Building on almost a decade of experience in organizing premium motorcycle tours, Ecuador Freedom Bike Rental now offers a top of the line off-road excursion called “Dirt Deluxe.” This unique tour combines exclusive, award-winning luxury accommodations with a tantalizing unpaved route that takes riders into the more remote and obscure areas of Ecuador, giving a glimpse into ways of life that have largely disappeared.

The 6-day motorcycle tour crisscrosses the northern Ecuadorian Andes, a part of the country that still feels enigmatic, subtly inaccessible and not saturated with tourists. It’s an area known for its pristine wildlife refuges, coffee plantations, timeworn colonial buildings and therapeutic hot springs.

The route will bring you to a huge variety of climates, cultures and altitudes. You’ll visit the beautiful cloud forests on the Western Slopes of the Andes, soak in five different unique volcanic hot springs, haggle at the indigenous markets in Otavalo, savor freshly grown coffee from the some of the world’s top growers, and revel in the outstanding vistas all along the way. Part of the route – through the Coca-Cayambe Wildlife Reserve – is so pristine and well-protected that it is off limits to motorized traffic, unless you have a special permit, which the company arranges in advance.

“We believe there is a market out there for people who like traveling on rough dirt roads yet want to enjoy premium lodging after a hard day’s ride.” explained Court Rand, Co-Founder of the Quito-based motorcycle tour operator. “Years of riding these roads has made us intimate with them. Every ride leads us to something new: a glacial lake we never visited before, a traditional artisan we’ve never met or a sparkling waterfall we’ve never swam in. We’re in this business because it moves us and we’re eager to share our experience with other riders.”

Each night’s accommodations are carefully selected, exclusive, luxury haciendas and wilderness lodges that are as diverse as the terrains you will traverse.

The Dirt Deluxe tour includes luxury hotel accommodations rich in diversity. The hospitality of each venue has its own unique regional character that is evident in every gesture. The Septimo Paraiso Cloudforest Lodge offers customers a special Pisco Sour cocktail made with homegrown passion fruit. Set in a desert landscape, the Tunas y Cabras Lodge prepares a succulent marmalade from the prickly pear fruit that is cultivated from cactus grown on their farm. The Hacienda Primavera Wilderness Lodge serves a mythical cup of coffee from their plantation.

Itinerary

• Day 1: Quito – Inti’ñan – Nono – Mindo (114 km / 71 miles)
• Day 2: Mindo – Rio Intag Coffee Region – Lake Cuicocha – Otavalo (188 km / 117 miles)
• Day 3: Otavalo – Cotacachi Cayapas National Park – Hacienda la Primavera (155 Km / 96 miles)
• Day 4: Primavera – El Angel Park – Tufiño – Aloburo (253 km / 157 miles)
• Day 5: Aloburo – Ibarra – Cayambe – Oyacachi – Papallacta (169 km / 105 miles)
• Day 6: Termas de Papallacta Spa Resort – Quito (66 km / 41 miles)

Features:

• Tour Start / End: Quito, Ecuador. Airport Code: UIO
• Tour Duration: 6 days / 5 nights
• Time Needed: 7-8 days vacation
• Riding Days: 6
• Rest Days: 0
• Route: 30% asphalt road / 70% dirt or cobblestone roads (approximately)
• Guided: Travel with an experienced multi-lingual Ecuadorian Resident Guide who knows the route and the people along it
• All-Inclusive – featuring gourmet cuisine that combines tradition with innovation
• Accommodations: High End, Exclusive, Award-Winning Luxury Accommodations
• Total Distance Covered: approximately 1040 km / 647 miles
• Total Elevation Gain / Loss 19,658 meters / 64,595 feet
• Highest Elevation: 4063 meters / 13,300 feet
• Lowest Elevation: 935 meters / 3068 feet
• Steepest grade 29.9% (uphill)

Price: Starts at $2,455

Event Organizer: Ecuador Freedom Bike Rental & Tours

For more information and reservations go to Ecuador Freedom Bike Rental here.

Note: The Dirt Deluxe Tour is also available as a self-guided tour for those that prefer to ride at their own pace.