The verdict
Our pick
Cotopaxi & Quilotoa Volcanoes: Day Trip from Quito★ 4.92 (221) · 9h–10h
Best price
Quilotoa Lagoon day trip from Quito: hike the crater rim★ 4.89 (117) · 11h–12h
Top rated
Quito & Middle of the World Private Day Trip★ 5.00 (19) · 6h–7h
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Private experiences (4)
Cotopaxi Volcano Day Trip from Quito: Private tour with lunchA private day trip from Quito to Cotopaxi National Park combines a hike around Limpiopungo Lagoon, a one-hour climb to the José Rivas refuge at 4,800 meters, and lunch at a 300-year-old hacienda. The tour includes a certified English-speaking naturalist guide, private transportation, and all park fees, with pickup from your Quito hotel at 8 a.m. and return around 5 p.m. Children from age 3 are welcome; the tour is customizable and keeps groups small.Is it for me?Book this if you want a naturalist's insight into high-altitude ecosystems and need to set your own pace on the refuge hike—the private format lets you stop whenever the altitude affects you.
Guayaquil City Tour & Chocolate Farm: Private Day Trip with LunchA private day trip from Guayaquil combines the city's waterfront and colonial neighborhoods with a hands-on visit to a family-run cacao farm. You explore the Malecón 2000 and Las Peñas—a hillside district of colorful houses—then ride a cable car across the Guayas River to a local farm where you learn to grow, skin, roast and grind cacao beans into chocolate. Lunch, made with cacao, is served at the farm. The tour runs 8 to 9 hours with private transportation, an English-speaking guide and hotel pickup included.Is it for me?Book this tour if you want a private day that mixes city exploration with a working farm experience—the cable car and the cacao farm are the parts most travelers don't arrange on their own, and the family farm keeps the group small and personal.
Mindo Cloud Forest Day Trip: Private Hummingbird TourA private day trip from Quito to Mindo cloud forest with an English-speaking driver-guide, taking in a hummingbird sanctuary, butterfly garden with 1,200 species, and an artisan chocolate factory where you see cacao processed from bean to bar. Hotel pickup and private transportation are included; the drive takes 2 hours each way. Entrance fees to attractions and lunch are available to add at checkout.Is it for me?Book this private tour if you want the cloud forest and its wildlife without sharing the vehicle or guide—the driver is yours alone for the day, and the pace stays flexible around what interests you most.
Baños waterfalls day trip from Quito: private tour with guideA full-day private tour from Quito to Baños de Agua Santa includes hotel pickup, a national guide in English, Spanish or French, three waterfalls (Agoyan, Manto de la Novia and Pailón del Diablo), the Swing at the End of the World, and the Tree House. The drive crosses the Avenue of the Volcanoes with stops for photos and a local breakfast in Lasso village; the hike to Pailón del Diablo takes one hour down and back. Lunch, gratuities and optional adventure activities (zipline, crystal bridge crossing, Tarzan jumping) are separate.Is it for me?Book this tour if you want a private day with a guide who knows the region and can stop for photos and stories along the way — the fixed itinerary holds the waterfalls, the Swing at the End of the World and the Tree House inside a single day without you arranging transport or timing yourself.
Up to 2 hours (1)
Cotopaxi National Park and Inca Ruins Day Trip from QuitoA private day trip from Quito to Cotopaxi National Park combines hiking through high-altitude ecosystems around Ecuador's second-most-visited national park with a visit to San Agustin de Callo, a colonial hacienda built over Inca structures where you eat lunch inside an Inca temple. A certified bilingual guide leads the day, hotel pickup is included, and you return by mid-afternoon.Is it for me?Choose this tour if you speak English or Spanish and want a guide who can explain the park's ecology and the hacienda's history in real time. The private format and bilingual guide mean you move at your own pace and get commentary tailored to what you're seeing, rather than following a fixed group schedule.
Half day and longer (13)
Cotopaxi Volcano Day Trip from Quito with Hike & LunchYou’ll hike high into Cotopaxi’s wild landscape with a local guide, catch your breath over hot chocolate at Refugio Padre Ribas, wander Limpiopungo Lagoon’s shifting light, and share lunch nearby before heading back to Quito. It’s raw mountain air and honest effort—the kind of day you’ll remember every time you see dust on your boots.
