It could be intimidating to plan an adventurous motorbike vacation in Ecuador. Selecting a riding location can be challenging because of the vast differences in terrain, temperature, and culture. Because Ecuador is so compact, there seem to be countless options available to you. To give you a little kickstart and some inspiration, I’ve put together this list of our favorite spots to go adventure riding.
1. El Corazon, Zumbahua, and Angamarca
We incorporate this 93 km unpaved road into a number of our off-road motorbike excursions. It takes us from the high-altitude plateau of around 13,400 feet to a height of approximately 4,000 feet at El Corazon, a little hamlet with two stop lights. You’ll pass shepherds, pigs, moonshiners, wild bunnies, and llamas on the road.
There is an unexpectedly large number of fascinating people in unusual spheres of contemporary life along the route. In a modest studio in Angamarca, wood carvers employ antiquated techniques to make monumental holy artworks for churches worldwide. The grains gathered by the nearby subsistence farmers are still ground in a functional watermill. As part of our “Ride for a Purpose” initiative, we stop and assist a few schools along the way.
2. San Clemente to Bahia de Caraquez
This length of untouched Pacific coastline is one of the last remaining spots on Earth where you may ride with such a sense of freedom. You’ll be able to maneuver past driftwood and rock obstructions with ease. You will ride beneath the cliffs that historically served as havens for colonial pirates.
You feel far away from everywhere as soon as you step onto the beach in the village of Bahia, a tiny, peaceful city with stunning residences built in the Mediterranean style. You may treat yourself for more than ten kilometers along this length of coastline. Do wheelies, donuts, and pause to see the passing whales.
There are a few difficult obstacles to overcome, and you must carefully schedule the voyage to end at low tide to avoid becoming stranded on an empty beach until the tide turns.
The fishing community of San Clemente will reward you at the conclusion of your beach ride. This region of Ecuador’s coast, which receives the most sunlight, is well-known for its robust seafood meals.
3. Papallacta and Coca-Cayambe Park
Among the best-protected natural regions in the world is Coca-Cayambe Park. With the greatest ecological richness in the nation, it is also the largest protected wildlife refuge in Ecuador. You’ll swear you’re in Iceland rather than the Equator with the crystalline glacial lakes and chilly temps.
The ideal atmosphere for taking advantage of the hot springs in this location is one of cold, clear air around the volcanic springs, which enhances their enjoyment. A non-touristy hot springs complex with different temperature baths may be found near the village of Oyacachi. The hot springs of Papallacta are more well-known, more accessible, and more stunning. Cabins with their own private pools fed by hot springs just outside are available for rental.
It takes a forest’s worth of paperwork and tugged strings to get in. To enter the park, you need a specific permit. We are among the select few tour operators in the nation that have the Environment Minister’s approval to access the park. It’s definitely a unique treat!
4. The Amazon Basin
The amount of activity that occurs constantly in the Amazon basin is a surprise to anybody who visits for the first time. Parrots take to the skies with a lot to say as the light from the dawn breaks. Throughout the day, cicadas provide a rolling, undulating rhythm and background noise; monkeys arise, and fruit drops from trees; and the forest floor begins to move as cutter ants spread their leaves across it. The noises of the night change drastically, with owls hooting, bats swooping, and frogs croaking.
Many people think that there are remedies for every illness known to man within the amazing diversity of plant species. Actually, flora discovered in the Amazon have been the source of many pharmacological medications that we use today. The anti-cancer properties of plants from the Amazon have been demonstrated. More than 500 distinct species are utilized in medicine for a variety of purposes, including anti-inflammatory and contraception.
There is also a great range of peoples and cultures in the basin who pass on their knowledge of the usage of these plants to the next generation. Those who are the last of the hunter-gatherers still live today. The Kichwa are a more common people. They left the mountains behind and brought their language and outlook with them. One might observe a more traditional way of life in these areas by visiting them.
5. Ingapirca Ruins – Tambo
The Ingapirca Solar Temple road, which leads to Ecuador’s greatest archeological monument, is a patchwork of vibrant fields twisted with modern asphalt. This path leads to a meeting with the Cañaris, a kind and exceptional people. Their singing is a combination of Spanish and Quechua, as the native Cañari language was eradicated during the Inca conquest and subsequent Spanish colonial domination of their forefathers. Their attire is colorful and unique, and they take great pride in sharing their lovely customs with guests.
6. El Angel National Park
The world’s most breathtaking landscape may be seen in El Angel National Park. High-altitude rainforests are extremely uncommon ecosystems. In Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela, this environment is limited in its occurrence. You can also observe special plants that grow nowhere else. The plants known as frailejon will appear to be an extraterrestrial army as you ride past them. Our “High Andes, Deep Amazon” and “Dirt Deluxe” off-road motorbike excursions include it.
It is a discreetly inaccessible region that will fascinate you with its stunning hot springs, world-class small-scale coffee growers, and charming tiny villages with weathered colonial architecture.
7. Ruta Spondylus
Before a few years ago, most of the path along Ecuador’s Pacific Coast was little more than dirt roads that few daring people would go along. All of the coastline route’s segments provide unique and memorable experiences, and the roads are now paved.
Riding an adventure motorbike and taking in the cold seaside wind, as well as the peaceful, pensive, and lyrical people who live in the charming fishing villages along the road, is the most beautiful way to see the area.
8. The Sangay National Park’s Atillo Lakes
It was contentious to pave the route that connects the Atillo Lakes, Sangay National Park, and the Amazon basin’s little settlement of Macas. We’re happy that it was constructed in the end since it allows us to have amazing adventure riding adventures. It begins with the glistening, freezing glacial lakes of Atillo and ascends a short distance to provide a view of the eastern mountain range. The route passes through cloud forest and rainforest as it descends toward the Amazon basin, leaving behind the windswept high-altitude paramo.
You will be asked to pause at each of the breathtaking waterfalls that line the path, much like a devotee would at a holy altar, and offer yourself to each one. You may enjoy expansive views of the Upano and Abanico Rivers from a viewing tower, and in the distance, you can see the Sangay volcano emitting ash.
9. The Quilotoa Loop
The breathtaking emerald-hued lagoon is called Laguna Quilotoa and it was created some eight millennia ago by a massive volcanic explosion. It produced pyroclastic flows and hundreds of miles of ash spewing that extended to the Pacific Ocean.
These days, one of South America’s most striking landscapes, complete with canyons, high-altitude paramos, and hospitable indigenous settlements, surrounds it. The paths that surround this location are commonly referred to as the “Quilotoa Loop” and are ideal for our paved and off-road motorbike and 4×4 trips since they have recently resurfaced areas as well as breathtakingly gorgeous unpaved sections.
10. The National Wildlife Refuge of Chimborazo
The tallest peak in Ecuador and the furthest point in space are both the Chimborazo Volcano. The summit is the nearest location on Earth to Heaven as it is the highest point on the planet in terms of distance from the Earth’s core. This results from Earth’s bulging near the equator, its proximity to the equator, and its elevation of 20,548 feet above sea level.
The route that circles this magnificent behemoth via the nature sanctuary is like something from another planet. The world’s best-protected vicuña populations may be found here. The vicuña is similar to the alpaca and llama but quicker, lighter, and more aerodynamic like a sports vehicle. These animals are stunning and have evolved well to survive in the challenging conditions found at these elevations. Throughout several motorbike journeys in Ecuador, we travel this route, which rises us to 14,500 feet. You would be breathing oxygen if you were a pilot!
