes here.  Inside, residents use guinea pigs to heat their homes in the cold elevations. Potatoes and lentils grow here, and it's the staple food for the people up here.

Then, we pass through the quaint, charming little town of Angamarca.  Angamarca means "Condor's Nest" in the native language, Quechua.  This town will give you insight into Ecuador's traditional life because things haven't changed much in this town over the centuries.  You will be met with lots of curious townspeople as few people ever pass through this town.

You'll ride along sheer cliffs that give astounding views of a valley several hundred feet below.   The dirt road has a few small river crossings and very little traffic.  We make another deep descent on the Western Slopes, into the town of El Corazon. Here they brew and bottle their unique brand of strong liqueur - an aquadiente flavored like bubblegum, coconut, pineapple, or chocolate. This moonshine is pure alcohol that is quite good yet inexpensive. El Corazon is a very friendly town and the right place to stop for lunch.

From El Corazon, we will again face challenging dirt roads that wind through thick jungles. We'll ride in mystical green pastures with a beautiful crystalline brook. You will see neighbors helping each other with farm work, which is the tradition here. We will then arrive in the picturesque, isolated village of Simiatug. The town has the remnants of a 17th-century church, which was mostly destroyed in an earthquake. It is surrounded by mountains and dirt roads stretching out in all directions.  You will feel as though you have ridden into a time warp.

Taking a dirt road out of Simiatug, we will continue to ride and gain altitude on a series of switchback dirt trails.  The air through this section of the cloudforest is scented with wild orchids and tropical plants and will get cooler and fresher as you continue the climb.

We will cross a high mountain pass at around 13,400 feet before arriving in the village of Salinas de Guaranda. This town is unique in Ecuador as it has a Swiss heritage.   Here they make chocolate and cheese in the Swiss tradition, and we will have a dinner of fondue and raclette at a local restaurant.  At the Cachi Yacu Hotel, you can get a good night's sleep in a room overlooking the village.  The night will be chilly as you will be sleeping at an altitude of about 11,500 feet.

You'll probably be a little worn out from yesterday's long ride. We will have a more relaxing morning and enjoy the clean mountain air and inspiring sights of the village of Salinas de Guaranda. Salinas has a fascinating and inspirational history. A little over 40 years ago, most of its residents were in extreme poverty and making pennies by selling milk and other produce to large producers.  They got together and decided to form a cooperative town economy with the goals of full employment, keep the young people from leaving town to the cities, and to better the standard of living for its residents.

They learned to make cheese and chocolate from a Swiss philanthropist and began making a profit by selling high-quality cheese in Quito and other cities. With the success of their cheese and chocolate production, they no longer live in mud huts, their quality of life has improved dramatically. Over the years, they have expanded into other areas, with the townspeople voting on what investments they should make to share the profits. They now make hand-made soccer balls, wool yarn, herbal remedies, and several other natural products. 

We will enjoy a tour of the town to show you the salt fountains (why Salinas has its name) and all of the diverse economic activities that go on in this small town.  It is a fascinating and inspirational tale of success that these enterprising and optimistic residents will tell you in more detail. 

Back on the bike, we'll head into the deep wilderness.  It is a ride along the edge of a steep precipice that will give you 100-mile views of the clouds and coastal plains below.  You'll ride among small family farmers with their pigs, donkeys, and cows along the roadside.  Chickens will cross the road for no apparent reason.  

We will pass through high altitude Andean villages such as Arrayanes, a hamlet of about eight houses, where the villagers make a savory, ripened Andean Mountain cheese. We'll stop to get a taste and see the small operation. Other villages make Parmesan, Mozzarella, and different cheeses from the healthy and happy dairy cows here. Here, the townspeople are very friendly and welcoming, as we motorcycle adventurers are the only ones ever to visit their villages. We encourage our riders to bring small gifts of pencils, crayons, toothbrushes, or other goodies for the kids here, as part of our Pack for a Purpose community initiative.

The air will get warmer as we descend once again deep into the rainforest.  Lemon, orange, and mandarin trees fill the air with new scents.  There are several clear rivers where you can cool yourself off with a quick swim. 

As we get to sea-level, we'll be riding through expansive chocolate, banana, teak, and palm groves on a twisty, exhilarating ride. We'll stop to meet the farmers and producers here so that you can get a better feel for the way of life in the lower elevations of Ecuador.  Quevedo is an agricultural center and was the first Chinese settlement in Ecuador, and many of the Chinese restaurants date back to the 1920s. We will try Ecuador's best Chinese-Ecuadorian cuisine before settling into the Hotel Olimpico for a great swim in its Olympic-size pool with waterslides and high dives, and a comfortable night's sleep in their well-appointed suites.

We will climb back into the tropical rainforest region from Quevedo, first passing grand palm, banana, and cacao plantations and then into coffee country.  From the town of Velez, we will continue gaining in altitude and into another seldom visited part of Ecuador, including the villages of Guasaganda and Pucayacu, with dairy and cattle farms.  Pucuyacu has an exciting animal market, and the town square usually has vendors selling a variety of fresh fruits of all types.  We'll have an energizing snack to propel us into the upcoming fun. You will face some of the most challenging portions of this ride (we saved them for last). On tight unpaved switchbacks, you will climb about 6,000 feet in just a few miles!

You will have incredible views all along the way of this fantastic region as you get higher and higher in altitude.  This wooded zone is the Illiniza National Forest, and the beautiful forests and small farms in this remote, isolated pocket of the country will have you pulling out your camera over and over.

Then, we will cross back into the town of Sigchos to complete the scenic "Quilotoa Loop," riding excellent roads of cobblestone with magnificent vistas in all directions. Dropping into a deep valley on an unimproved dirt road, we'll visit a capulin cherry grower and winery to taste these popular berries.  In the town of Isinlivi, we'll meet the skilled carpenters that are teaching children of the region how to design and build high-quality wood furniture.  Then it's more hardcore riding as we cross over a 13,400-foot pass overlooking the several volcanoes in one of the most dramatic sections of the Andes mountains.

We will stop to visit a rose farm that will show us how several varieties of roses are grown, cut, sorted, and packed for shipping around the world. We'll be able to try different products that are surprising made from roses. After, we will ride one of the most scenic stretches of this intercontinental highway, the "Avenue of Volcanoes."  Here we'll be surrounded by several volcanoes, including Cotopaxi - the world's tallest active volcano.  We'll enjoy the last lunch together at the Cafe de la Vaca, serving some of the best Ecuadorean soul food in the country.

We'll end the day where we started at our shop.  Here you can enjoy a hot shower, hot tub, and a drink at our honor bar before heading out for dinner or catching a flight home.