MTB Ecuador with Peter Salido!

Our Ecuador MTB Enduro trip will leave the most experienced mountain bikers with their jaw dragging on the floor. . . When we say that Ecuador is a mountain biker’s paradise we mean it. Ecuador boasts the largest descents in the world (average of 2,000 meters), volcanic free rides at 4,000 meters of elevation, jungle descents through cocoa and banana plantations, and mountain biking trails that were formed by the fingers of a mountain bike god! 

So if you lay awake at night dreaming of biking at the base of glacial volcanoes and descending over 3,000 vertical meters everyday, you’re ready to MTB Ecuador!

Trip Highlights

- Ride your bike in subtropical jungels under the cover of Jungle Canopies

- Have the opportunity to discover ALL of Ecuador.

- Freeride down the ancient CotoPaxi and Chimborazo volcanoes.

- Mountain bike down trails that were a part of the great Inkan highway that extended from Colombia all the way to Chile!

- Have the opportunity to ride your bike in over 15 different eco-systems!!

Our 10-day Ecuador Mountain Bike Vacation is built for intermediate + to advanced riders. This Ecuador mtb trip is a mix of all things mountain biking, freerides, steeper singletrack, rock gardens, roots, technical sections, jumps and flowy sections. 

If you are an intermediate rider and the type of rider that is riding most obstacles and ready to push your limits and begin riding new terrain, or you are an expert rider that is ready to fly down the mountain bike singletrack trails of your dreams, then this trip is for you! 

Ability:  Intermediate  / Advanced 

Fitness:  Level 3 

Total Distance:  120 km / 75 Miles

Total Descent:  8,000m / 33,000ft

Welcome to Ecuador! 

Our Ecuador MTB Enduro with Peter Salido starts in Quito, Ecuador, a UNESCO World Heritage site. With its cobblestone streets, colonial-style architecture, vibrant buildings, towering Volcanoes, churches, bustling markets, and lively cultural events, Quito truly stands out as one of the gems of Latin America. And did we mention it's surrounded by three volcanoes?

Upon arrival at Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito, our 2Wheel team will pick you up and transfer you to our Quito hotel.  After settling in, enjoy some free time to build your bike and relax before this evening's Welcome Meeting (7pm).

If you arrive early, take some time to explore relax and get ready for the epic adventure ahead!

• Accommodation:  Hotel Ilalo Garden Inn
• Meals Included:  None

After an incredible breakfast and finishing our bike building, we start our Ecuador MTB Enduro Adventure. In the heart of Quito lies the Metropolitano trail system, where we ride for the first morning of their trip, these trails serve us as great way to acclimatize to the altitude, understand how the trails in Ecuador are built and get used to the types of dirt that they will see for the remains of their trip.

Following delicious lunch in the heart of Quito, we head over to the Lumbisi trails to enjoy Ecuador’s first purpose-built mountain bike specific trails.

• Distance: 14.4 km / 9 miles
• Max Elevation: 3200m / 10,500 ft
• Ascent: 250 m / 800 ft
• Descent: 1800 m / 4,000 ft
• Accommodation: Hotel Finlandia
• Meals Included: B, L, Snacks

Today we pack our bags and depart Quito for a 1.5hr drive to the base of the CotoPaxi Volcano to ride the volcanic forests of the CotoPaxi Bike Park. This bike park is full of singletrack trails that are made of loamy volcanic earth that weaves in between the humid forests that are native to the highlands of Ecuador. 

The dirt is a volcanic mix of soft and humid dirt, and is what most riders dream about when they think about the best mountain bike trails. There are also 3-4 jump lines that are medium to large size jumps, super loamy jump fun for intermediate to expert jumpers. Today will be a great day to go over some jump practice with Peter helping riders feel more comfortable in the air on their bike! 

• Distance: 14.4 km / 9 miles
• Max Elevation: 4100m /1 3,500 ft
• Ascent: 125 m / 350 ft
• Descent: 1060 m / 4,500 ft
• Meals Included: B, L, Snacks

Every country has its iconic attraction that will never cease to captivate travelers from all over the world. In Ecuador, the Cotopaxi Volcano has been attracting travelers to its base to bask in the grandeur of its glacier beauty for centuries. For millions of years the glacier has receded and receded leaving behind a soft volcano dirt that is ideal for epic freeriding. You will have the ability to use you creativity as you paint you way down the three epic freeride routes of the CotoPaxi. Each freeride route boasts over 1,000 meters of downhill and is full of natural features, huge rock wallrides, volcanic shoots, and will leave all riders of all levels smiling from ear to ear. 

