Experience Holy Week in Quito including the great and colorful procession of Good Friday with 90,000 participants winding through the streets of Quito's Old Town. During our two night trip during Semana Santa (Holy Week), enjoy the best views of Quito's central square, Plaza de la Independencia. Explore Quito with a guide, including the Middle of the World Monument and the Pichincha Volcano.
Highlights
Visit the Middle of the World and stand in two hemispheres at once
Take a cable car up the slopes of Pichincha Volcano for views of Quito
Watch the Easter Festival procession from your hotel balcony above
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Start the day with your guide and drive north towards "La Mitad del Mundo" (The Middle of the World) in the village of San Antonio, about 22 Km. north of Quito. Here you'll visit the trapezium stone monument, which is built on the Equator, and the excellent Museo Etnográfico and Inti-Ñan.
In the afternoon, take the Quito Teleferico, an aerial cable-car up the slope of the Pichincha Volcano. This opportunity at 13,400 feet above sea level provides the best vantage points of Quito as well as the surrounding Avenue of the Volcanoes, including Cotopaxi Volcano, the second highest peak in Ecuador.
Return to Quito in the evening to the Hotel Plaza Grande, a historic and luxurious hotel in Quito's Old Town and our home for the next two nights. The evening is free for dinner, and arrangements can be made for dinner reservations.
In the morning, drive north to visit "El mirador de Guápulo" (view point), from where you can admire its church and Quito's nearby valleys. Return to Quito's colonial center - one of the world's cultural heritage sites, where you can see many historical buildings; including churches, museums and monuments. From here, continue to El Panecillo - the small, rounded hill which dominates the Old Town. From its summit you'll see marvelous views of the whole city stretching out below and of the surrounding volcanoes. Looking down, you will see the preparations for the Easter procession of Good Friday which leaves from the Church of San Francisco.
Return to the Hotel Plaza Grande to take advantage of its balconies that overlook the procession route and the Plaza de la Independencia. The procession begins at midday to honor the hour which Pontious Pilate condemned Jesus to death. It is estimated that around 90,000 people participate in the procession with tens of thousands of spectators lining the streets in Quito's Old Town. You will be fortunate to watch from the Hotel Plaza Grande's balconies this cultural spectacle with the purple-clad and hooded cucurochos accompanying symbols representing Jesus and the Virgin Mary through the streets of Quito. Penitents complete with crowns of real thorns and carrying crosses represent Jesus' suffering.
As the procession winds down, return with your guide to the Old Town to further explore and to take in this unique cultural event. The evening is free to enjoy Quito's restaurants and nightlife.
Day 3: Continue to your next destination
Continue to your next destination, such as the Galapagos, the Amazon, the Ecuadorian highlands, or into Peru to Machu Picchu, or return home on your international flight.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
Initial deposit is $400, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days (10 weeks) prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
This was our first trip to South America and we were a little nervous. But Adventure Life made things so easy! All our questions were answered before we left, and our guide, Vidal, was amazing! He gave us enough space to explore without rushing us along. He also knew where the best picture taking opportunities were, which was great.
Lindsay Gompf
TrustScore 4.8 | 175 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 175 reviews on
1 day ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
3 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
4 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.