Adventure in Quito

It’s an hour drive southeast of the capital, to the snow-clad Antisana Volcano. From the city, you can see its snow-clad peaks looming in the distance but today you’ll get up close and personal with its conical frame towering at nearly 6,000 metres. Serious adventurers can scale one of the volcano’s four glacier peaks, some of the most technically challenging but rewarding climbs in the Ecuadorian Andes. Otherwise hike across the foothills pausing to gaze at the Andean condors and orange-faced carunculated caracaras that hover in the wind.

Head to the western Andes where the steep Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, a biodiverse paradise, lies swaddled in mist. The sloping subtropical kingdom has been a birding mecca for years. Hike a network of little-explored dirt trails that crisscross the lush undergrowth. This forest is home to 330 different bird species such as the plate-billed mountain toucan, the tanager finch and a plethora of hummingbirds. You’ll also spot elegantly shaped orchids that fragrance the air. 

Once you have completed your exploration of the Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve, descend to continue your adventure.