Over nine days, our small circle of women travelers will cross Ecuador’s Andes — moving through high-altitude páramo, cloud forest, and volcanic landscapes where nature shapes the pace of daily life. This journey invites transformation through time outdoors, shared experience, reflection, and awe.

This is not travel that rushes from highlight to highlight. It’s time to breathe thinner air, feel the ground under your feet, and notice how different ecosystems ask different things of you — patience, presence, humility.

If you’re craving more than a vacation — if you’re seeking meaning, connection, and time in places that recalibrate your senses — this journey is for you.

Why Ecuador?

Ecuador is a country where ecosystems meet and overlap, often within the span of a single day. The Andes rise quickly here, shaping weather, culture, agriculture, and movement in ways that are immediately felt.

In the morning, you may stand above the clouds in open páramo, and by afternoon walk through misty forests shaped by constant moisture — places shared with hummingbirds, orchids, and Spectacled Bears. Rivers, volcanoes, and fertile valleys are not separate from daily life; they are part of how people live, farm, and relate to one another.

Because Ecuador is compact, these transitions are intimate rather than overwhelming. The closeness of environments creates space for noticing patterns — between land and culture, between external landscapes and internal shifts.

Wherever we go, we are welcomed not as spectators, but as guests — invited to slow down, listen, and engage with both people and place in ways that leave room for personal insight.

This experience is designed for women who seek more than sightseeing — women ready to connect with nature, culture, and themselves. Whether you travel with a friend or on your own, you’ll join a small circle of kindred spirits who travel with intention. This journey welcomes all who identify as women.

• Solo travelers seeking community

• Friends wanting deeper shared experiences

• Sisters looking to spend quality time together

• Women craving reflection, adventure, and authenticity

Angie Drake is the co-founder of Not Your Average American and has spent more than a decade working alongside community-based tourism projects across Ecuador and the Andes. Her role on this journey is to provide continuity, context, and care — before the trip begins and throughout the experience.

Angie travels with the group to help bridge cultures, support local partners, and guide the group through the rhythms of travel in Ecuador. She is there to answer questions, navigate the unexpected, and hold the tone of the experience: respectful, grounded, and people-first.

This is not a fast-paced sightseeing trip. Angie’s leadership helps create space for meaningful connection — with place, with community, and with one another — while ensuring travelers feel prepared, supported, and well-oriented every step of the way.

Before we set out, you’ll receive your Travel with HEART journal to begin exploring what it means to travel with intention. In three virtual gatherings, our circle of women travelers will begin to connect, sharing stories, expectations, and inspiration for the journey ahead.

Together, we’ll also shape elements of our itinerary — finding a balance between shared adventures and personal reflection. Each woman’s voice helps guide how we spend our time, leaving space for flexibility so our experience can follow the natural rhythm of the group, the land, and the moment.

Covid-19 Travel Restrictions

It is your responsibility to be aware of Ecuador's COVID-19 travel restrictions. The U.S. Embassy in Quito provides up-to-date information for travelers.

Vaccinations and Medications

For other health and safety information, including vaccinations, please read the CDC recommendations for travel to Ecuador. 

Please consider obtaining a prescription for malaria medications as the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve is located in the Sucumbios Province, an area of transmission. 

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)

We highly recommend enrolling in STEP, a free service operated by the US State Department to keep you informed about security updates while traveling abroad.

Pack List and Trip Notes

Upon booking, you will receive recommended pack list and specific information important to this tour. 

Refunds & Travel Insurance

Your $650 deposit will be refunded if we do not fill the trip. This is to encourage you to confirm your participation so that we know how many participants to plan for, minimum of 6 and maximum of 8 participants, not including guides.

Once the complete trip is purchased 45 days prior, we cannot guarantee refunds as we need to place down payments to multiple vendors. 

