Quito Inn
Hotel
Day 1
Avenue of the Volcanoes — 9 days (Quito, Otavalo, Cotopaxi, Quilotoa & Chugchilan)
Nine days from Quito to Baños, with a night at 3,500 m. Nine days with the acclimatisation hacienda, a guide on both walking days and the Otavalo market timed for a Saturday.
Pumice & Pine
Runs this trip
Trekking
Nine days from Quito to Baños, with a night at 3,500 m
Group Tour
Join a fixed-date departure with other travellers
Top Highlights
Quito old townNine days down the Avenue of the Volcanoes. La Compañía de JesúsQuito was the first city UNESCO listed, in 1978, and La Compañía has seven tonnes of gold leaf inside it. Plaza de PonchosSleeping at 3,500 m tonight is the acclimatisation for tomorrow, and it is why the hacienda is where it is. Laguna QuilotoaThe descent to the water takes half an hour and the climb back takes an hour and a half at this altitude.
Itinerary
Nine days down the Avenue of the Volcanoes. Quito is the second-highest capital in the world and the first evening is deliberately empty.
QuitoHow the day runs
- 1 hrsTransfer to the old town
- MealsDinner
- AccommodationQuito Inn
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
- Hotel night
LANDMARKS Quito old town La Compañía Panecillo Start point Quito, Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), Quito 00:00 - 23:59Quito was the first city UNESCO listed, in 1978, and La Compañía has seven tonnes of gold leaf inside it.
Quito, OtavaloHow the day runs
- 3 hrs9:00 AM — the old town and La Compañía
- 2 hrs2:00 PM — north to the market town
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationOtavalo Retreat
Included Activities
- Entries
- Hacienda night near Otavalo
LANDMARKS La Compañía de Jesús Plaza Grande Otavalo market Sleeping at 3,500 m tonight is the acclimatisation for tomorrow, and it is why the hacienda is where it is.
Otavalo, Quito, CotopaxiHow the day runs
- 7:00 AM — the Saturday market at Plaza de Ponchos
- 4 hrs12:00 PM — south past Quito to the park
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationCotopaxi Lodge
Included Activities
- Transport
- Hacienda at 3,500 m
LANDMARKS Plaza de Ponchos Cotopaxi Páramo Two hundred and sixty metres of ascent on volcanic sand at nearly 4,900 m, which is far harder than the number suggests. The summit is a technical night climb and is not part of this.
CotopaxiHow the day runs
- 1 hrs8:00 AM — up to the car park at 4,600 m
- 3 hrs9:30 AM — the climb to the José Rivas refuge and the glacier edge
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationCotopaxi Lodge
Included Activities
- Park entry and guide
- Hacienda night
LANDMARKS José Rivas refuge Cotopaxi glacier Limpiopungo The descent to the water takes half an hour and the climb back takes an hour and a half at this altitude. Mules wait at the bottom for a reason.
Cotopaxi, QuilotoaHow the day runs
- 3 hrs8:00 AM — west across the páramo
- 3 hrs1:00 PM — down to the water and back up
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationQuilotoa House
Included Activities
- Community entry fee
- Guesthouse on the rim
LANDMARKS Laguna Quilotoa Crater rim Zumbahua Eleven kilometres through canyon farmland where people still work with oxen, and the route is easy to lose without a guide.
Quilotoa, ChugchilanHow the day runs
- 6 hrs7:30 AM — the rim, the canyon and up the far side
- MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- AccommodationChugchilan Residency
Included Activities
- Guide
- Mountain lodge with all meals
LANDMARKS Quilotoa rim Sigüilán canyon Chugchilán Baños sits under Tungurahua, which erupted repeatedly between 1999 and 2016 and emptied the town more than once.
Chugchilan, BanosHow the day runs
- 4 hrs8:30 AM — down out of the highlands
- 2:30 PM — the thermal baths under the waterfall
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationBanos Retreat
Included Activities
- Baths entry
- Hotel night
LANDMARKS Baños Tungurahua Termas de la Virgen The road drops from 1,820 m towards the Amazon basin past a dozen waterfalls, and a truck brings you back up.
BanosHow the day runs
- 5 hrs9:00 AM — the Ruta de las Cascadas to Río Verde and the Pailón del Diablo
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationBanos Retreat
Included Activities
- Bike hire and pickup
- Hotel night
Optional Activities
- The canopy swing at Casa del Árbol
LANDMARKS Ruta de las Cascadas Pailón del Diablo Manto de la Novia Allow the full three and a half hours — the Pan-American through Ambato is slow.
