Route through Ecuador

I spent a good 5 weeks tootling around in Ecuador although during that time I had a 5 days in Vilcabamba being a yoga-esque hippy, 5 days in Quito with a friend (a super cool guy id met on the road, as you do), 5 days in the Amazon (a fly in from Quito) and 5 days hiking and yoga-ing in Chugchillan.

I crossed the border at Macara (having ridden from Piuri in Colombia that morning) and went straight to Vilcabamba.

Heading north, I stayed in Saraguro, Cuenca and Banos before rolling into Quito past a smoking Cotapaxi.

The National park was closed due to the heightened activity and no amount of ‘even a dirt bike?’ pleas where gonna get me through it.

After a bit of sickness in Quito (I drank the water!) I sent off on a bit of a roundabout route to take in some back road dirt riding days through the mountains (I’d pinched the route off a local bike hire website); first north to the Equator, San Jose de Minas, Laguna de Mohanda (3730m elev.) and Otavalo.

Then I rode east via Cotacachi, Laguna de Cuicocha (3000m elev.), Santa Ines and Mindo. Onto San Miguel de los Bancos, San jose de Allurquin, San Francisco de los Pampas, Sigchos and Chugchillan.

I rode the awesome Quillotoa loop whilst I was there (a day ride - see highlights below) before heading south along the range to Angamarca, Salinas and Guaranda.

From here I dropped altitude heading west through the cloud forests and then jungle forest towards the hot sweaty coastal plains.

I did a loop past Caluma Canton, hit the 25, went south to Babahoyo and back east along the 491 into the mountains to San Pablo. I took some fantastic cloud shots this day from the vantage points I’d had that day.

I rode at 4000m+ elevation on Cotapaxi’s northern flanks heading back to Quito. Or not, because by this time there had gathered a massive road closure on the Panam heading into the city and they were not letting me through (like, seriously too).

You can pretty much see Cotapaxi (5897m) wherever you are in the country (below)

Following the 491 north, I had a flight booked for the Amazon that I had to make so I did this huge detour back into the mountains (via the Black Sheep at Chugchillan – any excuse to go back there really) and managed to get into Quito for my flight – the mountain people has given me the usual bike riders leeway you get when it comes to their ‘road blocks’ and moved rocks and branches for me to get through…

Heading out north from Mitad el Mundo to San Jose de Minas

Laguna de Cuicocha (3000m elevation) from Otavalo

It gets a bit jungly down by Mindo - you can tell what elevation you are at by the vegetation alone

The cloud forest - Ecuador is the country you notice this the most, when you're going up and down the elevation levels you cant miss it! Then as soon as you see Llamas (below), you know you're back at height again.

Highlight: Quillotoa Loop (1 day, ~120km)

The route is easy; following the road out from Chugchillan, I went clockwise (so id get the more remote part done early and I could take nice photos by Lago Quillotoa in the evening light), through Sigchos, Sasquisili and Zumbahua.