Classic Ecuador: Quito, Galapagos & Guayaquil

Itinerary

• Day 1: Arrival in Quito

  Welcome to Quito, the country's capital.

  On arrival, you will be warmly welcomed and transferred to your hotel by a Spanish-speak driver with a private vehicle. The rest of today is yours for refreshment.

  • Quito

• Day 2: Quito, Discover the Colonial Quito

  This morning, with a knowledgeable English-speaking driver guide, you will walk through the colonial streets and some other places, such as a local market where you will be able to perceive the authentic breath of local life and taste some typical Ecuadorian fruits. The UNESCO-listed Church of La Compañía (Iglesia de la Compania) will not be skipped over either.

  In the afternoon, visit the Equatorial Monument and the Intiñan Museum, trying to balance an egg on a nail or watching water spinning opposite ways, delving into Ecuador's culture, from the biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands to Amazonian tribes.

  Before getting back to Quito, you will also visit the Agave House, the first museum created in honor of the Andean agave culture.

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  • Quito

• Day 3: Quito, A Day Connecting the Nature and the Culture

  It's a beautiful day with rich options you can choose from.

  Option 1: Otavalo is known for its crafts. On the way to it, you will stop at some other beautiful towns, tasting local fruit, biscuit, and cheese. In Otavalo, you will have time to buy some souvenirs. Later on, visit the nearby Cotacachi that is famous all over Ecuador for its good quality leather, and then head to the Cuicocha Lake that is formed in a former crater of the Cotacachi Volcano. From there, you can walk up to the viewpoint for some nice pictures, hike near the lake or jump on one of the small boats for a tour around the lake.

  Option 2: Cotopaxi with an altitude of 5897 meters is one of the highest active volcanos in the world. On a clear day, it can be seen from several provinces of Ecuador. The national park hosting the volcano Cotopaxi is also home to wild horses, llamas, foxes, deer, Andean condors, and bespectacled bears. In Cotopaxi, you can book a local naturalistic guide extra to take you exploring the park, marveling at the majestic volcano, spotting the lovely animals, visiting the Limpiopungo lagoon, and getting to know many medicinal plants.

  Option 3: Quilotoa is a beautiful volcanic crater lake with special green color due to dissolved minerals. It is possible to appreciate the lake from a viewpoint and walk around. Then, in Tigua, a small town famous for its typical paintings, you will visit a studio to appreciate some colorful and detailed works.

  Option 4: In the day to Mindo, you will discover the entire process of the metamorphosis of butterflies, observe and feed 25 species of butterflies of great colors in the Butterfly Park firstly.

  Later on, a tarabita - a kind of open-air cable car, will take you soaring over the lush forest and reaching the Mindo Cloud Forest Reserve, where some beautiful waterfalls and diverse flora and fauna will come into sight as you walk about 1.5 hours along the self-guided trails.

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  • Quito

• Day 4: Quito - Santa Cruz, Giant Galapagos Tortoises

  Take a private transfer to the airport for your flight to the magical Galapagos Islands. Upon arrival at Baltra airport, you will be picked up and transferred to Santa Cruz Island, the second largest one among the Galapagos Islands, by public transport (bus), ferry-boat, and car orderly.

  Your first stop in Santa Cruz will be the Parte Alta, a lush and green highland that is naturally the habitat of the giant Galapagos tortoises. At a private ranch, you will have lunch and some walks among the trees in search of giant tortoises, which prefer to stay near small lagoons. You will also visit the Lava Tunnels that are formed when the surface of the lava flow solidifies and the interior remains liquid and flows like a river.

  After the visit, continue with private transport to your hotel, meet one of our coordinators for an information session, in which they will explain the rest of your itinerary.

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  • Santa Cruz Island (Galapagos)

• Day 5: Santa Cruz, Feel the Magic of the Islands

  Spend the day exploring one of the North Seymour, Bartolome, Santa Fe, and Plazas. In all tours, lunch and snorkeling equipment are included.

