Accommodation

Check-in Time:

08:00

Check-out Time:

18:00

You will be accommodated in a single-occupancy base in hotels and eco-lodges.

Sleipnir Ecuador may not have a lounge™, but if you are leaving the same date as your tour end, you are very welcome to crash at David’s place to chill for few hours, enjoy the wideband Wi-Fi, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, Turkish bath, or a nap and to grab as many beers as you want from the fridge whilst delighting yourself with one of the best views of the city. You will feel a family with Sleipnir Ecuador.

Program

We call this tour three worlds for a very unique reason: Continental Ecuador gives you the opportunity to be in three completely different environments. From the warm ocean breeze on the coast to the template climate surrounded by volcanoes in the Andes, to the humid rainforest jungle with thousands of flower and animal species in the Amazon. Many countries could offer you the same, but we are the only one that you could do this within a day because the three worlds are only hours riding apart from each other.

The route is designed to be fully enjoyed, filled with long straight roads, sharp turns, uphills, and downhills; you will get the complete experience of what it means to ride a motorcycle in Ecuador.

Day 1: QUITO – PAPALLACTA – TENA – MISAHUALLI | 216 km (135 miles)

On this first day, we will start with a briefing in our offices in Quito, located in the heart of the capital. You will fill the last paperwork needed, be able to try on your gear, and test it. After a quick brief on roads and safety, we’ll depart on our way.

You will ride through the capital until we reach the outskirts of the city to our final destination of the day, the famous Town of Misahualli. On our way there, we will be passing over the highlands of the Antisana Ecological National Park. This stratovolcano is the heart of the park and soars over the city at 5,704 meters above sea level. Located 50km southeast of Quito, you can spot it from anywhere.

After going through the highlands of Antisana, we’ll ride by one of the highest points on our tour 4,000 meters above sea level on the highway. Papallacta is a small town located at 3,300 meters above sea level, a unique place where you will begin to feel a slight climate change. All the colorful flowers suddenly start disappearing, and the tundra begins to show off.

Going through this small town, we’ll begin our descent through the gateway to the Amazon basin, Tena city. Delicious local gastronomy will be of our taste there.

We’ll take a break from our adventure on the motorcycle to take a walk inside the Jumandi caves. Located in the heart of the Amazon, we’ll have an approach to the ancestral culture and its myths, and appreciate incredible stalactites, underground rivers, and animals that live inside.

To appreciate a bit more the fauna in the Amazon, on this adventure motorcycle tour, we’ll take a small detour at the animal rescue center. Home of illegal traffic and rescued animals.

Once at our hotel, an indigenous community will be expecting us to show us their traditions. We can enjoy a moment with them and perform traditional activities.

Day 2: MISAHUALLI – BAÑOS DE AGUA SANTA | 151 Km (94 miles)

After breakfast and before continuing our trip to the famous city of Baños we can take some time to play with the restless Capuchin monkeys that live on the river beach.

Once we are done enjoying a good time with these animals, we’ll head to Baños riding along the Amazon basin – Sierra border. The road towards Baños is unique, where challenges are present on downhill asphalt rides with a lot of sharp turns and twisties.

This place is one of the top destinations on a guided tour for tourists around the world. The magical city located next to the active volcano, Tungurahua offers beautiful attractions during the day from the canopy, trekking, the magnificent waterfall ‘El Manto de la Novia’ meaning ‘The brides mantle», the famous «swing at the edge of the world», and the astonishing, ‘El Pailón del diablo’.

In the evening after dinner, we will have time to tour the city, have a revitalizing massage, and prepare for a long but entertaining day on the motorcycles with many landscapes and places to meet.

Day 3: BAÑOS – CHIMBORAZO – CUENCA | 324 km (202 miles)

An early day starts with breakfast at our hotel in Baños. We’ll get our gear and luggage ready, check out, and then continue with our adventure. Our road to Cuenca has a lot of varieties. The ride will go all through the Andes region to the south of the country, passing alongside the emblematic Chimborazo Volcano. Chimborazo is a currently inactive volcano in the occidental range of the Andes. Its last eruption was around 550 C.E. Its peak elevation is 6,263 meters (20,548ft) making it the farthest point from the center of the Earth, and also the Earth’s closest point to the sun.

On the way, we can pay a visit to the first church of Ecuador, built in 1534 between Indians and Spaniards, this church established in the first Castilian city of Ecuador.

Another 3 hours ahead riding your motorcycle rental and you will be in the city of Cuenca, a city know as being the most delightful city in the country. A town in the southern section of Ecuador, known for the original handcrafting of the Panama hats, its beautiful cathedrals, Cajas National Park, and the great Tomebamba river crossing through the city.

If the weather allows, we can see the famous Devil’s Nose, a train route known to be the most complicated in the world. It crosses an almost perpendicular wall which forces it to make a zigzag ascent of 500 meters in height — a route of only 12.5 kilometers.

When we reach the city of Cuenca, after leaving our belongings and motorcycles at the hotel, while we go to dinner, we’ll have the first glance at the historic center.

