Have you ever felt the need to be in the middle of the world surrounded by natural and cultural beauties? THIS IS YOUR CHANCE! Ecuador is a small country in area, located in the northwest of South America on the equator (latitude 0*0"0'), AND is one of the countries with the greatest biodiversity of species per km 2 in the world. It is a country of four worlds: Galapagos Islands, Coast, Andes Mountain Range and Amazon Basin. It is home to over 4,200 species of orchids, most endemic; 16 ethnic groups; 1600 species of birds; 70 volcanoes located in the beautiful Andes Avenue; and wonderful beaches. With its extreme diversity of habitats and microclimates Ecuador hosts thousands of different orchid species grouped into 240 different genera, growing from the lowlands, near to sea level, up to the highlands in the Paramo. One of the reasons it is the ideal place to organize the And the most important We know where the NATIVE ECUADORIAN ORCHIDS are growing in the wild. Since 1992, Ecuagenera has undertaken lots of research and also identified many new species of Ecuadorian Orchids. It will be a pleasure for US that YOU join with us to meet the wonders of Ecuador!
POST-CONFERENCE TOUR 12Days/11Nights BEGINS Thursday, November 9 th Saturday, November 11 th Sunday, November 12 th ENDS Monday, November 20 th Wednesday, November 22 th Thursday, November 23 th Price for pax: DBL Room USD 1800 SGL Room USD 2400 Prices could change depending hotel availability. Price for an extra day is $210 SGL Room or $175 per person DBL Room. Prices are for groups of 20 people, maximum 30. If you want a tour with few people let us know, we will organize it for YOU! Includes: - Transfer airport-hotel-airport - Hotel (** or ***) - Food and Beverages - Water - Transport - Guide Not includes: - Alcoholic drinks - Extras not specified here - Hotel in Guayaquil FREE TRANSFER IN GUAYAQUIL Airport to the hotel, if you arrive between NOVEMBER 7 to 11 th ITINERARY DAY 0 Arrive to Guayaquil and transfer to your Hotel (Btw Nov, 7 th to 11 th ). If you wish to visit the Ecuagenera Nursery situated near to Guayaquil; 50m above sea level; between those days, there will be a bus in the Convention Center to transfer you to the Nursery and bring you back. Buses will be available every 2 hours (Ask for more information). DAY 1 Thursday, Nov. 09 th GUAYAQUIL to GUALACEO Breakfast. On the way to Gualaceo, we will pass through the Cajas National Park. It is a wonderful area with over 232 lagoons. It is the biggest water supply for Cuenca City. Highest point there will be 4000m above sea level. Sometimes there are alpacas walking through the way. We will see some Epidendrum, Oncidium, Stelis, Masdevallia. Dinner. We will spend the night in Gualaceo / Cuenca.
DAY 2 GUALACEO. Breakfast. Visit the Ecuagenera Nursery situated over 2200m to learn about the conservation program they are carrying out. We will visit the greenhouses to see intermediate-cold growing orchids. Lunch. Visit Chordeleg known as Land of the Jeweller, to learn about filigrana technique. Dinner. We ll spend the night in Gualaceo/Cuenca. DAY 3 GUALACEO. Breakfast. ECUAGENERA invite you to join with them and celebrate its 25 th ANNIVERSARY. We will organize a Traditional Food Festival, full of fun, food and music. We will spend the night in Gualaceo/Cuenca. DAY 4 GUALACEO to MENDEZ Breakfast. If you do not know the amazon region yet, this is your chance, because we will start our trip to the amazon base to see different species of Phragmipedium like besseae, pearcei and reticulatum; Sudamerlycaste, Elleanthus, Sobralia, Pleurothallis. Lunch. On the way there are located thre of the main hydroelectric that provide of energy to our country. Dinner. Spend the night in Mendez. DAY 5 MENDEZ to EL PANGUI Breakfast. We will continue by the way that connect all the cities from the amazon region of Ecuador. The diversity of microclimates will allow us to see some birds, wonderful landscapes like the view to Pan de Azucar mountain with an alttitude of 3500 meters above sea level. We will see some orchids like Cyrtochilum, Oncidium, Stelis, etc. Dinner. We will spend the night in El Pangui. DAY 6 EL PANGUI Breakfast. We will visit the Ecuagenera Nursery situated at 900m above sea level to see warmintermediate orchids. Lunch. We will see some orchids growing around this area, in the Condor Binational Reserve located between Ecuador and Peru, with an extension of 2440 has. This is the habitat of endemic species like Scuticaria Salesiana. Dinner. We will return to spend the night in El Pangui. DAY 7 EL PANGUI to LOJA Breakfast. Visit to Podocarpus National park, Zamora Chinchipe side; with more than 560 birds species identified and 63 orchids species, also there is a big waterfall. On the way, we expect to see Rodriguezia, Epidendrum, Masdevallia and other interesting species. Lunch. On the way back to the Andes Mountain Range, we will find types of orchids like Masdevallia, Sobralia, Eriopsis, Epidendrum, Maxillaria, Prostechea, etc. Dinner. We will spend the night in Loja.
