Our journey started in Mindo: pleasant tourist town, humid warm climate, walking past countless waterfalls through cloud forest, green plants everywhere with the tarabita crossing the valley, good food in the village ... Here many adrenaline-increasing activities are possible on and next to the water, but also a quiet visit to the beautiful butterfly garden is definitely worth it!
Along the Mitad del Mundo (stopping at the museum about Ecuador and the equator is highly recommended), we started our first big climb towards Cotopaxi: literally and figuratively breathtaking. Unearthly, beautifully rough and desolate, staying in Tambopaxi provides the most beautiful panorama of the trip!
Hiking above 5000m is quite a challenge, horseback riding in the national park around the volcano is wonderfully relaxing!

From Cotopaxi over the panamericana towards Guamote: the quiet town populated by indigenas, changes on Thursdays into a lively market town, known throughout the Andes, where your eyes and ears are short, here you really experience the Ecuadorian strength and character! From here we also made excursions past the school, to the mountain villages, a walk along mountain lakes, a visit to the shaman (with the option of testing dried mushrooms for the most adventurous)... !

Next stop: the Chimborazo, the highest volcano, where the elegant vicuñas will certainly meet you along the way. Here we were lucky that it was a beautiful day, and we could walk in the sun and in the snow at the same time: unparalleled and unearthly beauty!

From the cold altitude to subtropical: in Baños we happily went out of the way of the real tourist, always smoothly accompanied by our guides, so that we could eat delicious fresh trout again, taken from the breeding pond and prepared in front of us!
< br> Our last stop was Papallacta: up for the last time and another great hike - in the meantime we are more accustomed to the altitude and the walking is less strenuous - but it never gets effortless here.

Traveling to Ecuador with Tom was
• perfectly arranged: always picked up on time, we didn't have to worry about anything: all transfers and entrances always arranged flawlessly. We also always felt safe: thanks to the planning of Tom and the guides, we only came to places where we could also walk around carefree
• endlessly varied: in terms of weather, views, sometimes we were in completely deserted, almost desolate but always unparalleled places, then in the middle of the bustle of the market... Quiet (but always strenuous!) walks can be alternated with adventurous activities.. .

For us it was an enchanting trip, ideal with older children and for people who love variety and nature!

Annemie en Jan Wynant - De Hondt Tweet