Trip Rating: Moderate
This is an excellent way to see a cross section of Ecuador’s ecosystems in two days. As we travel, we are dwarfed by the striking Andes Mountains that surround us. You will pedal across the páramo – 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.
Day 1: Ascend by jeep to the high pass "Paso de la Virgen" at 4200 meters (13300 ft). From here the descent begins by mountain bike...all the way to the small town of Baeza. Lunch in the wilderness. The afternoon bike trip takes us through tropical rainforest to San Rafael Falls, the highest waterfall in Ecuador and end the day with an amazing trek to the famous Waterfalls.
Return to Baeza where a fortifying dinner will be served while you relax to the sounds of the tropical rainforest. Night rest in hotel.
 Day 2: After breakfast we depart by mountain bike for a 3-hour ride. Once we reach our first destination, we store our bikes on our jeep’s roof and drive back up to the Papallacta Hot Springs for a soothing swim in the natural thermal pools. Lunch. Drive over the Papallacta pass at 4200 m and remount our iron horses for the two thousand-meter "whiz" downward to Tumbaco valley. Views of Antisana Volcano will bedazzle you! Jeep to Quito.
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