  Option 1: Your first stop will be at Punta Carrion with snorkeling to see colorful fish and sea turtles. After it, continue to Plazas and visit Plaza Sur, the southern bigger island that is mostly known for the many land iguanas that live on it. When you are a little further from the coast, it looks like you've walked into the movie Jurassic Park, because you will be eye to eye with beautiful green, yellow, and orange land iguanas. At the coast, the male sea lions live in peace. It is sensational to see the sea lions and iguanas play together as real pals. This island also offers a lot to bird lovers and vegetation worshippers.

  Option 2: At the island of North Seymour there are the breeding colonies of the frigates, the blue-footed boobies, and the swallow-tailed gull. It is interesting to see the male frigates flying with blew-up red throat bags around the females, trying to attract more attention from the admired. Following it, you will navigate towards the beach of Bachas for swimming, snorkeling, or tracking the nesting sea turtles. Walk along a hidden trail, you may see the shipwreck of Bachas and some flamingos.

  Option 3: Santa Fe Island is the best place to find the large land iguanas (Conolophus Pallidus) since they live nowhere else in the world and, in fact, no other Galapagos Island. As a sub-species of the famous endemic Galapagos land iguana, the Santa Fe variety is yellowish-green in color and can grow to over one meter long. At the beach of Snta Fe, you can also discover a sea lion colony and in the bay, there are often rays, white tip sharks, and sea turtles. On the rocky side of the bay, you will snorkel with colorful fish.

  Option 4: For the tour to Bartolome, you will need to start early today since it is a little further away than other islands.

  At the first stop, the Sullivan Bay, from December to April, you can find green sea turtles coming ashore to lie in the sun. This is quite special since in other places the turtles only come ashore at night to lay eggs. When snorkeling, with a little luck, you will see the Moorish Idol, the most beautiful fish from the Galapagos. At the island of Bartolome, you will visit its highest point at 114 meters for a spectacular view over the lava in surrealistic colors, many volcanoes, the blue sea, and the famous Pinnacle Rock.

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  • Santa Cruz Island (Galapagos)

• Day 6: Santa Cruz - San Cristobal, Academy Bay

  Spend the morning on a tour to the Academy Bay, also called La Loberia. When arriving with the small boat, you can see blue-footed boobies and other birds resting on the cliffs. With a guided walk from the landing point, you may spot white-tipped reef sharks resting and will find marine iguanas resting on a sunny day. The huge cacti, the red color of the rocks, and the turquoise ocean will set a perfect scenery for beautiful pictures. Later on, continue the tour with snorkeling and a walk to Las Grietas.

  In the afternoon, take a lancha (motorized small boat) from the dock of Santa Cruz to the island of San Cristobal. The boat ride will take about two hours and depending on the weather, it can be a bit bumpy. On arrival, be transferred to your hotel.

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  • San Cristóbal Island (Galapagos)

• Day 7: San Cristobal, Enjoying the Islands

  Today, with a small boat you will go to Isla Lobos. During the guided visit over the land, you can observe frigate birds, blue-footed boobies, and sea lions that inhabit the island. Next, spend some time snorkeling to see rays and turtles or swimming with playful sea lions.

  Then, continue to Playa Ochoa or some other beach with a similar white coral beach that is wonderful for walking around or swimming. You will have a lunch box at the boat or on some days have lunch in a local restaurant.

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  • San Cristóbal Island (Galapagos)

• Day 8: San Cristobal - Guayaquil

  Enjoy the island in the last hours before taking the transfer to the airport in San Cristobal for a flight to Guayaquil. After arrival, take the airport shuttle to your hotel.

  In the afternoon, with a bilingual guide, you will explore the city by walking, receiving background information on the most important sights, visiting the Las Penas neighborhood, and tasting some typical snacks.

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  • Guayaquil

• Day 9: Guayaquil - Departure

  It is time to hit the road again. After breakfast, take the shuttle to the airport of Guayaquil for the flight to your next destination.

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