Self-Drive Adventures from Ecuador to Colombia

A 30 day overland adventure from Ecuador to Colombia was recently completed by a group of retired Swiss travellers. The intrepid party set off from Boutique Hotel Café Cultura in Quito for their self-drive experience of a lifetime in three 4x4 Mitsubishi Monteros. Braving both Ecuadorian roads and drivers, they soon got the hang of things!

The first leg of their 5200km trip took them south along the Avenue of the Volcanoes to the Cotopaxi region of Ecuador before heading north to Otavalo and then further north to cross the border into Colombia where they undertook a complete circuit of the country.

Organizer and tour leader Pierre Kruger commented that the most memorable parts of Ecuador for the group included Quito, the Saquisili market and Cotopaxi National Park. They were also impressed by the stunning beauty of Quilotoa Crater Lake, a location which hadn’t been included in their original plans, however after talking to fellow travellers they decided it couldn’t be missed.

As well as Café Cultura, the group stayed at Hacienda Hato Verde and Hacienda Pinsaqui during their visit to Ecuador.

The trip was run by our Swiss friends Nouveaux Mondes, for more information on future trips you can contact Pierre Kruger on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it