Meet your guide at your hotel and leave Quito heading east. As you gain altitude, your guide introduces the high Andes, the páramo ecosystem and how this route connects Quito with the Amazon basin.

Short stop near the highest point of the road (weather permitting) to enjoy scenic views of mountains, small lagoons and open páramo. Here your guide explains how tectonic forces lifted the Eastern Andes and how glaciers carved the rounded hills, wetlands and U-shaped valleys around Papallacta.

From the highlands, we take a short guided walk that gently descends into the beautiful U-shaped Papallacta valley.

Along the way we focus on:
• The transition from open, windswept páramo to a more sheltered, green valley floor.
• Typical plants: páramo grasses, shrubs, mosses, ferns and, in season, small orchids.
• How ancient Pleistocene glaciers carved the valley, left moraines and created hollows where wetlands and lagoons now sit.

The walk is short, easy and scenic, usually around 45–60 minutes of actual walking with plenty of stops. This is not a long or strenuous hike.

Arrival at the hot springs complex, located right on the valley floor, surrounded by lush slopes and often misty cloud. Your guide explains how the pools are organized, where to change, and where to meet later.

The thermal pools usually range from pleasantly warm to very warm (around 36–40°C / 97–104°F), plus a cold pool for contrast. The combination of hot water, cool mountain air and a quiet glacial valley setting makes this a very relaxing experience.

Free time to enjoy the pools at your own pace:

• Move between different pools with different temperatures.
• Relax, enjoy the mountain scenery and the calm valley atmosphere.
• Optional: if booked in advance, enjoy a spa treatment (massage, body treatments, etc.) at the Thermal Club (extra cost, subject to availability).

Your guide will agree on a meeting time and place inside the complex.

Lunch at the hot springs restaurant or a nearby local restaurant, depending on your program. Expect warm Andean dishes and hot drinks, with views of the valley. Vegetarian options are usually available; please let us know any dietary requirements in advance.

After lunch and a final look at the valley, we start our drive back to Quito.

Estimated arrival back at your hotel and end of services.
Times are approximate and may vary due to weather, traffic, and group pace.