Ecuador & Galapagos Roundtrips

Variety of Ecuador

Ecuador & Galapagos

Detailed Itinerary:

Day 01 Monday: Arrival in Quito - City tour
Arrival in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, which lies at 2.800 m above sea level. We pick you up from the airport and take you into the Hotel Mercure Alameda in the modern centre of the city. After a short break you get to explore this big city and learn something about its turbulent history. You will see the Plazas Santo Domingo, Independencia and San Francisco which are in the colonial section in the South of the city. Due to its many historical architectural monuments the UNESCO declared the old part of town a world heritage site in 1978. From the Panecillo hill in the South of the old part of town, where the high monument of the Virgen of Quito stands at with 43 m, you have an impressing prospect. From here you have wonderful views over the red clay tile roves of the old part of town, the skyline of Quito in the North, as well as the surrounding Andean cordilleras range with its outstanding snow-covered mountain giants. -/L/-

Day 02 Tuesday: Mitad del Mundo – Mindo
In the morning you will drive approx. 25 km North of Quito to the Mitad del Mundo. Here the 30 m tall Monument will tell you of the French-Spanish geodetic expedition of 1736-1744, which determined the position of the equator under the direction of Charles de la Condamine. Here you can stand with one leg on the northern and with the other leg on the southern Hemisphere of the earth and visit the ethnographical museum inside of the monument. Furthermore you visit the Museo de Sol, where you will learn about the culture of the country and its history dating back to the Incas. Then you will continue to Mindo to the Septimo Paraiso. Here you will arrive around midday. The Mindo Cloud Forest is located at 0 00' 46'' latitude in the cloud forests of northwestern Ecuador on the edge of the Choco bioregion. It is among the most diverse places in the world. Sharp and deeply forested mountains descending to gorges with rushing waterfalls and crystalline streams form the reserve. The views stretch far away to distant volcanoes. Only two hours from Quito Mindo is the perfect place for adventure, relaxation and discovery of a cloud forest's birds and diversity of plant life. In this area we will meet many mixed swarms of birds including tanagers, flycatchers and several types of toucans. Due to the fauna diversity it will even be possible to see hummingbirds. The magical place of mist and mystery of Mindo has 170-recorded species of birds and the list continues to grow! B/L/D

Day 03 Wednesday: Choco Rainforest - Quito
Today you will explore the cloud forest with your guide. Walk to the waterfalls where you can have a bath in the cold water after the trek. You could also go to the canopy garden (optional excursion) and see the cloud forest from above. After a full day excursion to this wonderful area you will return in the evening to Quito. You will spend the night at the Mercure Alameda. B/L/-

Day 04 Thursday: Otavalo Indio Market
Today you will take a trip to the Indio market of Otavalo, which is famous for its collection of richly coloured textiles. After exploring the colourful market quarters for arts and crafts and all kinds of souvenirs you will eat in a typical restaurant in Otavalo at midday. Afterwards you will visit the Cuicocha Lake, which is in an extinct volcano that rises high above the town of Cotacachi, famous for its leatherwork. Then you return to Quito. You will spend the night at the Hotel Mercure Alameda. B/L/-

Day 05 Friday: Flight to Coca – Sacha Lodge
According to your flight time you will be taken to the airport in Quito in order to fly to Coca where you will start your Amazon adventure in the Sacha Lodge. B/-/D

Day 06 & 07: Jungle Excursion
At the Sacha Lodge you can organize your own program with the guides. According to your physical condition you can do short or longer walks through the jungle while you get to know the way of life of the people here. You can see a lot of animals and enjoy the sounds of the jungle. B/L/D

Day 08 Monday: Return to Quito – Hacienda La Cienega
Today in the morning you will leave the lodge and start your return journey to Coca. Your flight is around midday and after 30 minutes you will arrive in Quito. Here your guide will pick you up and drive in the direction to the Cotopaxi National Park along the Panamericana along the Avenue of the Volcanos. In the afternoon you will arrive at the 300-year old Hacienda La Cienega close to the entrance to the national park. Here you will have dinner and spend the night. B/-/D

Day 09 Tuesday: Cotopaxi National Park – Riobamba
In the morning you will go on to the Cotopaxi National Park. On your way through the national park you will visit the lagoon Limpiopungo as well as the Inca ruins ‘El Salitre’ located in the highlands of the park and have lunch at the Tambopaxi mountain refuge with great views of Cotopaxi volcano. In the afternoon you will drive to Riobamba where you will spend the night in the Hacienda Abraspungo. B/L/D

Day 10 Wednesday: Andean Train Trip – Cuenca
After a good breakfast you start the breathtaking journey through the Andean mountains south to the beautiful city of Cuenca. You leave your hotel very early in the morning for the train station, where a breathtaking day awaits you. The train takes you through the beautiful high country going to the Devils Nose pass along the way. After visiting the Devils Nose the train returns to Alausi where, after and unforgettable morning, you continue your journey by bus to Cuenca and to the famous ruins of Ingapirca. On a round trip you admire the most important and the best-preserved Inca ruins of Ecuador as well as the exhibits in the affiliating museum. In Cuenca you stay overnight in the Hotel El Dorado. B/L/-

Day 11 Thursday: Culture city Cuenca - Guayaquil
Early in the morning you will do a sightseeing tour through the colonial part of Cuenca with its beautiful churches, handicraft stalls and the well-known flower market. Cuenca is the culture metropolis and the arts and crafts centre of Ecuador. Its cosy atmosphere is underlined by the many cobbled stone pavements and the many noble façades with the stilted balustrades and wrought-iron balconies. Then you will drive to Guayaquil, the biggest city Ecuador’s. On the way you will pass wide fruit plantations. Overnight at the Hotel Oro Verde in Guayaquil. B/L/-

