A touch of Ecuador with island hopping in Galapagos

Today marks your departure from your chosen airport headed for Ecuador, with connecting flights along the way. You’ll arrive in Quito, the capital, where an English-speaking guide will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel located in the old town. The drive takes roughly an hour, subject to traffic like in any major city. On the way, your guide will walk you through your itinerary and provide a welcome letter with a QR code granting access to all the practical information about your tour, including start times for your pre-booked excursions and transfers, along with your domestic flight tickets to the Galapagos.

Quito boasts an incredible location in the Andes at an altitude of 2,850 metres, and on a clear day, you can marvel at the distant, snow-capped Cotopaxi volcano, which is beautifully cone-shaped.

After arriving at the hotel, the remainder of the day is yours to explore Quito’s charming old town. Remember to take it easy and drink plenty of water to help your body acclimatise to the altitude.

After breakfast, you’ll be going on a guided tour of Quito Old Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its beautiful, well-preserved historic buildings, squares and, not least, colonial cathedrals.

Here, you can look forward to experiencing Plaza de la Independencia (Independence Square), which is surrounded by important buildings such as the Presidential Palace, the Government Building, the Archbishop’s Palace, and the Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito. You will also visit Quito’s oldest church, the Iglesia San Francisco, and the most famous church, La Compañía, the inside of which is decorated with the purest gold leaf.

From here, you’ll drive up El Panecillo hill, where the impressive 45-metre-high aluminium statue, Virgen del Panecillo, stands with Quito Old Town as a beautiful backdrop. The view of the city from up here is impressive.

Around a 30–40-minute drive from the Old Town, you come to northern Quito, where the equator line is located. You’ll visit both the magnificent 30-metre-high equator monument and the small Intiñan museum, where you can learn more about the culture of the indigenous people. Not only that but, you’ll also be allowed to try fun experiments testing the earth’s gravity and magnetic forces.

Both places claim to be where the true equator lies, and due to inaccurate measurement methods in the olden days, the location of beautiful, big equator monument may well be a little off.

Whether the equator lies in one place or the other, a visit to La Mitad del Mundo, which means the centre of the world, is a must on a visit to Quito.

On the tour, you’ll also discover the characteristic 115-metre-high basilica, the Basílica del Voto Nacional, which is built in neo-Gothic style and is the largest of its kind in the Americas.

You have the rest of the day to yourself.

There are no activities planned for today, and you can choose to purchase extra excursions from home or explore the city on your own.

If it’s a cloudless day and your body is coping with the altitude, you might like to head up to the Cruz Loma viewpoint located on the Pichincha volcano. A 2.5-km cable car ride, known as TelefériQo, takes you up to an altitude of almost 4,100 metres, giving you a unique panoramic view of Quito and the surrounding mountains and volcanoes.

If you would like to see more of Ecuador’s impressive volcanoes, we recommend purchasing an excursion to Cotopaxi National Park, where you can get right up close to the beautiful 5,897-metre-high snow-capped cone volcano Cotopaxi and the rugged Andean landscape that surrounds it.

If you wish to experience Ecuador's indigenous culture and craft traditions, you can embark on a day excursion to the Imbabura province north of Quito, known for its beautiful landscape with idyllic lakes, majestic volcanoes, and the celebrated Otavalo market where you can purchase colourful blankets, scarves, and ponchos.

Just a couple of hours from Quito lies the Mindo Valley, which is known for its beautiful nature and cloud forest with its profusion of birds – 500+ registered species.

Today, the second part of your tour begins, taking you to the fascinating Galapagos Islands, which are located around 1,000 km from the mainland. You will be picked up from the hotel and driven to the airport, where you will be required to pay for a Transit Control Card (cash) before you can check in. The flight to Galapagos takes around 2.5 hours.

Upon your arrival at Baltra Airport, you will be required to pay for entry to Galapagos (cash). Your guide will be waiting for you outside the airport, and you will take the bus together down to the Itabaca Channel, where a boat will take you across to the main island, Santa Cruz.

The first stop is Los Gemelos, also known as the twin craters, which are two enormous sinkholes right next to one another. Around the holes, you will experience a profusion of birds in the lush forest of sunflower trees (scalesia). After a short walk around the holes, you head to the Hacienda Primicias ranch, where your first amazing animal experience awaits. This is where the world’s largest tortoise, the Galapagos Tortoise, lives in the wild. Getting right up close to the huge animals, which can weigh up to 250 kg and live to an age of 100+, is a wonderful experience. Your lunch (included) is enjoyed in the exotic surroundings of the ranch.

The Galapagos Islands are all created by volcanic activity, and in several places you can experience lava tunnels, which are a kind of volcanic cave created by solidified lava. Your guide will take you into one of these special lava tunnels and tell you much more about the creation of the islands.

The last stop of the day is the Charles Darwin Research Station, which was established in 1964 for the purpose of research and education. Here, you will be given an introduction to the unique flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands as well as an exciting insight into the many important projects that scientists, biologists and volunteer helpers are involved with to preserve the fragile nature of the islands.

