Venture deep into the Ecuadorian Amazon with this complete Day Trip to the Grand Canyon of Cotundo, where you'll be amazed by the sacred land of the quijos!
The Great Canyon of Cotundo Day Trip
Between 4:30 and 5 am we’ll pick you up from your hotel in Quito to begin a very special journey to this hidden paradise in the jungle, the Gran Cañón de Cotundo.
Afterwards, we'll leave the capital and head into the Ecuadorian Amazon, home to one of the most important indigenous tribes in the area, the Quijos. The drive to Cotundo will take us about 3 and a half hours, a journey in which we'll be able to admire the lush vegetation of the region.
Before reaching Cotundo, we'll make a stop in the colonial town of Baeza, the first town founded in the Amazonian territory of Ecuador in the 16th century. There you'll have an hour of free time to have breakfast and get to know this historic town.
We'll arrive at Cotundo at 9:30 am and start the rainforest adventure and here, you'll be able to hear the birds sing and gaze upon the wide range of colours that its fruits have to offer. There are also many flowers and butterflies which makes this place one of the most unique locations. Fun fact: this part of the Amazon holds 500 different plant species?
The next stop will be our half-mile trek up the mountain, descending little by little to the Gran Cañón de Cotundo. This natural monument was created by the erosion of the river over thousands of years, forming incredible waterfalls inside the mountain.
After 3 hours of free time at this site, we'll have lunch around 2 pm in order to regain some energy. This cave complex was the place where ancient tribes performed sacred healing rituals.
During our journey we’ll hike and cross several rivers until we reach the interior of these caves. For an hour, we'll relax in the natural pools and jacuzzis while observing different geological formations that are thousands of years old.
We'll round up the tour of the caves at around 4:30 pm and return to Quito so that we can leave you at your hotel at 8 pm.