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Biking Dutchman - The Andes
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Biking Dutchman offers you departure every day with a minimmum of 2 persons.
ONE DAY TRIPS
Included:
Box lunch, 21-speed mountain bikes, all transportation, all
protections (helmet, hand gloves, elbow and knee pads) and veteran guides.
Not included:
Entrance fees to National Parks (e.g. Cotopaxi), drinks and
tips.
Departure time:
08h00 in the morning.
In each we'll ride approximately 50 kilometers on bike (5 - 6 hours) and 4
hours on jeep.
Clients can choose to do more biking, if desired!
COTOPAXI
Although only a two hour drive from Quito, Cotopaxi National Park is the
epitome of untamed Andean wilderness: Expansive stretches of paramo -the
Ecuadorian equivalent to the arctic tundra - reach out in every direction
including towards the sky where the ochre yellow grasses contrast
brilliantly with the high-altitude blue. Across these tundra-like plains run
herds of wild horses and on occasion, the Andean condor with its nine-foot
wingspan can be seen circling above. At your feet are dainty clusters of
yellow, lavender and rose colored flowers. Cotopaxi Volcano, with its
perfect snow cone sits alone stoically, the silent master of this majestic
landscape.
Your biking adventure begins as we drive south to the Park along the
Pan-American Highway. Within two hours we reach the head trail (4600 m) at
the base of Cotopaxi Volcano. After donning our biking gear and catching our
breath in the brisk high-altitude air we begin our downward descent. Get
ready for high-speed adventure and hang-on tight as the dirt road will take
you on a wild ride. The road will whisk you past silvery smooth Limpiopungo
Lake and eventually through pine-forested lands until you reach the park's
guard station, where you can see a corralled llama herd. Our 4-wheel-drive
vehicles will drive you to Inca ruins (tolas) where a box lunch will be
served. After a snack we return to Quito by jeep, bikes loaded on top.
NONO-TANDAYAPA
Drive westwards from Quito towards the coast, over the Andes using the old
road Quito-Mindo until 3100 m of altitude.
At this point, we switch to our mountain bikes and start the descent towards
the cloud forest located on the West slope of volcano Pichincha until we
reach the cross roads to Tandayapa (2000 m of altitude)
This is a 40 Kmbike ride on a dead road, void of traffic.
You'll enjoy a picnic lunch before we continue biking until reaching the
small birding paradise of Tandayapa. Watch the vegetation change from paramo
to cloud forest to low mountain forest as you whiz down the mountain. Keep
one eye on the road and the other peeled onthe sky: there's a good chance to
see parrots, hummingbirds, toucans and caciques.
On our way back to Quito we stop for a 40-minute-hike among verdant forest.
We intern ourselves in the cloud forest to visit a water fall.
We return to our 4-wheel drive jeep and continue on the Calacalí-La
Independiencia road towards Quito.This is a very scenic loop enjoying the
views. The landscape is diverse with patchwork fields of lush
vegetation and the high sierra plains. We stop for a visit to the rim of
crater Pululahua.Before we reach Quito, we pass the monument to the Mitad
del Mundo
PAPALLACTA
The tourists will be picked up at 08.00. The tour starts by car heading
east. This trip have plenty views of the Andes and the upper regions of the
east part of the country. When we reach the 4000 mts, at the "Paso de la
Virgen", the down hill bike ride to Cuyuja begins (on the Gateway to the
jungle) a small town after Papallacta; this downhill is about 35 km. From
this little village, return by jeep to Papallacta. Here there are very well
known hot springs, where we stop for bathing, relaxation and sightseeing.
Afterwards return by car to the "Paso de la Virgen" at 4000 m altitude and
from there one of the most spectacular down hill bike rides to Quito starts.
We will descend from 4000 to 2000 mts, a descending about 30 km. The bike
ride stops near Tumbaco. From here the car will take us back to Quito.
