Ecuador tours

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Itinerary

Day 1: Quito
Arrive Quito. Reception at the airport and transfer to the hotel. We use small colonial style first class hotels. Upgrades available on request.

Day 2: Quito – Riobamba
(3 day, 2 night package)
The adventure starts in Quito as the train advances along the Avenue of the Volcanoes, with a stop at the station of Machachi for a snack and continue along the the slopes of Cotopaxi volcano. Then continue by bus to visit an Indian market, lunch and stay at the Hotel Andaluza or similar in Riobamba, located at the foot of imposing Chimborazo volcano.

Day 3: Riobamba - Cuenca
After an early breakfast, transfer to the train station to board the train for a scenic ride to Alausí. Twist and turn over the Andes, along bridging ravines and river gorges. Arrive to Alausí and prepare to go down the Devil’s Nose switchbacks, one of the most impressive feats of rail engineering in the world, and back to Alausí. Continue south along the Andes by motorcar to Cuenca, visiting en route the Inca Ruins of Ingapirca, to arrive at dusk. Stay in Cuenca.

Day 4: Cuenca - Quito
Today you will enjoy a full day to discover, at a leisurely pace, the beauty and colonial charm for which Cuenca has been recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Its red tiled roofs, cobblestone streets, flowery plazas and museums make it very special. Visit a Panama Hat factory in the afternoon before flying back to Quito.
Transfer and stay at hotel in Quito.

Day 5: Otavalo
After breakfast, transfer to a beautiful Hacienda (rustic country inn). You will be taken to visit colourful Otavalo Market with time to browse and shop independently in this unique and bustling place. Late afternoon return to the Hacienda.

Day 6: Otavalo - Bellavista
Transfer from Otavalo through the western slopes of the Andes to Bellavista cloud forest lodge. Enjoy an afternoon guided tour in the Reserve. There is excellent bird-watching from the numerous trails or from the comfort of the lodge, where views are superb. Guides are on hand to explain the flora and fauna. The evening is relaxed; after dinner, we recommend you take time to admire the incredible variety of moths, many of which are unknown to science!! Stay includes full board.

Day 7: Bellavista
After a refreshing night’s sleep, an ample breakfast is served. Afterwards, take a guided hike or explore further on your own. The cloud forest is a luxuriant forest that grows on the slopes of the Andes, festooned with mosses, lichens and orchids and whose bird life is among the most diverse and colourful in the world.

Day 8: Quito - Galapagos
Transfer to Quito airport for your early check-in to Galapagos. Fly to Baltra island, Galapagos via Guayaquil. On arrival Baltra transfer to the motor sailing yacht Samba for embarkation.

pm Plazas Island
South Plaza is a tiny island packed with life. One of the best places to spot land iguanas, also the less colourful black marine iguanas, which can also be found happily walking right across the island. The cliff is windy, and a great place for red-billed tropicbirds, swallow-tailed gulls, brown pelicans, and frigate birds in flight. Here too is the ‘bachelor sea lion colony’, a motley collection of male sea lions who have lost their territories. Plazas has one of the most concentrated sea lion colonies in the islands, about a thousand shift around as males continually vie for ‘harem’s’ of about 20 females.

Day 9: Santa Cruz island (Indefatigable)
Santa Cruz is the most central of the islands and has the largest human population. The town of Port Ayora has been the main base for tourism, there are hotels, guesthouses and dive operations.
am Puerto Ayora Highlands. It is worthwhile to see the sub-tropical forest, though much native flora has been destroyed by introduced plants and animals. Many land bird species can be seen here, including nine sorts of Darwin’s finches, the elusive Galapagos rail, vermilion flycatcher, and yellow warbler.
pm The Charles Darwin Research Centre is where scientists are captive breeding tortoises and land iguanas to put back on the islands where they have been endangered. There is a visitor centre explaining the history and conservation. Visitors can visit the giant tortoise enclosures and see ‘Lonesome George’ the last tortoise of Pinta Island.

Day 10: Española island (Hood)
am Gardner Bay: A dazzling white coral sand beach, one of the longest in Galapagos; home to sea lions or exhausted turtles having laid eggs.
In the bushes behind you can spot Darwin’s finches found here plus mockingbirds, the Galapagos Martin and playing along the surf small wading birds. Snorkeling off the islets in the bay is excellent with schools of yellow-tailed surgeonfish and the odd white-tipped reef shark.
pm Punta Suarez: a spectacular site with many nesting seabirds and dramatic cliff scenery and the famous ‘blow-hole’. The cliffs on the southern side make an ideal take-off for the huge albatross (April to December). Large marine iguanas more colourful than elsewhere with hues of red and green.
The trail continues through colonies of masked boobies, dancing blue-footed boobies keeping a watchful eye for a Galapagos hawk that will pick off any chicks left unguarded, above are red-billed tropic birds. Lava lizards are bigger here than other islands; the mockingbirds also differ with longer bills.

