Mountain biking is a great source of fun and exercise for people of all ages and abilities, but like any activity, there are levels of difficulty that range from quite manageable for most to the very difficult reserved only for truly experienced individuals. We want to make sure that the trip you choose is the one that's best for you, the one that you will enjoy the most, and so we have classified each of our tours into three categories: easy, moderate, and challenging. In classifying the trips we take into consideration the distance covered, the terrain, weather conditions and altitude. In all cases and as an added precaution, on every trip a driver in a support vehicle closely follows our guests so that anyone in need of a rest can take a break and hitch a ride to continue along with the group.
Trip Levels
Easy: Suitable for most people in good health.
Moderate: Requires a reasonable level of fitness - these trips can require sustained endurance levels, hills, longer days and higher altitudes.
Challenging: Physically demanding and best suited for strong people with a lot of endurance. Days can be long, often at altitude, and in remote regions with tough terrain.
Recommended Trip! - Mountain Biking Down Cotopaxi Volcano Decend the slopes of one of the world's highest volcanos at breathtaking speeds. Leisurely pedal throug a lunar landscape sprinkled with lakes, Inca ruins, and giant boulders long past spewed from the volcano. See More...
Biking Dutchman in the News! Be sure to check out the very interesting and complementary review of a trip with Biking Dutchman in the independent traveler's magazine TheTravelRag.com.
Cotopaxi Volcano National Park...
Trip Rating: Moderate
Drive through páramo landscape to highest point. Enjoy stunning view of 8 different volcanoes.
The bike adventure on the world’s highest active volcano begins. Bike on dirt roads through volcanic ash and páramo landscape to Inca ruin at 3.700 m Packed lunch while keeping an eye towards the sky - you might see a condor! In the afternoon bike on dirt roads and single track down from Lake Limpiopungo through pine forest.
Altitudes: 4500-3200 m. (15000-10600 ft.)
Quito-Papallacta-Amazon....
Trip Rating: Moderate This is an excellent way to see a cross section of Ecuador’s ecosystems in one day: the first part of the trip starts high up in the páramo – the Ecuadorian equivalent of the arctic tundra – and ends in low montane cloud forest at the edge of the Amazon basin. Once we reach our first destination, we throw our bikes on the jeep’s roof and drive back up the pass to the Papallacta hot springs for a soothing swim in the natural thermal pools. If the day is clear, views of Antisana Volcano will bedazzle. After lunch we drive over the Papallacta pass at 4200m and remount our iron horses for the two thousand meter (over 6000ft.) whiz downward to Tumbaco valley just outside of Quito.
Altitudes: 4200-2500 m. (13900-8300 ft.)
Quito-Nono-Tandayapa...
Trip Rating: Easy
Drive northwest until we reach the highest point on this trip (3.000 mts). At this point, we switch to our mountain bikes and start the descend. We'll pass the quaint village of Nono. Watch the vegetation change from páramo to cloud forest to low montane forest as you whiz down the mountain until reaching the small bearding paradise of Tandayapa. Keep one eye on the road and the other toward the sky: there's a good chance to see parrots, hummingbirds, toucans and caciques. Picnic lunch. Afterwards we will let you end the biking tour through desert like areas until we reach the Equatorial Line Monument. Drive back to Quito.
Altitudes: 3000-1800m (10000-6000 ft)
Guagua Pichincha Volcano-Lloa......
Trip Rating: Challenging
Even the jeep ride to where we start this biking journey is spectacular. Donning our gear near the top of still-active Guagua Pichincha Volcano we descend a steep and technical mountain side which is surely one of the premier downhills in the entire country. On a clear day we can see the sprawling metropolis of Quito, back-dropped by numerous snow-covered volcanoes. Look towards each of the other three compass points and you will be awed by great expanses of páramo, and, if lucky, a soaring condor. We trek to the edge of the crater to peer over the rim and into the heart of this active volcano after which we mount our bikes and race downward to Lloa on an abandoned dirt road. At Lloa we head west into the cloud forest where we enjoy a picnic boxed lunch. By late afternoon we return to Quito by jeep.
Altitudes: 4800-2000 m (16000-6700ft)
OTAVALO 1 DAY
Trip Rating: Moderate
Single tracks, dirt and paved roads will lead you on your bike through striking landscape in the area of volcanos Imbabura and Cotacachi.