Day 4: ACTIVITIES IN CUENCA

Rise and shine in beautiful Cuenca! After having a proper breakfast early in the morning, we’ll ride back up north for about 80km towards the Ingapirca ruins. An exciting asphalt road with many sharp turns awaits us before the ruins. This ride will be delightful as all the landscapes of Cuenca will be seen from a top point of view.

Ingapirca ruins are the largest in Ecuador, the only Sun Temple of the Inca Empire. It is commonly known that the temple was built with millions of stones under the order of Huayna Capac, Inca leader of the time. His primary interest was to conquer nearby lands and expand his territory; building these structures would give him that. Its architecture demonstrates unique traits about our past culture, like teamwork, toughness, and power. A tour around the ruins will be held there by local professional guides.

After lunch, we’ll head back to the city of Cuenca to enjoy a ride on a tour bus through its streets. While at it, we’ll have detailed information about the places we visit and with the possibility of getting off the bus, visit the site and then resume the tour.

Here is the Homero Ortega Panama hat factory, where you can watch the complete manufacturing process of the hats. You will see them handcrafted right in front of you and then taken to the central plaza to be sold. Calderon Park is so full of history, and it counts with a unique colonial and historical contrast that will open its doors to you. Cuenca is filled with beauties, full of lights surrounded by the Old and the New Cathedrals. The Old Cathedral was built around the 1500s, used as a church before. Now it has become a museum to showcase its beautiful architecture. The newer Cathedrals have a different architecture, being a more gothic style but just as beautiful.

Day 5: CUENCA – GUAYAQUIL | 196 Km (122,5 miles)

We continue with our adventure and this time to the Ecuadorian Coast. To say goodbye to the city of Cuenca, we’ll cross the Cajas National Park. You can enjoy a delicious trout caught by yourself before entering this spectacular national park surrounded by lagoons and landscapes that will take your breath away.

We’ll get back on our motorcycle and start heading west toward the Coast, but not without having a proper lunch based on local cuisine. The road to Guayaquil is one lane fully asphalted. On this part of our tour, we’ll ride thoroughly for 3 and a half hours towards our final destination of the day. During the ride, you will feel a significant climate change, from the cold of the Andes to the warmth in the Pacific.

Once we arrive at the hotel, we’ll check-in and have a lovely dinner ready to greet us. You will be able to know firsthand why the food from Ecuador’s Coast is the best.

Day 6: GUAYAQUIL – MONTAÑITA | 185 km (116 miles)

Good morning from Guayaquil, the city of the Astillero. The first thing you notice when you wake up is the warmth of the Ecuadorian Coast. We’ll enjoy all varieties of great seafood Ecuador has to offer. After filling our tanks with this excellent local gastronomy, we’ll take the direction towards the famous Spondylus route in the Ecuadorian Pacific Coast, known for assembling the whole coast profile. Our ride will be on asphalt road for about 2 hours.

We will arrive in Montañita, an international convention center for all tourists and sports. It is a village on the peninsula of Santa Elena province, commonly known for its energetic surf beaches and bohemian lifestyle. Its top attractions are nightclubs and the nightlife. This day will be our little escape to have fun and disconnect from the world.

Your lunch will be ready at the hotel, followed by a surfing lesson which allows you to blend with the locals in their venue. Surfing will test you entirely. It is a challenging sport to master, but once you get it down, you won’t be wanting to get out of the water any time soon.

After this activity, we’ll get some rest, and at night, you will enjoy the beach ambiance, the nightlife, the pastimes, and the hobbies of locals and tourists. Keep in mind that we’ll need you in one piece and early the next day to continue with our adventure.

Day 7: MONTAÑITA – LOS FRAILES – MANTA | 156 km (98 miles)

Waking up in our very own «city of sin» can be hard, but we gotta continue giving you fun! And so we’ll keep the Spondylus route. Riding our horses of steel through asphalt roads, with the ocean right next to us, drawing a beautiful landscape and path filled with twists towards Los Frailes beach.

Los Frailes is considered a breath-taking beach in Ecuador. It is very exclusive inside the Machalilla National Park. We have to go through a few kilometers of a mild off-road. A beach wind-free, surrounded by tall cliffs makes it a perfect place to relax. It is most of the time quiet, as not many tourists know about the existence of the beach, making it one of the greatest spots to rest and shoot some great pictures. The water is deep blue and turquoise, crystal clear and temperate.

We’ll stay a couple of hours at Los Frailes, and we’ll continue with our adventure up north to our next stop, Manta. Manta is another famous city on the country’s coast, another main port of Ecuador, known for its fishing industry. Its iconic beach is playa murciélago, Spanish for bat beach, and its iconic dishes will delight you. Manta’s gastronomy is based on traditional seafood dishes with little changes from the locals. As we ride through the city towards our hotel where a delicious lunch awaits us.

Following our visit to Machalilla, we’ll head back to the hotel for our dinner based on local cuisine. Once done eating, we’ll get proper rest as we have a long ride the following morning.