Banos, QuitoHow the day runs
- 4 hrs8:00 AM — back up the Pan-American
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationNot included — onward travel
Included Activities
- Transfer
- Day 1Airport transfer
- Day 1Hotel night
- Day 2Entries
- Day 2Hacienda night near Otavalo
- Day 3Transport
- Day 3Hacienda at 3,500 m
- Day 4Park entry and guide
- Day 4Hacienda night
- Day 5Community entry fee
- Day 5Guesthouse on the rim
- Day 6Guide
- Day 6Mountain lodge with all meals
- Day 7Baths entry
- Day 8Bike hire and pickup
- Day 8The canopy swing at Casa del ÁrbolCosts extra
- Day 9Transfer
- Day 1 · 1 nightQuito Inn
- Day 2 · 1 nightOtavalo Retreat
- Day 3 · 2 nightsCotopaxi Lodge
- Day 5 · 1 nightQuilotoa House
- Day 6 · 1 nightChugchilan Residency
- Day 7 · 2 nightsBanos Retreat
- Day 1Quito to QuitoTransfer to the old town
- Day 2Quito to Otavalo2:00 PM — north to the market town
- Day 3Otavalo to Cotopaxi12:00 PM — south past Quito to the park
- Day 4Cotopaxi to Cotopaxi8:00 AM — up to the car park at 4,600 m
- Day 5Cotopaxi to Quilotoa8:00 AM — west across the páramo
- Day 7Chugchilan to Banos8:30 AM — down out of the highlands
- Day 9Banos to Quito8:00 AM — back up the Pan-American
Where you'll stay
All accommodations are subject to change
Otavalo Retreat
Hotel
Day 2
Cotopaxi Lodge
Lodge
Days 3, 4
Quilotoa House
Hotel
Day 5
Chugchilan Residency
Hotel
Day 6
Banos Retreat
Hotel
Days 7, 8
What you'll eat
8 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 6 dinners across 9 days, at camp. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 9.
- DinnerServed on days 1–6
- BreakfastServed on days 2–9
- LunchServed on day 6
15 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered; Jain, gluten-free and allergies on notice at booking
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Customer reviews
Overall rating
4.5/5
Based on 19 reviews
Review summary
Food4.2/5
Guide4.1/5
Itinerary4.3/5
Transport4.3/5
Accommodation4.5/5
Tour operator4.3/5
Sort by:Recommended
5
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Nikhil Joshi – Nagpur2026-05-11 · Verified booking
Second trek with this operator and they've kept the standard up. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested. Meals were good throughout and the vegetarian options weren't an afterthought. Would send friends their way.
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5
N
Nina Hoffmann – Dubai2026-05-11 · Verified booking
Did this over 9 days and it was the best walking I've done in years. Rooms were comfortable and the locations meant we could walk most evenings.
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2
C
Carla Mendes – Melbourne2026-05-11 · Verified booking
The trek itself is good but the group was too large for the trail on the summit day.
Reply from Pumice & Pine
Glad you enjoyed it. Hope to see you on another trip.
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5
S
Sofia Marchetti – London2026-05-11 · Verified booking
Second trek with this operator and they've kept the standard up. No complaints about any of the hotels — all of them well placed. Whoever planned the days knew what they were doing. Would send friends their way.
Reply from Pumice & Pine
Thanks for writing this up. We've passed your note to the team.
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5
N
Nikhil Joshi – Chennai2026-05-11 · Verified booking
The route is beautiful and the pacing was sensible — nobody was rushed on the climb. No complaints about any of the hotels — all of them well placed. The lead was calm and knew when to slow the group down. Would book with them again.
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5
A
Aditi Rao – Bengaluru2025-06-06 · Verified booking
Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested. No hesitation recommending them.
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5
I
Ishita Ghosh – Indore2025-06-06 · Verified booking
Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be. Hotels were clean and central, which saved a lot of time. Guides answered every question, including the daft ones.
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4
S
Sameer Khan – Ahmedabad2025-06-06 · Verified booking
Did this over 9 days and it was the best walking I've done in years. Good value for what's included.
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Questions people ask
One other operator runs this trail. See all 2 side by side →