You have the evening to yourself to explore the pleasant port, Puerto Ayora, which buzzes with life and shops, nice cafés and restaurants.

You have two days to yourself in Puerto Ayora. If you’re up early, then head to the small fish market on Avenida Charles Darwin, which attracts hungry, curious sea lions and pelicans hoping for a small snack.

We also highly recommend packing your backpack, lacing your walking boots and spending the day at the beautiful beach, Tortuga Bay. A tarmacked path leads out to the beach, which starts in the south-western part of Puerto Ayora – a walk of around 45 minutes each way. At Tortuga Bay, you can sunbathe, surf or just observe all the sea iguanas and pelicans that live there. The current can be very strong, so if you want to swim in calm water, you should continue to the end of the beach (around 2.5 km), where the picturesque Playa Mansa beach is located in a small lagoon surrounded by mangrove forest.

You can rent a kayak here and paddle off to explore the quiet lagoon, where you might see sea urchins and turtles coming up to the surface for air before diving back down in search of food.

There are no facilities out here, so be sure to bring plenty of water, food and sunscreen for the excursion.

Another excursion option from Puerto Ayora is Las Grietas, which is a deep, elongated “water hole” in an earth fracture where you can swim and snorkel. From Puerto Ayora, you take a taxi boat (roughly 1 USD) to Angermeyer Point, which is around 700 metres from Las Grietas along a small bumpy path, so remember to wear good walking shoes. This is a destination popular with the locals at the weekend.

If you haven’t been down to the pier in Puerto Ayora yet, stroll down there and see all the reef sharks, rays and sea lions in the shallow water, as well as the colourful crabs and sea iguanas that live on the rocks.

You can also choose to purchase a boat trip to one of the nearby uninhabited Galapagos islands, all of which offer amazing scenery and diverse wildlife.

It’s time to bid farewell to Puerto Ayora, with new adventures awaiting on the neighbouring island of Isabela. The boat to Isabela departs from the pier in Puerto Ayora, just a short walk from your hotel. A guide will meet you at the hotel and accompany you to the boat. You will need to carry your own luggage. The boat journey takes about 2 hours.

Isabela is the largest island in the Galapagos archipelago, covering 4,640 km². Despite this, it’s home to only a few thousand residents, offering a truly laid-back island vibe. Here, you can also find the highest point in the Galapagos, the Wolf Volcano, standing at 1,707 metres tall.

Upon arrival in Isabela, there is a harbour fee of approximately 10 USD (cash) to be paid. You will be picked up at the pier and driven the short distance to your hotel in the main town of Puerto Villamil.

In the afternoon, you’ll embark on an excursion to some of Isabela’s highlights. The tour begins with a visit to the Arnaldo Tupiza Tortoise Breeding Centre, located just outside the town. Here, volunteers work to increase the population of giant tortoises on the island, and you can see hundreds of tortoises of all sizes. Your guide will also take you to a fascinating wetland area, where you might spot birds like stilts, moorhens, and white-cheeked pintails, along with the marvellous flamingos.

Next, a hike awaits to the historic Wall of Tears (Muro de las Lágrimas in Spanish). This 25-metre-high wall serves as a sombre reminder of Isabela’s past. It was constructed between 1945 and 1959 by inmates of the island’s penal colony. The hike is about 7 km total on flat terrain, so remember comfortable walking shoes, water, and a hat to protect yourself from the sun.

If you prefer not to join the hike, please inform your guide at the start of the tour, and you will be taken back to your hotel after visiting the tortoise breeding centre and wetland area.

You have the evening free to explore the quaint harbour town, where the main street is made of sand and you might spot lazy sea lions lounging on the benches by the water.

You spend the day on your own in Puerto Villamil. There are many fabulous beaches here where you can relax and swim.
A popular walk on the island heads out to the enormous shield volcano, Sierra Negra. The volcano is 1,124 metres high and has a crater with a diameter of more than 9.5 km.

There are also plenty of opportunities to snorkel around Isabela. A great snorkelling experience is to be had at Las Tintoreras, which are some small islands off the coast of Puerto Villamil. There are lots of crevices and rocks where reef sharks, sea lions, penguins and sea turtles like to hang out.

It’s time to say goodbye to the magical Galapagos Islands. Early this morning, you’ll take a boat from Isabela back to Santa Cruz. Upon arrival in Santa Cruz, an English-speaking guide will collect you and drive you across the island to the Itabaca Channel, where you will cross over to the airport island, Baltra. There, a bus will take you the short distance to the airport.
The flight back to Quito often takes a bit longer (approximately 2.5-4 hours), as there is usually a short stopover in the city of Guayaquil.

Upon arriving in Quito, you’ll be collected at the airport and driven to your hotel, set in one of Quito’s charming suburbs close to the airport. The evening is yours to enjoy as you wish.

You will be picked up from your hotel and driven back to the airport, with the timing depending on your flight departure. Perhaps you’ll have time for one last dip in the pool or for simply relaxing in the lush garden before your journey home begins.

You will land at your chosen airport after a fantastic tour of Ecuador.