The Galapagos & Ecuador Adventure
- Sailing on a Luxury Class Catamaran

Welcome to Ecuador! You will be met at Quito Airport and transferred to the hotel.

The rest of the day will be spent at leisure, allowing some time to acclimatise and soak up the atmosphere of Quito.

After breakfast, we will enjoy an orientation tour of Ecuador’s capital city, Quito. We will walk down quaint cobbled streets, lined with beautiful brightly-coloured colonial houses, whose balconies are dressed in flowers. The town is watched over by the winged Virgin of Quito, sitting up on the Panecillo. We will walk down streets previously walked by the Incan people on their way to the Panecillo, which is thought to have been a centre of worship to the Sun and Moon Gods. When the Spanish arrived, they transformed this Incan avenue into a place heavily influenced by Christianity. Seven crosses were erected along the length of the avenue in an effort to make the indigenous people believe in their god. We will walk along this street to the Plaza de la Independencia. On the square’s southern side lies one of the oldest cathedrals in South America, and the modern sacred heart of the city – Quito Cathedral, an impressive white-walled building with green-glazed ceramic domes. The symmetrical Palacio de Carondelet, the Presidential Palace, runs along the western side of the square. Its balconies were a gift from the French Government and are originally from the Tuilleries Palace in Paris. We will also take a look in at the ancestral interior courtyard of the Centro Cultural Metropolitano, which has over the years been used as a tobacco factory, prison and university. Walking a little further, we come to the National Library and the incomparable Iglesia de la Compañia, a Jesuit church overflowing with Baroque art. The gold that covers its interior hides the church’s tragic history, of the fire that devastated it and the earthquake that shook it. Afterwards, we will head north-west out of Quito where the landscape becomes dry and sandy. In this desert-like place, we will pass the small towns of San Antonio de Pichincha and Calacalí. As we drive along you will notice that the vegetation becomes denser and the leaves of the plants and trees become larger until we reach the Mitad del Mundo - the middle of the earth - as calculated and measured by the French Geodesics Mission. Ecuador literally means Equator and was named after its famous feature.

Today we will visit the Otovalo handcraft market, situated in the suburbs of Quito. The indigenous Otavaleños are famous for their weaving, usually with wool. You will also find stalls selling textiles, tagua nut jewellery, musical instruments, dream catchers, leather goods and much more, all traditional handicrafts of the local people. We will also visit a local rose farm before lunch in a local restaurant. On our way back to Quito we will stop at the Quitsato Sundial – the first and only Monument of the Middle of the world, that is exactly on the Equatorial Line or Zero Parallel.

For chocolate lovers our first stop this morning will be one you’ll enjoy – a chocolate tour showing you the process from tree to tastebuds!

Then we’ll head on our big adventure for the day to the town of Mindo. The Mindo Cloud Forest has more than 400 species of bird and the second-highest number of endemic species of butterfly in the country. A team of professional and prepared guides will take us on an amazing journey above the cloud forest on a series of zip lines. Harness up and enjoy the forest from above and the adrenalin of flying through the air with the birds.

We will have lunch in at the butterfly farm, where we can see a spectacular variety of butterflies in different phases of their life cycle. From here we can take a short walk into the cloud forest, keeping an eye out for exotic birds and mammals amongst the lush vegetation and listening to the gentle background hum of life in this extremely diverse place. For great viewing of hummingbirds and other wildlife, we will stop at the Alambi Reserve on our way back to Quito.

Today we fly from Quito on mainland Ecaudor to Baltra, in the Galapagos Islands. Lying some 1,000km off the western coast, the islands are some of the most remote on the planet.

Upon arrival in the Galapagos Islands, after passing through immigration and baggage claim, we will be met by a member of the cruise staff to embark the catamaran and have some time to settle in to your cabin, our home for the next 7 nights.

Our first stop on the cruise this afternoon will be at the Fausto Llerena Giant Tortoises Breeding Centre in Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz Island. This is home to tortoises ranging from 3-inches as new hatchlings to 4-feet long adults. Subspecies of the giant tortoises interact with one another and many of the older tortoises are accustomed to humans, stretching out their heads for a photo opportunity. The babies are kept at the centre until they are about four years-old and strong enough to survive on their own.

This morning, we will take a short dingy ride from the catamaran to Isabela Island. An easy hike leads us to Tintoreras Islet, located a short distance from Puerto Villamil. This is home to a great variety of wildlife - its turquoise, crystalline waters are inhabited by white-tip reef sharks, Galapagos penguins, marine turtles and sea lions. A beach here surrounded by mangroves is one of the few sites where marine iguanas can reproduce successfully.

We also visit the Sierra Negra Volcano, which is the largest basaltic caldera in the Galapagos, with a diameter of 6.2 miles (10 km). This more difficult hike rewards participants with impressive views and the opportunity to observe up to seven species of finches and a rich display of vegetation. The north side of the caldera provides evidence of its most recent volcanic activity in 2005.