DAY 8 LOJA to SARAGURO Breakfast. City tour in Loja city known as The musical and cultural capital of Ecuador Their gastronomy is recognized in the country for the variety and delicious traditional candies. We will take the old road expecting to see Fernandezia, Telipogon, Cyrtochilum, Oncidium, etc. Lunch. We will observe some orchids like Maxillaria, Myoxanthus, Epidendrum and more. Dinner. We will spend the night in Gualaceo. DAY 9 SARAGURO to GUALACEO Breakfast. Ecuador is a country with 16 ethnical groups, one of them is Saraguro Culture; their language is Kichwa. This is one of the few groups that stills practicing their traditions and wearing their autochthonous clothes. We will visit a wonderful reserve of a close friend to see orchids like Telipogon, Lepanthes, Oncidium, etc. Box Lunch. On the way, we will see Epidendrum, Trichoceros, etc. Dinner. We will spend the night in Gualaceo/Cuenca. DAY 10 GUALACEO to CHAUCHA Breakfast. We will go by and old road to see amazing landscapes and those orchids from intermediate to cold growing in altitudes between 3000-4000m, like iepidendrum, Maxillaria, Masdevallia, Caucaea, etc. Box Lunch. Dinner. We will spend the night in Gualaceo/Cuenca. DAY 11 GUALACEO to GIRON Breakfast. We will visit an amazing waterfall in Giron. On the way, we will see orchids like Telipogon, Caucaea, and nice terrestrial orchids. Dinner. We will spend the night in Gualaceo/Cuenca. DAY 12 GUALACEO to GUAYAQUIL. Breakfast. We will have a City Tour in Cuenca, UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will visit the factory of the famous Panama Hats and more nice craft markets. Lunch. Transfer to the airport/hotel. End of our service. NOTE. Hotel reservation in Guayaquil and WOC Registration are not included but we can help you to make it. You will have to pay for the separately. THE ROUTE COULD CHANGE DEPENDING YOUR DEPARTURE DAY But we will visit the same places. In case of natural disaster, which could threaten YOUR health and safety, ECUAGENERA could modify the route and itinerary. During the trip, you will have the chance to taste the typical seasonal fruits that grow in the areas we visit. Also, you will appreciate the way of living of the ethnic groups that inhabit in the region and their cuisine. Our tours invite you to try our local gastronomy in different types of restaurants on our way. In remote areas we usually have a box lunch suited to you and the weather conditions. Depending on the number of people in the group, transportation could be by van or bus.
RECOMMENDATIONS: You do not need a VISA (except Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Ethiopia, China, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia), only a passport with at least 6 months validity. The local currency is US dollar. Currency Exchange are easily found at the airports. We recommend that you travel with cash and credit cards. Traveler`s checks are not accepted at all in the country. In order to avoid inconvenience during the trip we suggest you bring: waterproof walking shoes or rubber boots, rain coats, mosquito repellent and sunscreen, basic medication for general problems such as altitude sickness and stomach-ache. You must bring your personal or prescription medication required with you, as it could be difficult to find the same one here. We recommend you to come equipped for the variation in climate. On this tour, we are going to the cold of high altitudes and warmth and humidity of Amazon. Weather in our country is unpredictable; it could be sunny and 5 min later raining. According to the regulations of the Ministry of Environment of Ecuador, is not allowed to collect or extract seeds, plants, or any biological resource from nature. We really appreciate your understanding. PAYMENT METHODS: You must pay 50% deposit to reserve the tour and the balance once we meet you here. 1. Deposit Required (Per person): 50 % plus $ 20,00 fee for administration purposes Bank Transfer Ecuagenetours Cia. Ltda. Bank: Banco del Pichincha Account: 3484459104 Aba Code: 066012867 Swit Code: PICHECEQ Bank Address: Av. Solano y 12 de Abril Deposit is fully refundable only 4 months before the trip, except for the administration costs. 2. If paying by PayPal, send to: alexecua84@gmail.com (Add 4%) 3. You can pay by credit card (fee 5%), only by the balance when you arrive to Ecuador.
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