How does it feel? To sleep on a boat 600 miles from the mainland. Snorkel with parrot fish. Stand beside a tortoise that weighs more than I do. How does it feel? To bike and hike right next to volcanoes. Hunt for cool stuff at a big outdoor market. These were my questions when I heard we were going to a place called Ecuador. Mom and Dad said it would be "an adventure" - I don't think they knew how it would actually feel. But we went and I got my answers: Cool - a floating hotel! Awesome! Kind of freaky - but in a good way. Amazing! Super fun - I found todos! Our trip to Ecuador felt like one big adventure.

Premiere Inns

Hacienda Cusin (1 night): Located in the Ecuadorian sierra, this restored Andean estate traces its history to 1602 when the land was purchased from the King of Spain.

Hacienda Zuleta (2 nights): Once home to a former president of Ecuador, "This beautiful late-17th-century hacienda is much more than a place to stay; it's a full cultural-immersion experience," according to Condé Nast Traveler.

Coral II (4 nights): Drink in stunning Galápagos scenery from the whirlpool aboard this luxury yacht, or from a hammock slung in the shade of its shadow deck, before heading into the lounge to hear about local geology, flora and fauna from the multilingual naturalist guide.
View the deck plan.
Note: Moon cabins aboard the Coral II (4 available) receive a $200 savings per person.

* with 4 semi-luxury yacht nights on the Coral II.

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1

• Levels 1 to 2  3 Route Options Available
• Biking 6, 8, 16 miles
• 100 - 800 feet elevation gain

Day 2

• Levels 2 to 4  4 Route Options Available
• Walking 4.7, 5.5, 8.9, 10.2 miles
• 100 - 1600 feet elevation gain

Day 3

• Level 1 2 Route Options Available
• Biking 7, 9 miles
• 250 - 330 feet elevation gain

Day 4

• Flight to Galápagos Islands 3 hours
• Walking & wildlife viewing

Day 5

• Level 1  1 Route Option Available
• Hiking 1.5 miles
• 0 - 500 feet elevation gain
• Guided walk 1.5 hours

Day 6

• Snorkeling, walking, wildlife viewing

Day 7

• Snorkeling, walking, wildlife viewing

Day 8

• Flight to Quito 3 hours

Please note: On this Family Trip, our routes follow gentle terrain with no significant gain or loss in elevation. Liberal van shuttling is incorporated into the itinerary to facilitate our activities and mileage is kept moderate to enable you to spend more time exploring on your own.

Routes For All Abilities

Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.

Activity Level	Average Time	Biking Average	Walking Average
Level 1	2-3 hours	10-20 mile	2-5 miles
Level 2	2-4 hours	21-30 miles	5-7 miles
Level 3	3-5 hours	31-40 miles	7-9 miles
Level 4	4-6 hours	41-55 miles	9-11 miles
Level 5	5-7+ hours	56-75+ miles	11-13+ miles

2012 Dates & Pricing*

FAMILY TRIPS

*Prices may change. Once you book your trip, your price is guaranteed.

Recommended Kids Ages

Minimum Ages:

• Recommended minimum age for the trip: 9 years
• Minimum age restriction to ride own bike: 9 years
• No Burleys or Piccolos available on this trip

General Info on Minimum Ages:

We strongly encourage families to join our Family Trips, designed with kid- and adult-friendly features. Please note that we have a minimum age requirement of 1 year for all Inn trips and 2 years for all Camping trips. Other than that, we do not restrict trips to a minimum age except in the rare case of a hotel age restriction. We do, however, recommend minimum ages based on the following criteria:

• 12+ amount of cultural appreciation, difficulty of activities, routes
• 9+ difficulty of activities/activity age restrictions, routes
• 6+ several longer dinners; routes are difficult for pulling a Burley and therefore not appropriate for younger children; difficulty of activities/activity age restrictions

Please note that a trip may feature an activity with an older age requirement than the minimum age recommendation for the trip. Younger kids are still welcome on the trip and while they will not be able to participate in the activity, the leaders will suggest an alternate activity. For safety reasons, children under 7 may not ride their own bikes and are required to ride on a Piccolo or in a Burley. For certain destinations, children must be 9 or older to ride their own bikes.

Guest Trip Reviews

I knew this would be a great trip but I didn't expect it to be so wonderful and fabulous! Ecuador was an unexpected gem. What a beautiful country with wonderful people! We just loved the hiking and mountain biking.

Sue Floyd - Bellaire, TX

I loved the part of the trip in the Highlands of Ecuador - both haciendas were wonderful. Our leaders were enthusiastic, helpful, flexible and kind, and the food was excellent. The scenery and contact with the local people was superb, and I loved the hiking and biking!

Lisa Conn - Cherry Hill, NJ

Backroads planned an amazing and rich trip, and executed it with polish and good humor. We were extremely impressed and will travel with Backroads on all our future organized travel. Guides were wonderful with guests, kids, dietary and medical restrictions, and at keeping everything moving smoothly. By the end of the trip, we felt our family had grown to include the leaders and other guests.

Denise Pinkston - Berkeley, CA