Woman leans into train window to see the view

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Ecuador Tours Quito City and UNESCO heritage sites

Guayaquil to Quito Train Journey

Travel from the Coast to the Andes aboard the Tren Crucero Ecuador

7 Days / 6 Nights per person*

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*Example by 4 travelers in 4★ accommodation, low season. Flights priced separately. Get a quote for 1 to 99+ below

Guayaquil to Quito Train Journey

Summary

7 Days / 6 Nights

Experience one of the most dramatic changes in vegetation and scenery in the world, while aboard the Tren Crucero. Pass by fertile plains in the coast, the highlands of the Andes and through the mythical Devil’s Nose pass. Continue across the Avenue of Volcanoes until you reach Quito, Ecuador’s capital. Then continue to Otavalo, amidst the Northern Andes, where you will explore the Quichua culture, artwork, and traditions. Enjoy lunch in a traditional hacienda, amidst export-class roses. End your journey back in Quito, where you can explore the city’s colonial architecture and history once more. Note: This Tren Crucero route can begin in Quito or Guayaquil. Choose which direction you’d like to travel based on your specific travel interests. Following the Covid interruption, train travel in Ecuador has been suspended and shall return at a future date. Please contact us for updated information and to plan with alternative transportation should service remain suspended.

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This tour includes:

6-Nights accommodations
All breakfasts & other meals as mentioned in the itinerary
All tours, transfers, and entrance fees
All trains
English-speaking guides

Highlights

Guayaquil Tour
Devil's Nose Railroad
Train to Riobamba
Chimborazo Volcano
Cotopaxi National Park
Quito & Otavalo Market

Itinerary

Day 1Arrival in Guayaquil & City Tour

Arrive at the airport in Guayaquil, and meet your guide who will take you to your hotel. Settle your belongings once you’ve checked in and then take a half-day city tour of Guayaquil. Visit the 19th-century neighborhood of Las Peñas, the boardwalk of Malecón 2000, La Rotonda monument and the archaeological museum of the Central Bank.

Day 2Train Ride from Durán - Bucay

After breakfast, depart from Durán on board a vintage steam locomotive. Switch engines in Yaguachi and continue your journey past sugar cane, banana and pineapple plantations.

For lunch, make your way to the coast, where you will visit a traditional hacienda (ranch). While here, learn about the best cocoa bean in the world and indulge in homemade chocolate. Yum! Later, watch a captivating show on Montubio culture and continue your trip towards Bucay. If the weather is pleasant, you might get a glimpse of the Andes in the distance!

Day 3Train Ride from Bucay - Riobamba

Travel along the canyon of river Chanchán and enjoy the remarkable scenery as the train leaves the coast and enters the Andes Mountain range. Cross vertiginous heights and winding switchbacks along the Devil’s Nose route, which is one of Ecuador’s most impressive railroad routes. After climbing a mere 450 meters, the train will reach Alausi, a charming village nestled in the Andes.

Later, cross through colorful quinoa fields and visit the Palacio Real (an indigenous community) in the town of Colta. While here, you can learn about the llamas of the land. Then, continue your journey until you reach Riobamba. Make one quick visit to the Tran Station Artisan’s Square before heading to your hotel. Relax for the rest of the evening.

Day 4Train Ride from Riobamba - Quito

Today, depart for Urbina. While traveling towards Quito, make a stop at Chimborazo volcano, where the last ice merchant awaits you. Learn about his ancestral trade and the beautiful culture of the indigenous communities of Chimborazo. Then, make your way north, passing through the Avenue of Volcanoes. If it’s a clear day, you can spot up to 20 volcanoes from the comfort of your seat. Later, explore the skirts of Cotopaxi volcano and an Andean forest trail before continuing your journey to Quito.

Colorful dreamcatchers hang in market display

Day 5Train Ride from Quito - Quito

After breakfast, continue to the Northern Andes. Visit Otavalo, a town resting in the Andean highlands. Explore the Otavalo Market, in the central Plaza de Ponchos, where you can find traditional textiles and handicrafts. Later, visit Ibarra, a city in northern Ecuador. Stroll along the streets lined with colonial architecture, shop amidst the bustling commercial atmosphere and relax in one of the many beautiful plazas.

In the afternoon, head to a traditional hacienda for a delicious lunch. Then make your way back for your last night in Quito.

Day 6Quito Colonial City Tour & Middle of the World

This morning, after breakfast in your hotel, meet your guide for a tour of Quito’s colonial district, as well as an excursion to the Middle of the World complex. See bustling streets and squares of the largest historical old town in the Americas, a multi-ethnic, artistic and cultural heritage destination. Visit the “Middle of the World” monument, situated at 0º0’0″ latitude. At the end of the tour, your guide will take you back to your hotel. In the evening, you’re free to roam about Quito on your own.

Day 7Departure from Quito

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Then, your driver will transfer you to the Quito International Airport for your flight home or to your next destination in South America.

Summary

Note: This Tren Crucero route can begin in Quito or Guayaquil. Choose which direction you’d like to travel based on your specific travel interests. Following the Covid interruption, train travel in Ecuador has been suspended and shall return at a future date. Please contact us for updated information and to plan with alternative transportation should service remain suspended.

Tour Highlights

Guayaquil Tour
Devil's Nose Railroad
Train to Riobamba
Chimborazo Volcano
Cotopaxi National Park
Quito & Otavalo Market

Included

6-Nights accommodations
All breakfasts & other meals as mentioned in the itinerary
All tours, transfers, and entrance fees
All trains
English-speaking guides

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