Our accommodation lyes at the the bottom of the volcano, we will have breakfast, load up the van and drive 1.5 hours to where we start the ride! Riders will complete 2 complete laps before having a delicious picnic lunch outside the park and then return for 1 more epic bonus lap on the Taita Cotopaxi! 

• Distance: 28 km / 17 miles
• Max Elevation: 4600m / 15,500 ft
• Ascent: 220 m / 700 ft
• Descent: 1800 m / 9,000 ft
• Accommodation: Hostal Rondador Cotopaxi
• Meals Included: B, L, Snacks

This morning we sleep in, have a wonderful breakfast, pack our belongings, and get ready to travel 3hrs to the secret mountain biker paradise of the world -- the province of Bolivar. On our way, we pass through the Valley of Volcanoes, then stop in Ambato for a delicious tradition Andean lunch. In the late afternoon, we will arrive at our accommodation in Guaranda, where we spend two nights at the La Guilena, a beautiful family-run property with artfully-decorated cabanãs.

• Travel Time: 3hrs
• Accommodation: La Guilena
• Meals Included: B, L, Snacks

The Chimborazo Volcano is the tallest volcano in Ecuador and is also the closest point to the sun on Earth. During the age of the hacienda system, local ice harvesters would harvest blocks of ice from the glacial volcano and use mules to transport the ice all the way down to the coastal regions where people in the cities would use the ice to chill their evening cocktails. This mule trail was deemed useless in the past hundred years, as ice machines and freezers made obsolete the ancient trade of ice harvesting. However, the trail has been rediscovered in the past twenty years and all 20 kilometers of this epic trail has been rejuvenated by the use of local mountain bikers.

You will be taken to 4,500 meters to start this epic and ancient mountain bike route, where you will descend through the volcanic spree before descending into the open plains that will take you down to 2,300 meters. This trail is one of our favorites and is truly a 2Wheel Epic!

• Distance: 28 km / 17 miles
• Max Elevation: 4600m / 15,500 ft
• Ascent: 220 m / 700 ft
• Descent: 1800 m / 8,000 ft
• Accommodation: La Guilena
• Meals Included: B, L, Snacks

Today we travel to ride one of the world’s best mountain bike trails -- Mama Rumi, ! Just thinking of this cloud forest trail and the memories of riding through the lush subtropical forests of Bolivar gives our whole team goose bumps!

Over a thousand years old, Mama Rumi was once used as an agricultural pipeline to bring crops to and from the tropical coasts (citrus, cocoa, bananas) to the high mountain areas (potatoes, quinoa, maiz), but was forgotten when trucks and roads were introduced. Think cloud forests, jungle canopies, loamy jungle dirt, and 2 hours of pure descent!

Following our ride, we settle in at our traditional Hacienda.

• Distance: 13 km / 8 miles
• Max Elevation: 3200m / 10,500 ft
• Ascent: 50 m / 150 ft
• Descent: 2200 m / 7,200 ft
• Accommodation: La Guilena
• Meals Included: B, L, Snacks

Day 8: Travel Day,  Afternoon Laps at CotoBike Park and Return to Quito

Today we will be leaving the charming guest house that is La Guilena and head 3 hours back north to go shred the Cotopaxi Bike Park for the afternoon. We will pack up our things and leave early in the morning to be at the Cotopaxi Bike Park by noon to shred the fantastic volcanic loam! This will be our second time at the bike park and riders will be able to enjoy some familiar trails, jumps, berms, and lines. All at the base of the great CotoPaxi! We will then drive to our accommodation in Quito to break down bikes and have one more wonderful evening with the crew!

• Distance: 13 km / 8 miles
• Max Elevation: 3200m / 10,500 ft
• Ascent: 50 m / 150 ft
• Descent: 2200 m / 3,000 ft
• Accommodation: Ilalo Garden Hotel
• Meals Included: B, L, Snacks

Today, we say goodbye to Ecuador and all the new friends we have made during this incredible trip.

Following breakfast, your guide will take you to the airport for departure.