You will be collected from Quito airport, or anywhere else you need within the city. You will then be transferred to a lovely boutique hotel in a premium part of the city. This evening you will be treated to a gourmet three course dinner.

After breakfast, your private driver / guide will meet you at the hotel, provide a brief introduction and then set out south from Quito along the Avenue of Volcanoes. The road will ply Ecuador's alto plano (high plains), out of which literally erupt some of the Andes highest volcanoes. If cloud cover is favourable, we can hope to see Cotopaxi and Tungurahua. If you do, you driver will stop to admire.

From the alto plano you will descend the eastern slopes of the Andes until you reach the town of Banos. Here you can have a walk round, including the colourful vegetable and fruit market. You will then take lunch and visit the place on Amazon tributary, the Rio Pastaza, where the smaller Rio Verde joins it at a dramatic waterfall.

From here we will continue to the town of Puyo, on the edge of the Amazon Basin. We will stay in a small hotel with lovely gardens and some great local food knocked up by our host Sofia.

After breakfast, you will be driven about 10 minutes to an air strip from where you will take a private plane into a remote part of the Amazon, not far from the border with Peru. You will say goodbye to your Andes guide before taking flight.

Please Note: in going to such as remote part of the Amazon, we are at the mercy of the elements. If there is excessive rain then we will have to delay until the skies are sufficiently clear to fly. You might be delayed both in flying to the Amazon and in getting back - by as much as 24 hours. We will have to adapt if this is the case.

Once you do take off, you will fly 160 km and 50 minutes over Amazon as pristine as it should be. The wide meandering Rio Pastaza will be seen beneath us, with tributaries of all sizes feeding black waters into those delivered laden with material carried down from the Andes.

Once you land, you will be met by your Achuar hosts, boarding a motor canoe which will carry you 20 minutes to the lodge.

You will settle in and take lunch, after which you will head out on a walk which will first describe the local ecology; and then quieten down as you seek out wildlife. Cicadas and Horned Screamer birds will become familiar daytime sounds. When Red Howler Monkeys begin to sing, we will know that darkness isn't far away - something which descends quickly on the Equator.

Achuar culture and beliefs are based around dreams and visions. The Achuar begin each day early, 3 - 4am, drinking wayus tea. Wayus is from a native plant, Ilex guayusa, which is part of the Holly genus - high in caffeine with positive antioxidant properties. The Achuar drink wayus early in the morning, whilst sharing their dreams - something you can join them for this morning.

As daylight begins to appear, you will head out onto the Rio Pastaza, in search of macaws, parrots and other birds which sometimes descend en masse onto a section of river bank to top up on minerals. Dawn is one of the most active times of the day for wildlife, so it's a good idea to make use of opportunities first thing each day in the Amazon.

You will have breakfast at around 8am, before heading out to an Achuar village to learn about local medicinal plants.

There is plenty of insect noise during the middle of the day, but less potential for mammals. You are also likely to feel somewhat tired by this time, so lunch with a rest afterwards is likely to be welcome. You will be able to walk in the near vicinity and gaze at the river too - if you are lucky, perhaps making sight of pink river dolphins.

Mid-afternoon, we will head out in search of wildlife again on the river. You can remain in a slow motor canoe, or propel yourself by kayak.

After dinner, we will head out on a night walk in search of all things great and small. We will conduct further night walks, so if you are tired after an early start, you might prefer to explore by night on a later occasion.

Unless you prefer to sleep in, before breakfast you will be taken out in search of birds and monkeys along a tributary to the Rio Pastaza.

Breakfast will be at 8am, after which you will take time to learn more about Achuar culture, beliefs and how they are dealing with challenges posed by the modern world. Achuar land rights are such that the Ecuadorian Government does not own rights it can sell to prospectors for oil and minerals. Thus far, the Achuar have refused access to oil and mining. They have had the opportunity to see some of the damage these activities have inflicted on areas to the north and south and prefer to develop through ecotourism and other means.

The following plan can be adapted for you if you prefer not to camp overnight, deep in Amazon wilderness.

After lunch, you will get into a motor canoe and head to our camping area, set up and take an early dinner. We will then head out in search of wildlife, returning just before dark.

Early morning you will explore by motor or canoe, heading back to the lodge in time for a late lunch. 

Late-afternoon you will head out again in search of wildlife.

As light emerges, you will be taken out in search of wildlife and birdlife again by canoe.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the air strip and fly back to where you can reconnect to the outside world.

Note: once again, weather can cause delays in our flight. You will only be flown when it is safe to do so.

After flying almost an hour over Amazon wilderness, you will be met by your driver who will take you north up into the Andes, to an area of thermally heated springs at Papallacta. You will pass through some fantastic Andean cloud forest scenery along the way. At Papallacta, you will stay at a hotel and spa with views (subject to cloud cover) of the glacial peaks of Antisana Volcano. Here you can relax as you wish, at the highest altitude you will have reached so far, sleeping at 3,500 meters above sea level. There are nature trails close by and spa treatments are available.

Breakfast and lunch are included today, but dinner will be by your own account.

After breakfast, departing at 9.30am, will be collected and driven from the eastern side of the Andes to cloud forests on the western Pacific-facing slopes of the Andes.

The drive will take about 3 ½ hours.

You will be able to settle into your room before lunch and a briefing about the area.

Either side of lunch, it's worth gazing at the views and stopping to observe and photograph dozens of hummingbirds. 

In the afternoon you will be taken for a walk, soaking up views; looking for evidence of mammals such as Tayra and Spectacled Bears; and looking in detail at the huge variety of flora which surrounds us.

5am, you will be taken to a reserve where there is a 'lek' where you can try to watch bright orange / red male Cock of the Rock birds perform to females. 

You will get back to the lodge for breakfast at about 8.30am, after which you can join a guided walk.

After lunch, you can join another guided walk at 3pm.

You can join a dawn birdwatching hike before breakfast.

8.30am you can join a guided walk.

Lunch

3pm you will be driven to the same hotel in Quito.

Your journey ends today after breakfast at the hotel in Quito; or with a transfer to the airport, as needed.