LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION
Itinerary: Southern Ecuador
Untitled Document
TWO TO THREE WEEKS / ANDES & AMAZON
A journey of over 500km, this itinerary will take you through the newly opened southern sector of Parque Nacional Sangay and into the little visited reaches of the southern Oriente. You’ll pass through tiny jungle towns and rub shoulders with indigenous Shuar before climbing back into and over the Andes for a tumble down the western side.
After a day in
Riobamba, leave the gringo trail and visit the fascinating Thursday market at
Guamote before veering east into
Parque Nacional Sangay via the new Guamote–Macas road. Stop in Atillo for a couple of days of spectacular hiking around the crystalline
Lagunas de Atillo. From Atillo continue downhill to
Macas, a friendly town bathed in the siesta-inducing tropical humidity of the southern Oriente. In Macas hire a guide for a cultural tour to an indigenous Shuar community, or walk (without a guide) to the village of
Sevilla. You can also hire a guide in Macas to take you down the Río Santiago to the
Cueva de los Tayos, the cave-home of Ecuador’s mysterious oil birds.
After a few days in Macas, travel south through
Sucúa , and the wee town of
Limón and stop in whatever jungle village piques your interest. After a day in Gualaquiza either venture uphill to
Cuenca (likely the prettiest darn town in the southern Oriente) via the scenic dirt road through
Sígsig or continue south through the rain forest to
Zamora, where you can explore
Parque Nacional Podocarpus. After a day or two in Zamora, climb back into the Andes to
Loja where you’ll rejoin the tourist trail. Take a breather (and treat yourself to a massage) in laid-back
Vilcabamba, and then work your way down the western side of the Andes to
Catacocha. After a day in Catacocha, make your way to
Puyango to visit one of South America’s largest petrified forests, before winding your way back to Cuenca.
Lonely Planet recommends World Nomads Travel insurance