Day 8: MANTA – MINDO | 333 km (208 miles)

Having a full blast and getting to know all three worlds in a short time now takes our last two days trip heading to Mindo. From Manta to Mindo we’ll have a transition from Coast to highlands based on tunnels made out of tree branches. After breakfast, we’ll have a full day of riding ahead of us. Passing by famous towns on the way back like Santo Domingo, known for its unique tribe locals who dye their hair red with spices. All these climate changes from one landscape to another, from cotton tree fields to potato farms, from a Spondylus route to twisty and fun roads across the mountains will lead us to our final destination. The changes between weather and landscape are noticeable within a few kilometers. It will let you experience our three worlds one last time before closing our adventure with a fourth and final world hidden among the mountains — the magnificent cloud forest.

Declared as the first crucial South-American site of the world for birdwatching, the possibility to find flying around you during you ride over 400 different species of birds. Including 20 species of hummingbirds surrounded by nature proper of the tropical cloud forest, Mindo is the perfect place for our last stop before return to Quito.

Day 9: MINDO – QUITO | 98 km (61 miles)

Waterfalls, rivers, and lots of nature will dismiss us on the last day of adventure. We’ll pay a visit to the butterfly garden, where we will be able to know all the phases of development of the butterflies, from eggs to caterpillars to their first flight. We will take a dirt road back to Quito in which we can see cocoa crops, tree tomatoes, among others.

After a nice off-road you’ll be getting to the little town of Nono, with a fascinating history behind. Agricultural land all planted that will offer you beautiful colors. Getting into Nono, you will pass through the eco route called «Paseo del Kinde» (path of the hummingbird). With a very deserved break to enjoy a hot chocolate and enjoy the hummingbirds just a few steps from us and can even feed them from our hands.

We’ll finish your Ecuadorian experience at our headquarters in Quito, where it all began, be ready to tell us your stories over a cold local beer.

Instructors

Davos “Gambito" Garces

David is an Ecuadorean globetrotter that lived mainly in Ecuador, all over Europe, and US. Speaks fluently three languages, English, Spanish and Portuguese. His motorcycle career started at age 14, and since then he hasn’t been able to get off bikes and has been riding in all sorts of terrains as every good biker should. He has an amazing short run on superbike races, being on the 3rd place in the Nationals in 2013 and 2014 in the 1000 cc. category racing for Ducati, and 1st place in the 1000cc. Panamerican Championship in Peru in 2015 also racing with Ducati. Pretty friendly and approachable.

Location

This motorcycle tour will take place in various places in Ecuador such as Quito, Papallacta, Tena, Baños, Chimborazo, Cuenca, Ingapirca, Guayaquil, Montañita, Los Frailes, Manta, and Santo Domingo in Ecuador. The tour will start and end in Quito.

+−

Food

During this motorcycle tour, breakfast and dinner will be provided daily.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Dinner
Snacks

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Regular (typically includes meat and fish)

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

Things to do (optional)

Chiva party bus
End of the world swing
Explore Montañita beach
Head out to a bar in Baños
Jungle tour

What's included

Ready to roll fully fueled unlimited Mileage Motorcycle Rental with all the toys installed
Multilingual local guide, connected with intercoms with all participants
Support Truck for groups of 5+ riders
Tolls
Rain Tops (upper and lower body)
Gasoline for your whole tour
Snacks during your ride
Touring helmets, pants, trousers, and gloves
8 nights accommodation on single occupancy base in hotels and eco-lodges
Activities specified in your tour (depending on availability)
Briefing the day before we start. (Here is where your adventure begins)
Specified Meals in the tour (breakfast and dinner)
35lt. GIVI last generation saddlebags and a 45 lt. Duffel bag
Bulletproof Medical Insurance
First aid kit, tire repair kit, portable air compressor, and tool kit
GPS Tracking System with a panic button on each bike for you to use, and with it, 24-hour assistance from our support center
Third-party liability and medical insurance mandatory in Ecuador (SPPAT)
Storage for your excess luggage during your ride

What's not included

A voucher for a security deposit using a major card
Ecuador IVA tax (if you’re Ecuadorian)
Hotel accommodations before and after your tour
Alcoholic beverages
Unspecified meals in your tour
Unspecified activities in your tour

How to get there

Recommended Airports

UIO

Mariscal Sucre International Airport

127 km

Transfer available for additional US$ 50 per person

Arrival by taxi

Taxi from the airport is set to a fixed rate to Quito central. From your hotel, taxis within the city to the shop will not cost more than 5 USD.

Airport: Mariscal Sucre International Airport Airport transfer available: Mariscal Sucre International Airport (US$ 50 per person) Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.

Cancellation Policy

A reservation requires a deposit of 10% of the total price.
The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.

Explore

Hello there.
Glad to have you!

Day 1: QUITO – PAPALLACTA – TENA – MISAHUALLI | 216 km (135 miles)

Day 2: MISAHUALLI – BAÑOS DE AGUA SANTA | 151 Km (94 miles)