The Wetlands of Isabela Island are located just outside of Puerto Villamil. They consist of lagoons, swamps, and mangroves and are home to a variety of unique bird species such as common stilts, whimbrels, white-cheeked pintails, and gallinules. After lunch, the Wetlands can be visited on foot via a path through the swamps.

Next we move on to the Arnaldo Tupiza Breeding Centre, located about one mile (1.5 km) from Puerto Villamil. In this breeding centre, tortoise populations from South Isabela, Sierra Negra Volcano, Cerro Azul, Cazuela, Cinco Cerros, Roca Union, San Pedro, Tables and Cerro Paloma have been bred as part of a conservation project.

Moreno Point is located southwest of Elizabeth Bay on Isabela Island and is our first stop of the day. Here, a dry landing onto what was once flowing lava is possible. The lava has left craters in its wake which formed crystal tide pools. By looking into the pools, you can peer into another world as the marine life drifts by your window. In the brackish pools of this area, you may see pink flamingos, white-cheeked pintails, and common gallinules. If you look carefully, you may also see white-tip reef sharks and some sea turtles.

In the afternoon, we visit Elizabeth Bay. Located on the east coast of Isabela Island, the bay contains many islets, which can be visited by dinghy. Penguins and blue-footed boobies can be spotted on the rocky islets. With mangrove forest unique to the Galapagos, an abundance of marine life and clear waters, the area is perfect for snorkelling and viewing schools of colourful fish, sea lions, and perhaps even sharks.

Crossing the Bolivar Channel that divides Isabela and Fernandina Islands, we will land at Espinoza Point this morning. After a hike of about 2km which sees us walking past a colony of marine iguanas and a group of sea lions we reach the island’s highlight: the nesting site of the flightless cormorant. This area also provides a great opportunity to see the Galapagos hawk.

We reboard the boat and sail back to the north of Isabela Island. After lunch, we visit Vicente Roca Point. Comprised of two separate coves, this is a large bay with spectacular sea life. Keep an eye out for seahorses, sea turtles, and the strange yet fascinating Mola mola (or sun fish) while you snorkel.

In the morning we visit Egas Port on Santiago Island. Egas Port, also known as James Bay, (Santiago being the Spanish for James) is home to the curious Galapagos hawks and the quick-footed Galapagos lava lizards. The trail leads us to the coastline with gorgeous tide pools and grottos full of fauna. Here the Galapagos fur seals bathe in the sun. This is also a great snorkelling site.

In Espumilla Beach for the afternoon, marine iguanas lounge and the Sally Lightfoot crabs attract the hunting herons performing the dance of predator and prey right before your eyes. Snorkelling is highly recommended and you could come face to face with an octopus, moray eel, shark and a variety of other species of tropical fish.

We move on to Buccaneer Cove, a testament to the fact that Santiago Island was once a refuge for British buccaneers. These pirates would anchor in the protected bay to make boat repairs and stock up on tortoise meat among other things. The steep cliffs, where hundreds of seabirds perch in front of the dark red sand beach are a magnificent site.

In the morning, we head to Bartholomew Island, a small island lying off the coast of Santiago Island. Here the famous Pinnacle Rock is found. Bartholomew consists of an extinct volcano with a variety of red, orange, black and even green volcanic formations. We will take a trail of stairs to the summit of the volcano, approx. 30- 40 minutes walking, where you will enjoy one of the best views of the islands!

We will also visit a small, beautiful beach surrounded by the only vegetation found on this barren island. The beach is perfect for snorkelling where you may even see and swim with Galapagos penguins.

Later, we also visit Sullivan Bay, located on the southeast part of Santiago Island. This place is interesting for its geology because the area is covered by lava flows. Sullivan Bay has elevations in the form of small volcanoes formed by the lava flows.

This morning we explore Chinese Hat Islet, located off the southeast coast of Santiago Island. Its name comes from the distinct shape of the small islet’s summit. This is a great location to view many geological formations such as lava tunnels and lava flows. Some of the lava flows were formed underwater and subsequently raised above sea level, indicated by the presence of coral heads on the lava flow.

In the afternoon, we head to Dragon Hill on north-western coast of Santa Cruz Island for a Panga ride and short hike. The visitors’ site at Dragon Hill consists of a 1,600 m long trail that runs through three different environments. The beach is very rocky but at high tide, it’s a nice place for snorkelling. Here you can find vegetation of the typical inter-tidal zone and dry zone.

This morning, the last of our island visits. In North Seymour Island, you may see Galapagos sea lions, blue-footed boobies, and magnificent frigate birds which are abundant on this island. North Seymour was formed by a series of submarine lava flows containing layers of sediment that were uplifted by tectonic activity and the island is characterized by its arid vegetation zone.

After this final visit, we will be transferred to Baltra Airport in time for our flight from the Galapagos Islands back to the mainland. Upon arrival in Quito, we will transfer to the hotel and enjoy our farewell dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred from the hotel to meet your departure flights home.

Or why not extend your stay in South America with a few days in Peru to see Machu Picchu? Our short post-tour extension takes in the best of Peru and is a great way to top off your time discovering South America.