Day 12 Friday: San Cristobal Island
From the national airport in Guayaquil you will fly to the Galapagos Island San Cristobal. You will go immediately to the Galapagos immigration area. Here you will need to present your passport and pay the USD 100,- Galapagos National Park fees. This payment must be made in cash. The National Park Service does not accept Traveller’s Cheques or credit cards. The park officials will then inspect your carry-on luggage to ensure that you have not inadvertently brought in prohibited plant or animal products (see the Galapagos National Park rules). The formalities over with, your guide will welcome you and accompany you to your hotel, located directly in the romantic port basin of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. In the afternoon you hike through a typical dry forest to frigate bird hill where you can observe frigate birds and pelicans. Along the way you will encounter the famous Darwin finches and lava lizards lazing about in the heat. Later you will have your first opportunity to explore the colourful underwater world of the Galapagos, snorkelling along the shores of the island. Overnight at the Hotel Orca or similar. B/-/-

Day 13 Saturday: Walk in the highlands and snorkel in the Pacific Ocean
In the morning you drive to the east of the prairie like highlands of San Cristobal to the Galapaguera, a project to introduce the local endemic Giant Tortoise back into the wild. Here you can observe these giants and get to know the typical flora of the island during your walk through this little reserve. After lunch you will walk from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno through the typical dry forest of the area to the beach “la Loberia” where you can observe sea iguanas and swim in the deep blue Pacific Ocean. In the afternoon we will head back to the hotel. B/L/-

Day 14 Sunday: Island Santa Cruz – Charles Darwin Station – Academy Bay
In the morning you board one of the small speedboats (lanchas) that make the transfers between the islands of the archipelago and drive to the island Santa Cruz. After a three hour cruise you reach “Puerto Ayora”, a little harbor that is quite popular with sailors as well as with sea lions and pelicans! After walking from the pier along the promenade to your hotel you will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station. The station is also a tortoise breeding and rearing centre, where tortoises of different subspecies are prepared for reintroduction into their natural habitats. The most popular inhabitant of this island is probably Lonesome George, the only survivor of his specific tortoise species. After lunch you start a half-day trip in a small boat through the wide Academy Bay. During the trip you can observe the diversity of the underwater world and with a little bit of luck see some of the bigger inhabitants of the ocean, like marine turtles, white tipped reef sharks or manta rays. You will visit the “Lovers Channel”, the beach “Playa de los Perros” and the bay “Bahia de Franklin”. A little walk leads you to “Las Grietas”, a natural basin between high rocky walls. To round off a packed day of activities, a swim with the sea lions at “la loberia” will almost certainly be the highlight of this excursion. Accommodation at the hotel Silberstein or similar. B/L/-

Day 15 Monday: Santa Cruz Island - Highlands
In the morning you will visit the highlands and the double crater Caldera de los Gemelos, which is known for its diversity of around 300 different fern species and the close by “forest” of sunflowers. Exploring the highlands of Santa Cruz you will pass through different vegetation zones, from the dry lower region full of cacti to the Scalesia forests in the humid highlands. In the highlands you will investigate one of the labyrinth-like lava tunnels; some of them can be as long as 2 km. Also you will take a walk through the natural habitat of the giant tortoises, seeing these reptiles in their natural environment, and then visit the Chato lagoon which is frequented by frigate birds and other seabirds, which come here to wash the sea salt from their feathers. For lunch you will return to Puerto Ayora and in the afternoon you will hike from the hotel to the long sandy beach Playa Tortuga. Here you have the opportunity to swim and snorkel in the wide protected bay and observe the birds in the surrounding mangroves. You will spend the night again in the Hotel Silberstein or similar. B/L/-

Day 16 Tuesday: Santa Cruz - Baltra - Guayaquil
In the morning you drive across Santa Cruz Island to the north. Here you cross the Itabaca canal in a ferry to Baltra Island. On Baltra you drive to the little airport to fly back to the Guayaquil, after a last glance back at the “enchanted islands”, a unique paradise that will surely have enchanted you too. In Guayaquil you will take your international flight. B

B: Breakfast / L: Lunch / D: Dinner

Prices 2010 per person:
4-5 participants USD 3,890.- per person
3 participants USD 3,950.- per person
2 participants USD 4,570.- per person
1 participant USD 6,210.-
Group prices upon request

Single Supplement: USD 860,- per person

There is a supplement for national holidays

In the price included:
All transfers in private transportation, excursions and overland tours as mentioned above, accommodation based on double rooms in the hotels mentioned or hotels of the same category, meals according to the itinerary description, flight Guayaquil – Galapagos – Guayaquil, Quito – Coca – Quito, national park entrance fees (except Galapagos and jungle), English speaking guide.

Not in the price included:
Beverages, extra charge for single rooms, international airport tax (Guayaquil 26 USD), national park entrance fee USD 100.- per person, migration card USD 10.- per person, personal items, tips, travel insurance and luggage.

Note: The guide can change the itinerary of the Galapagos tour or the boat captain due to security reasons as well as by the national park administration due to changed national park rules. Nevertheless the security and the interest of the passengers always have first priority.

If you need any additional information please write us:

Name:
Email:
Country:
Phone:
#Persons:
Other Details We Should Know About Your Preferences:

Insert the chain of charactes displayed on the graphic email required