Highlights of Ecuador with Galapagos Cruise

Today, your journey to Ecuador’s capital, Quito, begins with connecting flight(s) along the way. From the plane, you’ll be able to admire Quito’s stunning location in a beautiful valley at 2,850 metres, nestled within the mighty Andes mountains.

At the airport, you’ll be greeted by an English-speaking guide holding a sign with your name. The drive from the airport to your hotel takes about 1 hour, traffic permitting. Along the way, the guide will go over your tour and give you a welcome letter with a QR code for all the practical information about your journey, including start times for your pre-booked excursions and transfers, as well as your domestic flight tickets to the Galapagos.

The afternoon is at your leisure to relax after the long flight or take a brief stroll in the old city. It’s important to drink plenty of water and take it easy so your body can gradually acclimatise to the altitude.

You can really look forward to a guided tour of Quito’s UNESCO-listed historical district, which offers a treasure trove of architectural gems from the colonial era.
The Spanish arrived in Quito in 1526. At that time, it was a thriving Inca city. When the Inca general Rumiñahui realised the battle could not be won, he decided to lay waste to the entire city to ensure there was nothing left of value for the Spanish. The Quito (formally San Francisco de Quito) you will see during the city tour was founded by the Spanish lieutenant Sebastián de Benalcázar in 1534 over the ruins of the old city.

The tour starts with a visit to Plaza de la Independencia (Independence Square), which is surrounded by 4 important buildings: 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 famous La Compañía church, the inside of which is decorated with the finest gold leaf.

Next, you drive up Panecillo hill, where the 45-metre-high aluminium statue called Virgen del Panecillo stands, and from which you enjoy a beautiful view of the city. The tour then continues to the northern part of the city where the equator is located, which the country is named after. Equator means Ecuador in Spanish.

The area around the equator is known to Ecuadorians as La Mitad del Mundo, which means “the centre of the world”. Here, you will find the 30-metre-high equator monument, which you can climb to get a view of the area, which features a small planetarium, a cocoa museum, a brewery, and tons of displays and booths selling food and souvenirs. The site has become a something of a crowd-puller and is a pleasant destination for locals as well.

A few hundred metres from the equator monument is the cosy little Intiñan Museum, which according to GPS is in the actual location of the equator. The location of the equator monument has turned out to be a little off due to inaccurate measurement methods in the olden days. At the museum, you can try out fun experiments testing the earth’s gravity and magnetic forces.

On the tour, you’ll also visit the fantastic 115-metre-high Basílica del Voto Nacional, which is the largest of its kind in the Americas.

After the city tour, you are driven back to your hotel, and the rest of the day is at your disposal.

There are no activities planned for today, so you can explore more of the beautiful capital on your own or purchase an extra trip.

If it is a clear day, we recommend taking the 2.5-kilometre-long cable car called TelefériQo up to Cruz de Loma, a lookout point at an altitude of 4,100 metres on the Pichincha volcano. From the lookout point, there is a fantastic panoramic view of Quito and its surrounding volcanoes and mountains as a gorgeous backdrop.

If your body is not yet fully acclimatised to the altitude, you can instead visit Jardín Botánico de Quito, the city’s cosy botanical garden, and explore all the beautiful plants and flowers.

You can also purchase an excursion to the misty cloud forest in Mindo, which is famous for its multitude of birds, making it a true paradise for birdwatchers with over 500 species registered there.

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.

New adventures await you today in Cotopaxi National Park. The tour goes south from Quito on the magnificent Avenida de los Volcanoes (Volcano Avenue), which is so named because each volcano is followed by the next on both sides of the road. If you are lucky, the volcano Cotopaxi may also peek out from behind the clouds with its spectacular cone shape and snow-capped peak.

When you arrive at the national park, your guide takes you on a walk around Lake Limpiopungo, which is located at an altitude of 3,850 metres. On the walk, the guide tells you about the area’s interesting flora and fauna as well as the exciting myths and legends about Cotopaxi and the other big volcanoes in the area. You may be lucky enough to see brocket deer, Andes foxes, wild horses and the guanaco, which is related to the llama. There are also pumas and spectacled bears in the national park, but they are rarer.

After the tour, you are driven to your accommodation in Pedregal, located just outside the national park.

You have the day at your disposal in the cosy Hacienda El Porvenir, so you can truly experience and enjoy the magnificent Andes landscape surrounding the hotel.

You can choose to either make your own trips on marked paths in the area, or you can take part in some of the activities offered by the hotel. These include horseback riding, mountain biking and cooking classes. The hotel also has its own day spa where you can treat yourself to wellness treatments and relaxing massages.