Baños Day Trip from Quito: Waterfalls and Cloud ForestA private day trip from Quito to Baños de Agua Santa with a bilingual guide, hotel pickup, and all fees included. You visit four named waterfalls along the Avenue of the Waterfalls, cross the Pastaza River canyon on a cable car, and hike through cloud forest to Bride's Veil waterfall. The route climbs from the Andes into tropical rainforest, passing volcanoes and the Agoyan hydroelectric dam on the drive down. Lunch is your choice to arrange; zip line rides are optional add-ons at checkout.Is it for me?The early 7:30 a.m. pickup and 11-hour day mean you start before dawn and return after dark, which is what fits four waterfalls, two microclimates and a cable car crossing into a single trip. If you prefer a shorter outing or a later start, look for a half-day Baños tour instead.
Mindo Cloud Forest Birdwatching: Hummingbirds & WaterfallThis birdwatching and hiking tour from Quito explores the Mindo Cloud Forest in seven to eight hours with a bilingual guide, hotel pickup, and an air-conditioned vehicle. You visit the Ornithological Point to feed hummingbirds, ride the Mindo Cable Car over the mountains to reach Nambillo waterfall, walk through the Butterfly Farm, and tour a chocolate factory. Two purchase options let you add or skip entry tickets and lunch.Is it for me?Choose All Included if you want meals and entry fees covered upfront; pick No Ticket–No Lunch if you'd rather pay separately and control your own timing at each stop.
Horseback Riding near Quito: Cotopaxi Volcano & Chagra CultureHorseback riding near Quito combines two hours on criollo horses at a traditional hacienda with a guided exploration of Cotopaxi National Park, the world's second-highest active volcano. You'll wear authentic Chagra clothing, learn about local cowboy culture from your guide, and travel through ancient lava flows and mountain ecosystems at elevation. Hotel pickup, transport, safety equipment, and lunch are included; the full day runs from early morning to mid-afternoon.Is it for me?Your guide speaks English, so language won't slow down the commentary or the cultural explanation—book this if you want to understand the Chagra way of life and the landscape as you move through it, not just pass through it.
Antisana Volcano & Condors Day Trip from Quito: 5,753m peakThis day trip from Quito climbs Antisana Volcano—Ecuador's fourth highest peak at 5,753 meters—with a certified English-speaking naturalist guide, private transport and lunch included. The route takes you through the Ecological Reserve to 3,810 meters where Andean Condors nest and roost, then to Mica Lake at 4,050 meters for views of the volcano and high-altitude water birds found nowhere else in Ecuador. Hotel pickup starts at 7:00 a.m., and you return by 4:00 p.m.Is it for me?Book this tour if you want to see Andean Condors in their actual nesting and roosting sites rather than from a distance—the route takes you to the canyon cliffs where they sleep and the slopes where they hunt, which is what makes close-range wildlife watching possible on a single day from Quito.
Antisana Condor Sanctuary day trip from Quito: see Andean CondorsThis birdwatching day trip from Quito takes you to Antisana National Park, a nature reserve above 9,843 feet where you track Andean Condors—the largest flying birds on earth—and a dozen hummingbird species in their high-altitude habitat. A professional guide drives you through páramo grasslands and past the Antisana Volcano, with lunch at a viewpoint where condors return to rest; the route follows the path Alexander von Humboldt walked in 1802.Is it for me?Book this if you're photographing high-altitude species and want a guide who knows where the Andean Condor and rare hummingbirds appear across different zones—the seven-hour format gives you time to track multiple birds rather than rushing through one area.
Papallacta Hot Springs Day Trip: Andes Hike & PoolsA private day trip from Quito to Papallacta Hot Springs combines a morning drive up the Eastern Cordillera to 4,000 meters, a short forest hike, and afternoon time in the thermal pools and spa facilities. The route crosses high-altitude paramo with views of Antisana volcano when weather clears. Entrance fees and lunch are available to purchase separately; an English-speaking driver and guide are included for groups of up to three travelers.Is it for me?Book this trip if you're arriving in Quito without a rental car or staying in the city center—the private pickup and return means you don't arrange transport, and the fixed itinerary holds the full Andes crossing and thermal soak inside a single day without building it yourself.
White Water Rafting from Quito: Pastaza River Level III+A full-day white water rafting trip from Quito takes you down the Pastaza River (level III+ rapids) between Sangay and Llanganates National Parks, then into the Avenue of the Waterfalls for hikes, a 500-meter cable car crossing, and views of Bride's Veil and Agoyan waterfalls. Hotel pickup starts at 5:30 a.m., lunch is included, and guides speak English and Spanish.Is it for me?An 11- to 12-hour commitment means you leave before dawn and return after dark, which works if you have a full day free but rules out half-day plans or evening activities. The early start and long drive give you the full river-to-rainforest transition and all three waterfalls without rushing the hikes or the cable car crossing.