Therefore, WeTravel recommends that you acquire travel insurance in case something goes wrong. To minimize any loss and to protect yourself during the trip, you can purchase travel insurance from World Nomads. The WeTravel recommendation is to use a company like World Nomads because they have very fair rates for the quality of service they are providing. Click here to get a quote.

Not Your Average American is not a travel agency

Not Your Average American, LLC and her cofounder, Angie Drake, connect interested clients with travel opportunities in South America. However, the company is not a registered seller of travel in the United States. Angie and her company work as a consultancy.

Please read our Terms & Conditions before booking. 

Day 1

Most international flights arrive in Quito after dark, so this first night is all about rest. Our team will be there to greet you at the airport and bring you to our hotel in the city’s quiet northern hills. Settle in, take a deep breath, and let the travel fade away. Tomorrow, we’ll meet as a group to officially begin our journey — rested, grounded, and ready to connect.

Day 2

We leave Quito behind, crossing the Papallacta Pass where the Shrine of the Virgin overlooks sweeping Andean peaks. As we descend the eastern slopes, the landscape transforms — glaciers give way to emerald valleys, rivers rush toward the Amazon, and waterfalls spill from the mountainsides. Along the way, we pause often to take in the views, breathe the thin, clear air, and prepare to settle into the rhythm of the forested Río Quijos valley.

Days 3-5

Together we’ll decide which trails in and around Rio Quijos call to us — whether it’s hiking through forest alive with birdsong, visiting nearby waterfalls, or meeting women who are building their own tourism projects, like hummingbird gardens alive with color and life.

Optional white-water rafting offers an exhilarating way to experience the Río Quijos, while quiet hours invite self-guided yoga, meditation, or journaling by the water’s edge.

The boldest among us may choose to immerse fully in the river’s cool, invigorating flow — a refreshing reminder of the power and presence of this landscape. In the evening, our first guided conversation helps us weave the day’s experiences into shared reflection.

Day 6

We travel west, crossing the Andes once more, eventually entering a high desert — a stark, sun-baked landscape where the Rumicucho ruins stand along the Equator. Built by pre-Incan peoples who understood both astronomy and balance, this place invites us to pause and reflect on transition — between worlds, between elements, and within ourselves.

From this arid ridge, the road climbs once again before dropping and twisting as we descend into the green embrace of the Chocó. By late afternoon, we arrive at Mashpi Amagusa, greeted by mist, birdsong, and the warmth of our hosts.

Days 7-9

Now that we know one another’s rhythms, we move through these days at Mashpi Amagusa with ease — hiking forest trails alive with orchids and birds, visiting families whose projects help protect this ancient landscape, or taking quiet moments for journaling and reflection.

The boldest among us may bathe in clear pools at the base of cascading waterfalls or climb the observation tower to greet the rising sun as the forest awakens in song. As night falls, we’ll step into the mist with headlamps, listening for the calls of frogs and discovering the forest’s secret nocturnal life. Each day invites us to lean in or step out as we need, honoring both solitude and the strength of our shared circle.

Days 10-11

Back in Ecuador’s capital, we take time to reflect on the journey we’ve shared and how it has shaped us. Together, we’ll decide how we want to experience the city — whether it’s climbing the highest tower of the Basilica for sweeping views, riding the Teleférico to watch the sunset over the Andes, experiencing a corner of the Historic Center, or visiting a local farm outside the city to meet a pioneering woman cultivating traditional crops organically. These final days invite both discovery and pause — a gentle transition between the wild beauty of Ecuador and the return home.

Day 12

Most international flights depart Quito late in the evening or very early the following morning, and we’ve planned this final day for shared adventures before we part ways. Together, we’ll have time to browse the artisan market and small shops in La Mariscal, visit the Casa Cultural’s excellent museum, and savor a farewell lunch featuring Ecuadorian flavors.

It’s a relaxed day to celebrate the journey we’ve shared — a chance to reflect, laugh, and linger in good company before transfers to the airport and the journey home.