A popular activity is a horseback ride through the beautiful countryside up to a vantage point at an altitude of 4,200 metres, from which, on a clear, there is an indescribable view of the Cotopaxi volcano. Here, you may even be lucky enough to see the majestic Andean condor, which can have a wingspan of more than 3 metres. The tour is led by a skilled Chagra, as the Andes cowboys are known in this area.

The tours are conducted by local Spanish speaking staff, but instruction in activities. e.g. horse riding, will be given in English before departure, so Spanish skills are not required.

All activities are booked and paid for locally at the hotel. However, if you would like to go horse riding, we recommend that you purchase this from home, due to its popularity.

Today, you travel on through the mountainous landscape to the enchanting Quilotoa Crater Lake, which sits at the top of the volcano of the same name. The lake is approx. 250 metres deep, with a diameter of around 3 kilometres. Part of what makes the Quilotoa Lake so unique is that the colour of the water in the lake can change from completely turquoise to almost yellow, depending on the season and the mineral content of the water. For the same reason, the water in the lake cannot be drunk.

If you like, you can walk down to the edge of the lake on the marked, zig-zagging path. It takes about 30 minutes to walk down, but it can take up to 2 hours to walk up the steep path again. If it is too difficult, a donkey can be hired at additional cost to bring you up again. You could also simply choose to stay at the top and enjoy the absolutely stunning panoramic views of the area and the picturesque lake.

After lunch, you head back to Quito. On the road, a stop is made in the small town of Tigua, which is known for producing fine Ecuadorian paintings and masks.

In the evening, you are back in Quito, where you will be staying a little way outside the city, close to the airport, so you don’t have to get up too early the next day when you leave for Galapagos.

Look forward to the second part of your tour, which brings you in Charles Darwin’s footsteps to the magical Galapagos Islands. Here, unique nature and animal experiences await you on a 5-day cruise among these exciting islands.

In 1831, a young Charles Darwin embarked on a journey that would change his life as a scientist. In the Galapagos Islands, he discovered that the finches were different to those back home. Could it be that they had the same ancestor but had gradually evolved to adapt to the environment in which they lived? The theory began to form in his head, and his work On the Origin of Species is still considered to be the most important contribution to the understanding of biological evolution.

In the morning, you are picked up from the hotel and driven the short distance to the airport. Here, you will be required to pay for a Transit Control Card (cash) before you can check in. On arrival at Baltra Airport, you will be required to pay for entry to Galapagos (cash). The flight to Galapagos takes around 2.5 hours.

At Baltra Airport, you are picked up and driven to the yacht Golondrina I, which will be your floating home for the next 5 days. Here, you are checked into your cabin, and afterwards, there will be a small welcome meeting followed by lunch. At the welcome meeting, your guide will introduce you to the captain, the chef and the rest of the crew, as well as the other guests on the yacht, before the exciting programme for the afternoon is reviewed.

The first stop is the small, flat, uninhabited island of Mosquera, which sits between the islands of North Seymour and Baltra. The island is just 600 metres long and 160 metres wide at its widest point, and consists mainly of white sandy beaches and cliffs. A large sea lion colony can be found here, and you may also encounter pelicans, blue-footed boobies and many other waders.

Back at the boat, the group gathers every day with the guide before dinner to talk about the experiences of the day and reviews the next day’s programme, so that you know what to look forward to.

In the afternoon, you can enjoy a starry sky without any kind of light pollution from the deck of the ship. It is simply magical. And as you head to bed after an eventful day, the ship sets a course for the next exciting island.

Note that the programme on Galapagos is always subject to changes. Poor weather conditions or recommendations from local authorities may result in your route being changed on short notice.

Isabela is the largest island in the Galapagos Islands, and you will visit several unique sites on this vast, volcanic island. The first stop is at Punta Vicente Roca, where you do not go ashore, but rather drive in a small, motor-driven rubber boat (called a panga) around impressive volcanic formations along the coast. Here, you may be lucky enough to encounter penguins, seahorses, stingrays, pufferfish and sea turtles.

In the afternoon, you travel by sea to the island of Fernandina, which is the third-largest island in the Galapagos Islands. The volcano La Cumbre dominates the island, and you can see the lava streams from the active volcano reach all the way down into the ocean. You go ashore at Punta Espinosa, where you take an approximately 1.5-hour hike along small, uneven paths made from sand and loose stones. On the trip, you can see the spectacular lava cactus and the island’s diverse animal life. Among other things, you have a good chance of seeing marine iguanas, penguins, pelicans, the Galapagos hawk and the Galapagos cormorant. In the period from January to June, the marine iguanas nest and lay eggs in the lake.
After the hike, you have an opportunity to go snorkelling from the beach, or to simply bathe and relax before you are taken back to the ship.

