Our five-day biking adventure begins
as we drive south to Cotopaxi National Park, two hours from
Quito.
At the base of Cotopaxi Volcano, we embark on the first
leg of our journey:
a wild ride downward to the silvery lake of Limpiopungo.
Across the paramo landscape you often see wild herds of
horses galloping free, as well as dainty clusters of paramo
flowers in yellows, pinks and lavenders.
Eventually, we pedal through pine-forested lands until reaching
the park's guard station, where a llama herd is typically
seen. In the afternoon, we drive to Urbina, where we spend
the night in a mountain chalet. (B,L) |
We head out early for the drive south
to volcano Chimborazo, the highest peak in Ecuador at 6310
meters (20,697 ft.) At the base camp we hop on our bikes
and begin the downward descent through a magical Andean
landscape to the small village of San Juan, nearby Riobamba.
Before reaching this point, we'll be served our lunch in
a very typical Indian village. In San Juan we load the bikes
on the jeep roof and drive to Baños, a small town
famous for its hot springs, and spend the night there (B,L)
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