Day 11: Floreana island (Charles)
am Where long extinct eruptions and parasitic cones are now covered in forest. The first island to be inhabited, many introduced species are found and tortoises are extinct as a result. The islets off the coast of Floreana like Champion and Enderby are the only places where the Charles Island Mockingbird exist, as they have been wiped out on the main island.
Punta Cormorant: The sand is greenish due to the high amount of volcanic minerals. Beachcombing reveals sea urchins and shells along the strand. There are plants which are unique to this part of Floreana and a species of daisy tree Scalesia. The large brackish lagoon holds one of the biggest populations of flamingos that parade around like regimental soldiers. They sometimes nest here. A short walk goes to the ‘flour’ sand beach, which is a delightful spot to relax, turtles and rays frequent it.
pm Land at the historical Post Office Bay and visit the famous barrel, a do-it-yourself postal service set up by 18th century whalers.

Day 12: Isabela island (Albemarle)
Isabela is the largest of all the islands, over 130 Km. from north to south. It has five of the biggest volcanoes including Wolf the highest of all at 1700 m. Despite its size much of Isabela is barren lava with few places to disembark. There have been recent eruptions. Alcedo volcano has the largest tortoise population.
am Punta Moreno: West of Isabela Island, unique lava flows and small lagoons with bird life.
pm Elizabeth Bay: a dinghy ride into a lagoon hidden by the largest mangrove trees in the archipelago (herons, turtles, rays).

Day 13: Isabela island
Urbina Bay: a circular trail to an uplifted beach and the remains of a coral reef (flightless cormorants, tortoises, land iguanas, hermit crabs, finches, warblers, and mockingbirds).
pm Fernandina island (Narborough)
Fernandina is probably the largest pristine island in the world - no introduced organisms. Punta Espinoza is a promontory with a magnificent position surrounded by six volcanoes on Isabela. Unique attractions are the majestic cone, barren lavas, thousands of iguanas, curious flightless cormorants and penguins. From January to June the marine iguanas breed and lay eggs in the sand. The flightless cormorants stand around drying their ‘wings’ and offering nesting material to each other. Though low in numbers they seem to be unaffected by human visitors. Nearby tide-pools are a favourite place for Sally Lightfoot crabs, great blue herons, oystercatchers, and in the pools young marine turtles often seek refuge.

Day 14: James island (Santiago)
Puerto Egas (James Bay): Once a haven to pirates and salt miners.
A beautiful natural landscape – the path goes along a rocky shore where large marine iguanas and sally lightfoot crabs abound. In the tide pools brittle stars, urchins and sea snails hide among anemones. Moray eels slither, octopus keep a wary eye or two on you. The trail ends at the fur seal grottoes; enchanting natural pools where both species of sea lion rest and play.
pm Bartolome island. The most photographed landscape in the islands is the dramatic view from the summit. The Pinnacle that leans into the bay is an eroded cone. A small family of Galapagos penguins lives in the shadows of the Pinnacle, and surprise bemused swimmers as they ‘fly’ around in the waters of the bay.
A short walk across dunes takes one to the beach (reef sharks, rays and Ghost crabs). Often a juvenile Galápagos hawk hovering overhead.

Day 15: Santa Cruz island
am Black Turtle Cove: Pre-breakfast - On the northern coast of Santa Cruz Island is a tranquil mangrove lagoon where turtles breed alongside baby sharks and schools of rays. Herons and Pelicans take advantage of the easy fishing here. After breakfast, disembark and transfer to Baltra for your Tame flight to Quito (with a stop at Guayaquil) and arrive Quito late afternoon. Overnight at the hotel in Quito.

Day 16: Quito - London
Tour of Quito
A guided visit to Quito, an urban jewel and UNESCO World Heritage Site, first stopping at the Parliament Building, whose murals depict Ecuador’s history, then we stroll downtown and visit the colonial gems, including the main square, the gold laden Church of La Compañía de Jesús, San Francisco one the of great religious buildings of the New World; with its impressive façade and Baroque interior and unique winged Virgin of Quito above the altar.

If time permits we continue to the Equator Monument, a few miles North of Quito, set at the ‘Middle of the World’ or latitude 0º where you can stand with a foot on each hemisphere. There is an interesting ethnographic museum inside the monument of Ecuador’s native groups and. beside is a colonial-style town, Lunch included.

Transfer to Quito International Airport for your International Departure.

Day 17: Arrive UK

Note: Cruise Itineraries are subject to change due to amendments to flight schedules, weather conditions and National Park Regulations.