Going on a cruise in Galapagos is a truly unique experience. You have the opportunity to visit uninhabited islands where the animal life is absolutely without equal. The crew will do everything they can to make your stay on the ship and in Galapagos unforgettable, and you will quickly pick up on the relaxed, familiar and not least, the pleasant atmosphere on-board.

Today, you travel by sea back to Isabela, where you visit Urbina Bay, which sits at the foot of the Alcedo volcano. The bay was at the bottom of the ocean until 1954, when volcanic activity in the area lifted it 5 metres above sea level. Along with your talented nature guide, you go on an approximately 2-hour walk to experience exciting corals and seashells from the time the bay was at the bottom of the ocean.

On the island, you can also see a large population of the magnificent, colourful land iguana, the Galapagos tortoise (June – September) and the Galapagos cormorant. The Galapagos cormorant is endemic to the Galapagos Islands and is unique for its inability to fly. In fact, its wings are just a third of the size they should be for such a big bird, making it impossible for them to fly.
After the walk, you have the chance to go snorkelling along the coast, where you can see penguins and enjoy the incredible sea life beneath the water’s surface.

Back at the boat, it is lunchtime, and while you eat and relax, the ship slowly makes its way to the next stop, which is Tagus Cove, also located on the island of Isabela.
Tagus Cove was once a popular site for whalers and pirates, many of whom wrote the names of their ships on the cliff walls around the bay. Today, you can still see many of the names on the cliffs.

This excursion begins with an approximately 2-hour hike through a forest of Palo Santo trees to the gorgeous saltwater Darwin Lake, which sits in an extinct volcanic crater. You hike all the way around the lake through the dry vegetation, where you can see many different bird species. You also reach a lookout point, from which you can see the volcanoes Darwin and Wolf.

After the hike, you travel by panga along the coast and look out for animals such as penguins, colourful Sally Lightfoot crabs, boobies and cormorants. There is also some time for snorkelling before you are brought back to the ship.

After an eventful day with magnificent nature experiences, you can relax with a cold drink or a beer and gossip with the other guests. In the evening, the boat lifts anchor and a long overnight boat ride to the island of Santiago awaits you.

After breakfast, you’ll go ashore on the black volcanic beach at Puerto Egas on Santiago Island.

Here, a beautiful 1½-hour hike awaits along uneven paths leading to an old salt lagoon crater. Along the way, you may spot Darwin’s finches, the endemic Galápagos hawk, marine iguanas, the distinctive Sally Lightfoot crabs, as well as fur seals and sea lions. After the hike, there’s time for a swim and some snorkelling along the stunning coastline.

Lunch will be served back on board as you set course for Espumilla Beach – an important nesting site for green sea turtles. Here, a walk through the mangrove and Palo Santo forest awaits. Along the way, you may encounter marine iguanas, rays, reef fish, and various coastal birds. There’ll also be time for more snorkelling.

The day ends with a panga ride along the coast at Bucanero Cove – a historic anchorage once used by pirates and whalers. You’ll explore dramatic cliff formations and caves, with excellent opportunities to spot sea lions, fur seals, penguins, and seabirds nesting along the rocks.

The natural world of the Galápagos is overwhelming and almost beyond description – visiting these islands is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

This morning, you will wake up off the coast of Puerto Ayora, the main town on Santa Cruz Island, the second largest in the Galapagos archipelago. Your Galapagos adventure has come to an end, and it’s time to bid farewell to the boat’s crew. However, one final excursion awaits in Puerto Ayora at the fascinating museum and research centre, the Charles Darwin Research Station. Established in 1964, the centre promotes research and education on the Galapagos Islands, constantly working on research and projects to preserve the Galapagos’ ecosystems.

After your visit, you’ll be taken by bus across the island to the Itabaca Channel and sail over to the airport island of Baltra, from where you will fly back to Quito on the mainland of Ecuador. The return flight to Quito often takes a bit longer (about 2.5-4 hours) because there is usually a brief stopover in the city of Guayaquil.

Upon arriving in Quito, you will be picked up at the airport and driven to your hotel, located in one of Quito’s charming suburbs near the airport. The evening is yours to enjoy as you please.

You will be picked up at the hotel and driven to the airport. The timing depends on your flight’s departure. Perhaps you’ll have time for a last swim in the pool or just relax in the lush garden before your journey home begins.

You will arrive at your chosen airport after an unforgettable journey in Ecuador.