GUAGUA PICHINCHA - LLOA
We start our biking journey near the top of still - very active Guagua
Pichincha Volcano. The views are spectacular. look east one a clear day and
you´ll see the sprawling metropolis of Quito back- dropped by numerous snow-
capped volcanoes. Look towards each of the other three compass points and
you will de awed by great expenses of paramo (thundra like vegetation). We
will trek to the edge of the crater to peer over its rim and into the
throbbing heart of this rumbling, belching sulfuric beast, after which, we
mount our bikes and race downwards to Lloa on an abandoned dirt road. At
Lloa we head west into the cloud forest, where the verdant forest awaits
you. Packed lunch en - route. By late afternoon we return to Quito.
2 DAY TRIPS
COTOPAXI-QUILOTOA
Drive by jeep for 1 ½ hours from Quito along the Pan-American Highway south
to Cotopaxi National Park. Cotopaxi (19,000 feet) is one of the most
beautiful and active volcanoes in Ecuador and the whole of South America. We
will have several hours to explore this outstanding area of natural beauty
by bike. By jeep we drive up to the parking lot (14,500 feet). >From there,
we commence the spectacular down hill bike ride, descending a total of 6000
feet until we arrive at the Pan-American Highway where the first leg of the
cycling trip ends. We then ascend by jeep in a northwest direction into the
western Cordillera arriving at Quilotoa to spend the night.
The night's retreat is an Indian Hut and our jovial hosts will leave a
lasting impression upon us with a "typico fiesta," in our honour. (L,D)
The next day, we start with an early hike down to the deep jade colored
Quilotoa Crater Lake.
The hike downhill to the Laguna takes about 30 minutes and about twice as
long
to climb back up.
But, you can hire a mule or donkey for about US$2-3 to carry you back to the
top, where your breakfast will be awaiting you to charge your batteries for
this day's adventure!
After breakfast we descend on mountain bikes to Zumbahua. Many years ago, an
earthquake destroyed this area. The land has transformed into a rugged
formation resembling what you might imagine as terrain from another planet.
Lunch is a picnic at a location where we have the opportunity to intermingle
with the Quechua Indians or test your artistic skills with the locals
painting landscapes of the area.
After lunch, we enjoy a 30-minute drive until we reach 4,200 m. (13.400 ft.)
We switch then to human power and the downhill bike ride begins down a long
and winding road all the way back to Latacunga located at 2400 m. (7,600
ft.) where the cycle trip ends.
We then return by jeep to Quito. (B,L)
Included:
Camping gear, meals as indicated (b-breakfast, l-lunch, d-dinner),
accommodation, 21-speed mountain bikes, all transportation and veteran
bilingual guides.
Not included:
Entrance fees to National Parks (e.g. Cotopaxi= US$10)
PAPALLACTA SAN RAFAEL WATER FALLS
This is an excellent way to see a cross section of Ecuador¹s ecosystems in
two days. As we travel, we are dwarfed by the striking Andes Mountains us
that surround us. If we are lucky and have a clear day, we can see all the
snow capped volcanoes of the Eastern Cordillera (Cayambe, Cotopaxi,
Antisana, Chimborazo). You will pedal across the paramo 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.
The terrain for this leg of the journey is a combination of dirt and paved
roads of scenic rolling hills.
We ascend by jeep to the high pass "Paso de la Virgen" at 4200 meters (13300
ft) . From here the decent begins by mountain bike...all the way to the
small town of Baeza, where we have our lunch.
The afternoon bike trip takes us through tropical rainforest to San Rafael
Falls, the highest waterfall in Ecuador where we spend the night in tents. A
fortifying dinner will be served while you relax to the sounds of the
tropical rainforest.(L, D)
The following day we awaken in the wilderness and begin with an early trek
to the famous Waterfalls. When we return, we¹ll enjoy a hearty home made
breakfast.
Afterwards, we depart by mountain bike for a 3-hour ride. Once we reach our
first destination, we store our bikes on our jeep¹s roof and drive back up
to the Papallacta Hot Springs for a soothing swim in the natural thermal
pools. At midday we refortify with a typical Ecuadorian picnic at the
springs.
