Archive of Past Programs

Note: This program is no longer available. Please see Domestic Trips and International Trips for currently available programs.

Ecuador's Cultural and Natural Wonders
Archaeology, Villages, and Volcanoes*

A Learning Vacation in Beautiful Ecuador

The natural diversity of the northern and southern highlands of Ecuador embodies grassy valleys, high-altitude forests, crystal-clear mountain lakes, and towering volcanoes. Travel this fascinating region, and discover colonial cities, indigenous villages, and markets filled with remarkable handicrafts. Examine theories of Inca expansion while visiting the most important Inca ruins in Ecuador, as well as defensive fortresses built by the Cayambe Indians against the Inca. Learn about new research and discoveries at active archaeological sites.

Broaden your knowledge of Andean archaeology with this "off-the-beaten-path" journey. This unique cultural exploration combines diverse landscapes, fascinating archaeology, and rich culture!

*Optional pre-trip extension to the Amazon.

Cultural Travel with an Educational Focus

Observe the dramatic Andean environment and its diverse topography

Explore magnificent archaeological sites and interact with noted experts

Discover the cultural variety, art, and history of Ecuador

Learn about past and current archaeological research in Ecuador

See the impact of Spanish conquest and settlement of Ecuador

Enjoy the grandeur of the Ecuadorian highland landscape

Trip Scholar Dr. Dennis Ogburn

Dr. Dennis Ogburn is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and former lab manager of the Archaeological Research Facility at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focus is Andean archaeology with an emphasis on the Inca Empire in southern Ecuador.

Trip Dates and Cost

Wednesday, July 23–Monday, August 4, 2008
Tuition: $4,125; Nonmember tuition: $4,375
Deposit: $1,000
Balance due: April 18, 2008
Optional Pre-Trip: July 19–July 23
Tuition: $1,785

Trip Itinerary

Wednesday, July 23: Arrival in Quito

Arrive at the Quito airport and transfer to hotel. Overnight Quito. (D)

Thursday, July 24: Quito

Once a major Inca city, the site of Quito dates from precolumbian times. Today, its architecture reflects Spanish colonialism. The city is nestled in a high Andean valley surrounded by majestic mountains and views of snow-capped volcanoes. Tour Quito's principal sites, including San Francisco Church and Convent, La Comaña de Jesus Church, Plaza de la Independencia, Presidential Palace, and City Museum. Overnight Quito. (B, D)

Friday, July 25: Quito • San Angustin de el Callo Hostel • Cotopaxi National Park

View the archaeological collections, especially the gold mask, of the Banco Central del Ecuador Museum. Drive to San Angustin de el Callo Hostel, known for its superb Inca stonework. At Cotopaxi National Park, see the snow-capped volcano Cotopaxi, Ecuador's second highest peak. Enjoy the spectacular Andean landscape and grasslands. Overnight Quito. (B, L)

Saturday, July 26: Cochasqui • Otavalo • Ibarra

Travel into the mountains of the northern highlands and view lakes, lagoons, and picturesque villages. See the ruins of Cochasqui, built by the Cara Indians before the Inca conquests. Recent excavations at Cochasqui reveal a number of pyramids and associated structures which suggest a ceremonial and astronomical use. Enjoy market day at the small town of Otavalo. Mingle with the indigenous Otavaleños dressed in traditional attire, and explore the various stalls for handicrafts. Travel to Ibarra in north central Equador. Overnight Ibarra. (B, D)

Sunday, July 27: Pambamarca • Quitoloma • Campaña Pucara

Join Sam Connell, an archaeologist directing excavations at Pambamarca, and learn about recent discoveries. Massive precolumbian fortresses were built on the peaks of the Pambamarca Mountains by Inca and Ecuadorian societies. There, the invading Inca armies met resistance from the Cayambes, who turned back the Inca many years before the fortresses finally fell in the early 1500s. Archaeologists seek to learn more about the construction and occupation of the Pambamarca fortresses. Quitoloma is a fortress built of cut-blocks mined from the nearby mountain slope. Many structures are distinctly Inca in form and architecture; however, excavations at the site exposed non-Inca ceramic styles. Learn more about the latest hypotheses at Quitoloma and the fortress of Campaña Pucara. Overnight Quito. (B, D)