Papallacta Hot Springs day trip from Quito: hike and soakA private day trip from Quito to Papallacta Hot Springs combines a morning drive through the Eastern Cordillera to the resort, a short hike through mountain forest, and afternoon time in the thermal pools and spa area. The driver-guide speaks English or Spanish; hotel pickup is included. Entrance fees and lunch are separate.Is it for me?The day involves a high-altitude drive and optional hiking, so it suits travelers comfortable with mountain roads and some walking. The private format means you set the balance between activity and relaxation — more time on the trail or more time soaking, depending on what you want that day.
Otavalo Market Day Trip: Indigenous Crafts & Leather GoodsA private day trip from Quito to Otavalo, Ecuador's most famous indigenous market, where you browse handmade textiles, ceramics, leather and metalwork at Plaza de los Ponchos. The route includes a stop in Cayambe for local salt biscuits, a view of Imabura Volcano across a mountain lake, and a final hour in Cotacachi, a town known for leather jackets and bags. A local guide in English or Spanish travels with you; pickup from your Quito hotel and a bottle of water are included. The full day runs 7 to 8 hours.Is it for me?The guide speaks English or Spanish, so choose based on which language you're comfortable following for commentary on the route and the market itself. This tour suits anyone who wants to browse and buy at their own pace without the pressure of a group schedule—you move through the stalls as slowly or quickly as you want, and the driver waits.
Ziplining in Baños from Quito: waterfalls and adventureA full-day adventure trip from Quito to Baños combines waterfall visits with hands-on activities: canopy lines, a glass bridge walk, and a cable car ride above Bride's Veil Waterfall. An experienced bilingual guide leads small groups through the Pastaza valley, a region between two national parks with spring-like weather year-round. Hotel pickup from Quito is included, and children from age 12 are welcome.Is it for me?Small groups mean you move at a steady pace without waiting between activities, which suits travelers who want to try multiple things in one day without feeling rushed. The 12-hour commitment and moderate fitness requirement fit people who are comfortable walking, climbing and spending time outdoors, but not looking for a hardcore technical challenge.
Quilotoa Lagoon day trip from Quito: trek to crater lakeA full-day tour from Quito to Quilotoa Lagoon in the Illinizas Ecological Reserve, with a bilingual guide, includes exploration of a highland indigenous market, a visit to an Andean family home, and a trek down into the crater to the lake's edge. The lagoon sits 270 meters deep and spans three kilometers across; private transportation, entrance fees, and lunch are included. Children from age 6 are welcome; moderate fitness helps with the trek.Is it for me?Book the private tour if you want the day entirely to yourself, or choose the small group or shared option if you're traveling solo and want to split the cost with other travelers heading the same direction. The trek into the crater is the defining moment—it takes moderate fitness and a few hours, but it's the only way to stand at the lagoon's edge and see the color shift as the day cools.
Cotopaxi Volcano tour: hike Limpiopungo Lagoon, 4800 metersThis day trip to Cotopaxi National Park in the Ecuadorian Andes combines a drive along the Route of the Volcanoes with a hike around Limpiopungo Lagoon and a visit to the Mariscal Sucre interpretation center. The tour climbs to 4800 meters where glacial ice is sometimes visible, includes a stop for regional fruit ice cream, and runs six to eight hours with a certified guide in English or Spanish. Moderate fitness is required; the high altitude and cold climate mean warm layers, gloves, a hat and waterproof clothing are essential.Is it for me?The tour departs with hotel pickup included, so you do not need a car or directions to reach the national park—the guide and driver handle the full day from start to finish. Book this one if you want to climb high on an active volcano and hike at altitude without arranging the logistics yourself.
Day Trips from Quito — what to know before booking
This guide compares 21 bookable options for Day Trips from Quito, with up-to-date prices and real traveler reviews. Prices start at US$ 89. The average rating is 4.9 out of 5, based on 752 traveler reviews.
Most options last half a day or longer. 21 of the 21 options offer free cancellation. 4 private experiences are also available for closed groups. The verdict at the top highlights the travelers' favorite, the best price and the top-rated option, updated with live data.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Day Trips from Quito cost?
Prices start at US$ 89. There are 21 options to compare, and the final price depends on the date, group size and the option you choose.
Can I book with free cancellation?
Yes: 21 of the 21 options offer free cancellation, so you can book now and confirm your plans later.
How long do these experiences last?
Most options last half a day or longer. There are also shorter and longer formats to fit your itinerary.
Which one is the travelers' favorite?
Cotopaxi & Quilotoa Volcanoes: Day Trip from Quito is the travelers' favorite, rated 4.9 out of 5 across 221 reviews.
Are private options available?
Yes, 4 private experiences are available if you prefer a closed group.