As we approach Otavalo, you will notice an area rich with culture. Indigenous people in local dress come from all over the country to sell their handmade wares. Once we have had time to fill our bags with goods we drive to Cuicocha Lake. Lunch.
After a refortifying lunch we bike on dirt roads through quaint Indian villages back to Otavalo. Return on jeep to Quito.
Trip Rating: Moderate
Day 1: Similar to 1 day Cotopaxi. Subsequent drive south on Pan-American Highway. Overnight on the slopes of Chimborazo.
Day 2: Drive to Chimborazo (6310 m) the highest mountain of Ecuador. Arrive at first refuge. We ascend on foot to second refuge at 5000m. Amazing bike ride through páramo landscape. Vicuñas are the sole inhabitants of these wild stretches.
Altitudes: 5000-2800 m (16700-9400ft)
Cotopaxi-Quilotoa Crater...
Trip Rating: Moderate
Day 1: Similar to 1 day Cotopaxi. Subsequent drive westwards over the widest páramo stretch of the country. Arrive at night’s retreat, a cozy Inn on rim of active volcano Quilotoa.
Day 2: Start with an early hike down to the deep jade colored crater lake. Cycle towards Zumbahua along the “Grand Canyon” of Ecuador. Amazing downhill bike ride to Pujili.
Altitudes: 4500-2800 m (15000-9300ft).
Papallacta-San Rafael Falls...
Trip Rating: Moderate
This is an excellent way to see a cross section of Ecuador’s ecosystems in two days. As we travel, we are dwarfed by the striking Andes Mountains that surround us. You will pedal across the páramo – the Ecuadorian equivalent of the arctic tundra – and down through stunning cloud forest, traversing steep Andean slopes as you descend down into the Amazon basin.
The terrain for this leg of the journey is a combination of dirt and paved roads of scenic rolling hills. Day 1: Ascend by jeep to the high pass "Paso de la Virgen" at 4200 meters (13300 ft). From here the descent begins by mountain bike...all the way to the small town of Baeza. Lunch in the wilderness. The afternoon bike trip takes us through tropical rainforest to San Rafael Falls, the highest waterfall in Ecuador and end the day with an amazing trek to the famous Waterfalls.
Return to Baeza where a fortifying dinner will be served while you relax to the sounds of the tropical rainforest. Night rest in hotel.
Day 2: After breakfast we depart by mountain bike for a 3-hour ride. Once we reach our first destination, we store our bikes on our jeep’s roof and drive back up to the Papallacta Hot Springs for a soothing swim in the natural thermal pools. Lunch. Drive over the Papallacta pass at 4200 m and remount our iron horses for the two thousand-meter "whiz" downward to Tumbaco valley. Views of Antisana Volcano will bedazzle you! Jeep to Quito.
Otavalo :::
Trip Rating: Moderate
Day 1: Drive to Otavalo, famous in South America for its Indian market. After time to stock up on goodies we start our biking journey around Lake San Pablo. Arrival at Peguche sacred Waterfalls. Packed lunch.
In the afternoon drive to impressive volcanic lake Cuicocha. Stop at Cotacachi, famous for its leather goods. Long bike ride through quaint villages to Otavalo. Overnight in hotel.
Altitudes 3500-2600m (11700 – 8700 ft.)
Day 2: Downhill bike ride to Ibarra, the provincial capital with colonial atmosphere. Visit wood crave market in San Antonio. Drive up to eastern slope of Volcano Imbabura. Stunning bike ride to indigenous town of San Pablo del Lago. Return to Quito.
Altitudes: 3500-2300m (11700-7700)
This is an excellent way to see a cross section of Ecuador’s ecosystems in one day: the first part of the trip starts high up in the páramo – the Ecuadorian equivalent of the arctic tundra – and ends in low montane cloud forest at the edge of the Amazon basin. Once we reach our first destination, we throw our bikes on the jeep’s roof and drive back up the pass to the Papallacta hot springs for a soothing swim in the natural thermal pools. If the day is clear, views of Antisana Volcano will bedazzle. After lunch we drive over the Papallacta pass at 4200m and remount our iron horses for the two thousand meter (over 6000ft.) whiz downward to Tumbaco valley just outside of Quito. 
