Get ready to experience authentic South American colonial and indigenous culture as you explore the world’s second-highest capital city, Quito! Here, a wealth of historical patrimony has made this dynamic city a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the Old Town, a casual stroll through the colonial plazas will take you to impressive cathedrals like the San Francisco Church and Convent and La Compañía (with a completely gold-leaf interior). You'll also see the Carondolet Presidential Palace and the commanding gothic cathedral, La Basilica del Voto Nacional. Keeping watch over the city is the aluminum monument of La Virgen de Quito on Panecillo Hill. And a short drive from here will bring you to the monument marking the geographic middle of the world. Quito also makes a great starting point for Andes, Galapagos, & Amazon tours.
El Panecillo – Named for its bun-shape, this hill overlooks the entire city of Quito, offering a fantastic panorama. It's also home to the renowned monument to the winged "Virgin of Quito," which keeps watch over the whole city.
Palacio Carondolet & the Plaza Grande are in the historical center of the city and serve as the seat of the government.
The TeleferiQo is a cable car that zips travelers to the top of the mountain, where you can breathe in the brisk highland air.
La Basilica del Voto Nacional is a marvel of gothic architecture and perhaps the most recognizable church in South America with its intricately carved towers and gargoyles.
San Francisco Convent, La Compañía Church, & El Sagrario are other impressive churches that highlight Quito's colonial center.
Cotopaxi Volcano – Just outside the city is the strikingly symmetrical, snow-capped Cotopaxi Mountain, an active volcano that is great for hikers of all levels.
Otavalo is undoubtedly the biggest and most well known artisan market in all of South America, where you can find brilliantly colorful tapestries, hand-carved wooden sculptures, leather goods, and a variety of other beautiful handicrafts.
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.