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You start with two rest days of acclimatising in
Quito before you
hit the road for more than four months. The capital of Ecuador is
located at an altitude of 2.850 metres on a horizontal
strip of land running north to south between beautiful
mountains. The splendour of the city's natural setting,
combined with its attractive squares, parks and
monuments as well as the warmth of its people, make it a
great place to get used to the altitude and the Latin
way of life. "The Andes Trail" starts a couple of
kilometres north of Quito at the 30-meter high
Mitad-del-Mundo. This monument marks the equator, from
which the country derives its name.
The first days you ride on the
"Avenue of the Volcanoes"
which you already experience just after the start. You
can recognise the perfect ice-covered volcanic cone of
the Cotopaxi. It's
with 5.897 metres Ecuador's highest active volcano and
the second highest peak in the country, only surpassed
by Chimborazo which
slopes you will climb a couple of days later.
All traffic disappears slowly and the
PanAmerican road
takes you through to the highlands with its deep
canyons, winding climbs and colourful dressed Indians.
Probably you'll bump into one of the traditional
indigenous markets which express the old customs, which
still play an important role in the multicultural
society of Ecuador.
One night you stay near the Inca ruins of
Ingapirca which
stand as the most important archaeological memory in
Ecuador and provides a fascinating insight into this
remarkable civilisation. The designated UNESCO World
Heritage City of Cuenca
has been selected for a day to relax. This third
largest city in the country is considered by many to be
the most attractive. With cobblestone streets, flower
filled plazas and many historical buildings constructed
in the marble quarried nearby, the city still retains
its traditional and colonial atmosphere.
You leave Cuenca via winding mountain roads in the
direction of Loja.
This city in the Cuxibamba Valley is known as the
musical heart of the country and has innumerable salsa
clubs and other musical entertainment within her
historical town centre. The Pan American Highway,
world's longest road, is continued in the direction of
the border with Peru.
The stages in Ecuador include quite some climbing at
high altitude. Fortunately most of the nights a hotel
bed is waiting for you. It makes the first weeks of "The
Andes Trail" tough, but it's also a comfortable way to
adapt to the mountainous conditions. |
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Rest day in Cuenca |
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Rest day in Loja |
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