After lunch we drive over the Papallacta pass at 4200 m and remount our iron
horses for the two thousand-meter "whiz" downward to Tumbaco valley. From
here we drive back to Quito in the jeep. If the day is clear, views of
Antisana Volcano will bedazzle you!
Return by jeep to Quito around 5 p.m. (B,L)
Included:
Camping gear, meals as indicated (b-breakfast, l-lunch, d-dinner)
accommodation, 21-speed mountain bikes, all transportation and veteran
bilingual guides.
Not included:
Entrance fees to National Park.
5-DAY MOUNTAIN BIKE TRIP
Day 1: Our five-day biking adventure begins as we drive south to Cotopaxi
National Park, two hours from Quito.
At the base of Cotopaxi Volcano, we embark on the first leg of our journey:
a wild ride downward to the silvery lake of Limpiopungo. Across the paramo
landscape you often see wild herds of horses galloping free, as well as
dainty clusters of paramo flowers in yellows, pinks and lavenders.
Eventually, we pedal through pine-forested lands until reaching the park's
guard station, where a llama herd is typically seen. In the afternoon, we
drive to Ambato, where we spend the night in a hotel. (B,L)
Day 2: Chimborazo to Baños
We head out early for the drive south to Volcan Chimborazo, the highest peak
in Ecuador at 6310 meters (20,697 ft.) At the base camp we hop on our bikes
and begin the downward descent through a magical Andean landscape to the
small village of San Juan, nearby Riobamba. Before reaching this point,
we'll be served our lunch in a very typical Indian village. In San Juan we
load the bikes on the jeep roof and drive to Baños, a small town famous for
its hot springs, and spend the night there. (B,L)
Day 3: Puyo and the Avenue of the Orchids
We take a pre-breakfast dip in the thermal baths of Baños before pedaling
east toward Puyo. You'll notice the dramatic temperature and vegetation
changes as we descend into the steamy Amazon basin. In the Amazonian
frontier town of Puyo we will have lunch before driving along the Avenue of
the Orchids to the river-port town of La Punta Ahuano. Overnight and dinner
in a jungle lodge at the river bank. (B,L)
Day 4: Rainforest Excursion by Canoe
Today our travel is by foot and canoe as we explore the Amazon with a local
Quichua guide. He leads us through his rainforest home and shares his
knowledge of the local flora and fauna. We stand a good chance of spotting
flocks of Amazon parrots, macaws and toucans. We then return to our lodge
for dinner and a second overnight stay. (B,L)
High Amazon, Day 5:
Today we cycle to the town of Baeza at the base of the Andes. We enjoy a
picnic lunch, and then drive up to the Papallacta thermal baths for a
well-earned soak in the toasty hot springs. We continue our journey by
driving up to the 4200m Papallacta pass. >From here, we don our riding gear
for the last time and complete the final part of our five-day journey: the
ride downhill to Tumbaco, a suburb of Quito. The spectacular ride takes us
speeding through wide stretches of paramo and cloud forest, with the Andean
sun illuminating the way. Some days can be chilled by occasional fog, so
don't forget your mittens and fleece. In Tumbaco we pile the bikes on the
jeep's roof and head back to Quito. (B,L)
INCLUDED:
Jungle tour, meals as indicated (B=breakfast, L= lunch, D=dinner)
4 nights accommodation, Bikes, transportation, guide-driver, all
protections.
NOT INCLUDED:
Meals not mentioned above Entrance fee to the National Parks
(e.g Cotopaxi and Chimborazo US$ 10,00 each one, drinks, tips, personal
expenses,
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Rates.
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in Dollars |
in Euros |
| One day trips |
45 |
51 |
| Two days trips |
100 |
114 |
| Five days trips |
540 |
612 |
The convertion is made with a rate of 1, 132 Euros for 1Dollar ( or 1 Euro for 0.86 Dollars)
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Ecuaworld.com: Ecuador and Galapagos Islands Travel Guide
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