Monday, July 28: Cuenca

Fly to Cuenca in the southern highlands, territory of the Cañari Indians prior to their conquest by the Incas in the late 1500s. Cuenca's colonial architecture reveals Spanish conquest. It is a city of gracious charm, strong intellectual traditions, and major craft production. Enjoy a tour of historic sites: Calderón Park, Plaza de San Sebastián, the artisan market, museums, churches, and Inca ruins. Overnight Cuenca. (B, D)

Tuesday, July 29: Cajas National Park

Travel to Cajas National Park, where numerous pristine lakes shine against the background of a harsh, barren landscape. See thickets of the quenua tree, which grows at the highest altitude of any tree in the world. Look for giant conebills, gray-breasted mountain toucans, and darting hummingbirds. Examine the standing wall and ceremonial features of Paradones de Molleturo, a large, unrestored Inca site. The site guarded a major Inca road that connected Tomebamba with the Ecuadorian coast. Overnight Cuenca. (B, L)

Wednesday, July 30: Ingapirca • Colluctor Archaeological Site

Visit Ingapirca, the most important archaeological site in Ecuador, and view its Incan monuments of carved mortarless stone. Remarkably well preserved, the walls stand more than seven feet high—yet no one knows when it was constructed, what its functions were, or who built it. Its main structure, a large rectangle, is graced with beautiful trapezoidal niches and doorways, hallmarks of Incan construction. See collections in the on-site museum. Visit Colluctor Archaeological Site, an ancient Incan bath carved in a rocky promontory. Overnight Cuenca. (B, L)

Thursday, July 31: Chobsi Cave • Shabalula • Chordeleg

See Chobsi Cave, a rock shelter occupied by hunter-gatherers as early as 10,000 years ago, where remains of flaked stone artifacts are still visible on the surface of the site. Nearby is the enigmatic site of Shabalula, which contains an unusual semielliptical structure that suggests ritual function. Like Ingapirca, it is not known when it was built or who built it. Travel to the village of Chordeleg, famous for its handicrafts—especially filigreed gold and silver jewelry. Explore workshops and stores for weavings, ceramics, leatherwork, woodcarvings, embroidered clothing, and Panama hats. Overnight Cuenca. (B, L, D)

Friday, August 1: Sagaguro • Wilcamarca • Loja

Depart Cuenca and travel to Sagaguro, named after the Quechua-speaking Sagaguro people who are known for their distinctive attire. Visit Wilcamarca, an archaeological site at Sagaguro. Learn about the research Dr. Ogburn has been conducting there on Inca occupation as he leads us to some of the sites constructed by the Incas, including ceremonial sites and an administrative site near the remarkable volcanic formation, León Dormido. Explore the area where the Incas abandoned hundreds of large building stones weighing up to 1,500 pounds after they had transported them from the capital of Cuzco, more than 1,000 miles away. Travel to Loja, a major city south of Cuenca. Overnight Loja. (B, L, D)

Saturday, August 2: Quito

Take a morning flight to Quito and enjoy optional visits to galleries, museums, and gardens. Overnight Quito. (B)

Sunday, August 3: Mitad del Mundo • Rumicucho • Pululahua Volcano

Travel to the equator at Mitad del Mundo, "the Middle of the World," for Sunday festivities. Mingle with Quiteño families, listen to a salsa band, and step in two hemispheres at once! Drive to Rumicucho, a precolumbian archaeological site believed to be an equinox and ceremonial location built around 500 B.C. by the Quitu-Cara people. At Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve, see the breathtaking volcanic crater of the extinct Pululahua. Overnight Quito. (B, L, D)

Monday, August 4: Quito • United States

Transfers to Quito airport. (B)

Optional Pre-Trip to the Galapogos Islands and Yasuni National Park

Extend your travels and visit the Galapagos Islands. Our land operator, Latin Trails, will be happy to make your arrangements. We highly recommend their services. Crow Canyon participants will receive a discount on the standard package fee.

