"Getting There" from Denver to start the tour in Quito is described below.
exoticca is a little different from the other tours I've traveled with as exoticca includes the airfare in the tour price. This is good and bad. The good news is all of the travel related expenses of getting to and from your destination are included. The bad news is, you don't have the ability to shop for discount fares or flights with your favorite airlines. In this case, getting from Denver to Quito included an early morning flight from Denver to Atlanta. A layover of a few hours in Atlanta and it was off to Quito (non-stop) from Atlanta.
I was all packed and ready to leave Denver on a trek to Ecuador, but first...waiting for the bus...and the train...and the airport shuttle...and the airplane...
The flight left Denver at 6:00am, so with such a long day ahead, the night was spent at the Hyatt Place, right by the Denver airport. The airport shuttle started running at 3:30am and with an expected busy day at the airport, 3:30am pickup it was going to be! The shuttle arrived at the airport just before 4:00am, which allowed 2 hours for check-in, bag drop, security, train/walking to gate, breakfast, and finally, boarding.
After a flight from Denver to Atlanta and a long non-stop flight from Atlanta, touchdown was made in Quito. A quick stop through immigration where the lines weren't too bad, and the bags were ready and waiting for pickup on the carousel. exoticca provides transportation from the airport to the hotel (another perk of the tour company booking the flights) and it went even better than expected. The shuttle driver was waiting with sign in hand and picked up a few others for the 45 minute shuttle ride. Everything was very smooth and the hotel staff was waiting at the front desk to check everyone in. Time to get some rest after a long day of traveling. It would be an early start the next day, the first official day of the tour!
Above: Waiting outside the Quito airport upon arrival, Mariscal Sucre International Airport.
From left to right: Hyatt Place, Denver, Mercure Hotel, Quito (room and exterior).
Day 1
Hyatt Place Pena Station Denver Airport
View from the room. Conveniently located about 500 feet from the A Train that takes you to the airport. You can opt to take the train from here to the airport - the airport is the very next stop after this one. The hotel also offers a free shuttle that runs almost 24 hours.
Hyatt Place Room
Nice and clean room. Easy check-in and check-out. Much cheaper than staying on airport property at the Westin, although this hotel does require a train ride or shuttle.
Arrival in Quito!
The good news is that you can leave Denver in the early morning and find yourself in Quito, Ecuador that same night. The flight from Denver to Atlanta was 2 hours and 45 minutes. From Atlanta to Quito, it is 5 hours and 10 minutes. Basically 8 hours of flight time. Bag drop, check-in, boarding, de-boarding, transfer, shuttles and a 2 hour time change add to the total travel time. Once you touch down, the airport in Quito is nice and easy to navigate.
