Ecuador
I have always wanted to visit Ecuador and by extension The Galápagos Islands. When my friend Ashley was equally stoked to make the journey, I put together a very thorough itinerary. This trip was every adventurer’s dream and every day was action packed.
In addition to the high intensity activities, I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of travel, the kindness of the people, breathtaking views, Darwinian flora and fauna and the food.
I will not forget the first night that I landed in Quito. The entire city was alight and it was breathtaking. Our night arrival was coincidental but we were awestruck and it certainly set the tone for what Ecudador had to offer.
The highlight of my trip was hiking the Quilotoa volcano. Since my return to the USA, I have reflected on this portion of the trip often. The trip was a 3.5hour ride from Quito. We arrived at the top of the volcano which sits at 3914m (12,841ft) above sea level. The hike downhill was a 4 out of 10 in intensity for someone like myself who works out 6 out of 7 days a week. Once we made it to the lake which sits at the center of the volcano. We then took a restful ride to the center of the lake by boat. The challenge began on the hike from the lake, back to the top of the volcano. I had the option to ride a horse back to the top, but I instead elected to test my mettle. The walk back up the volcano was harrowing. The difficulty level was 10/10 because of the level of incline, winding course and altitude. There was a point on the hike where I realized that I had reached my physical capacity and that the rest of the journey would be based entirely on mental fortitude. I had to dig deep. My tour guide was always by my side encouraging. He re-enforced what I already knew: I could do hard things and I was completely capable. In fact! I was doing an excellent job!
The less intense experiences on my trip included: meeting the chef of the Finch Bay hotel, zip lining through the Amazon rainforest and snorkeling off the coast of Santa Cruz Island.
The details of what Ashley and I did on each day can be found here in the paid itinerary.