Spend three days in the Yasuni National Park in the heart of the Amazon Basin, staying at Napo Wildlfe Center. The luxurious ecolodge and the surrounding private reserve are part of a community-based ecotourism project. Enjoy wildlife viewing from your canoe, during walking tours, and from jungle towers. You will be guided by native Añangu guides who are also official Yasuni Park Rangers and trained naturalists. There is no Crow Canyon scholar accompanying the pre-trip extension.

Saturday, July 19: Arrival Quito

Arrive at Quito airport and transfer to hotel. Overnight Quito.

Sunday, July 20–Wednesday, July 23: Quito • Coca • Yasuni National Park

Fly to Coca, the starting point for a jungle expedition in Yasuni National Park, in the heart of the Amazon tropical rain forest. Travel by covered motor boat canoe along the Napo River to Napo Wildlife Center, ancestral home of a Quichua indigenous community. Luxurious bungalows, built in keeping with native traditional architecture, are our home for three nights. Each day we venture into the rain forest to hike along jungle trails and to explore winding streams, lagoons, and swamps by dugout canoe!

The park is home to nearly 200 species of mammal and more than 500 species of birds. Hear and see brightly colored macaws, howler monkeys, and, if you're lucky, an elusive puma or jaguar. Examine medicinal plants and meet with the traditional people of the Quichua tribe. (B, L, D each day)

Wednesday, July 23: Quito

Return flight to Quito. Afternoon at leisure. Join main program for welcome dinner. Overnight Quito. (B, L, D)

Tour Details

Tuition: Tuition is per person and is based on shared accommodations. Tuition includes accommodations, meals listed, entry fees and permits, most gratuities, and transportation (including flights within Ecuador) from arrival in Quito on July 19 (pre-trip) or July 23 (main trip), until your departure from Quito on August 4. Transportation to and from Quito is your responsibility. Airport taxes are not included.

Tuition for optional pre-trip extension is based on shared accommodations. Tuition includes accommodations, meals listed, entry fees and permits, most gratuities, and transportation from your arrival at Quito until your return to Quito to join the main program.

International program prices are based on current tariffs/currency exchange rates and are subject to change. Crow Canyon reserves the right to levy a surcharge, if necessary, prior to the final payment date.

International Air: International air flights are not included. For assistance making arrangements, we recommend Travel Management, Inc., in Post Falls, Idaho. E-mail crow@tmitravelnet, or call 800.975.7775 and ask for the Crow Canyon representative. Or, you are welcome to make your own arrangements. Please arrive in Quito no later than the evening of July 19 (pre-trip) or late afternoon July 23 (main trip). Depart anytime on August 4.

Accommodations: All nights are spent in first-class hotels (or in a luxurious jungle ecolodge on the pre-trip). Shared accommodations are double occupancy. Single accommodations are available for an additional fee of $624 (main trip) and $323 (post-trip).

Travel and Lodging

This trip involves travel to elevations above 9,000 feet. Most sightseeing requires only moderate walking, but you must be in good physical condition. Visiting some archaeological sites requires hiking short distances, climbing slopes, and standing for long periods of time. Travel is by motor coach and scheduled flights on the main trip and by canoe on the pre-trip. Stay in first-class hotels and comfortable lodges. There are many occasions to meet indigenous people and to purchase native handicrafts. The optional extension involves wildlife viewing.

Crow Canyon is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to conduct archaeological research and public education programs. Crow Canyon is nationally recognized for the quality of its archaeological research and education programs.

The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center's programs and admission practices are open to applicants of any race, color, nationality, ethnic origin, gender, or sexual orientation.

Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California
CST 2059347-50

Copyright © 2007 by Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. All rights reserved.