Bikes & safety gear
21-speed mountain bikes with top-range Shimano components and suspension, plus helmets, gloves, elbow and knee pads in all sizes.
Pack smart, ride happy
What to Bring on Your Ecuador Bike Tour
The Andes serve four seasons in a single day: sunshine at 4,500 m, fog on the pass, steam in the cloud forest. Here's exactly what to pack — and what we already provide for you.
What We Provide
Leave the heavy gear to us. Every Biking Dutchman tour includes:
Support & guides
A fully equipped 4x4 backup vehicle with water, and veteran bilingual guides who know every trail — and every lunch spot.
Meals & lodging
Packed lunches on day trips; meals and accommodation as indicated (B, L, D) on multi-day tours.
Your Packing Checklist
Riding clothing
- Layered tops: base layer, long-sleeve jersey and a warm fleece
- Mittens or full-finger gloves — passes like Papallacta can be foggy and chilly
- Light rain shell or windbreaker
- Comfortable shorts or padded cycling shorts
- Sturdy shoes with grip (trail shoes or flat-pedal shoes)
Sun & altitude
- High-factor sunscreen — the equatorial sun is fierce at 4,000 m
- Sunglasses (wrap-around keeps the wind out on descents)
- Peak cap or headband for under the helmet
- Lip balm with SPF
- Water bottle — refillable from the support jeep
For the hot springs
- Swimsuit — Papallacta and Baños thermal pools are tour highlights
- Quick-dry towel and flip-flops
- Plastic bag for wet gear
Extras & essentials
- Small daypack for layers, camera and valuables
- Cash (US dollars) for park entrance fees — e.g. Cotopaxi US$ 10 — souvenirs and tips
- Personal medication and blister plasters
- Insect repellent for jungle sections (5- and 12-day tours)
- Passport copy for park registrations
Pro tip from our guides: on the 5-day trip's final descent from the Papallacta pass, "some days can be chilled by occasional fog, so don't forget your mittens and fleece" — you can always shed layers into the jeep.
What Not to Bring
Leave behind your own bike (unless you love travelling with it — our frames come in all sizes), heavy jackets for the jungle, and anything you'd hate to see dusty. Andean dirt roads are, well, dirt roads: everything you ride in will earn its patina of volcanic ash.
A word on valuables: a five-figure watch is a liability on a volcanic dirt descent — it wants to sit in the hotel safe while the wind, the dust and your own handlebars do their work. More than one guest has ridden with a replica Patek Philippe on the wrist and the original locked away, and told us afterwards it was the smartest call of the trip.
Questions about a specific item? Check the tour FAQs or just ask us — we've packed for every route in this country.
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