Hidden gems in Ecuador.

Hi Joe

From your selection of places I can tell you prefer mountain weather. I have two very special places, one in the north and another in the south in the 'Sierra' (Andes region of Ecuador).

The first one is Mindo, this is a very popular daytrip from Quito- only 2.5 hours by bus. The town has 19,000 hectares of protected rainforest (Mindo-Nambillo Cloud Forest). If you are into nature, this place is really a must. Mindo is world famous as a birdwatching destination but there are plenty of other activities on offer such as tubing, rapelling, ride, canoppy. The climate is mild, probably the best time to visit is between May and December when the weather is drier. The weather in Mindo is mostly cloudy but not cold. It rains most in January to April.

The second one is Vilcabamba. If you love perfect year-round weather, you'll love this little village. It is located in the Loja province. The scenery is fantastic all the way, is a transition zone from highlands to tropical foothills - Oriente. It is a peaceful valley, a good place to recharge batteries if you are looking to relax.

I am not a city kind of person, when travelling, I do prefer natural quiet environments. From my travel experience in Ecuador, I think a one or two nights stay are enough to capture the spirit of any small town or village. There is plenty to explore in this beautiful, small country.

Hi Joe,

I just returned from a long trip around Ecuador, so my memory is still very fresh. Seen all the places you mention, save Quilotoa, as altitude became an issue. Personally Banos and Latacunga were my least favorite places, although yes, they are bases for further exploration. The only interesting thing we did around Latacunga was the Cotopaxi hike, although the weather only allowed for literally a few seconds' view of the peak!
1. In Banos we enjoyed the bike downhill from Tungurahua to Banos. We hired a taxi to get bikes up to Casa del Arbol, ($ 10 for 2 people + $ 14 for two excellent bikes). After enjoying the volcano view for a while, we started our descent, one of the most beautiful rides anywhere! Literally no traffic, save an occasional taxi or two, and amazing views on both sides of the road. You can make stops for photos, and if you ride around 1 pm, you can also make a stop at the wonderful Luna Runtun spa for a great 3-hour volcanic hot water pool soak ($ 30 pp), or some great food at their Cafe Cielo. Towards the end of the ride you will see two waterfalls on your right side. Personally, I found this a much better experience than the ride along the Ruta de las Cascadas, which is as unpleasant as it is dangerous.
You can also hike to the volcano, but do not do it on the road. A much better way to hike up is to get on the mountain trail that will take you through the beautiful forest with great views - virtually nobody on the trail when we did it. It is quite steep, though much shorter than the road hike. To Cafe Cielo it took us around 50 minutes of a slow walk, where we stopped for lunch, and you can then continue up towards Tungurahua. You can easily find the street from which the trail starts on those great maps they give away in Banos.
2. Our absolute favorite hidden gem is the San Antonio finca in Intag, 3 h north of Otavalo. As I posted a lengthy review of our stay there I will not repeat it, but you can find it here: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/22/topics/amazing-nature-experience-out-of-otavalo
3. This is out of your suggested itinerary, but we loved our stay in Misahuilli, at Banana Lodge. The lodge has its own little beach on the river, and we really enjoyed our stay there, as well as the trips we did in the region.

Enjoy your trip!