23 Day Classic Ecuador & Galapagos

Today, your Ecuador & Galapagos tour starts. After your arrival at Quito Airport, you will have a private transfer to your hotel in Quito.

• TransportCar.
• AccommodationsHotel Ikala Quito or similar.

In the morning, you will be picked up at your hotel to start your Quito city tour. First, you will go to the Panecillo Hill, and see the famous Virgin of El Panecillo statue. You will have an amazing view over the city. Then you will visit all the highlights of the area: the Basilica church, the main squares and the San Francisco church. After a typical Ecuadorian lunch, you will go to Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) to visit a museum called ‘Intiñan’. Here you can do experiments, to prove the effects the equator has on gravity. After this, you will also visit the Pululahua crater, before going back to Quito.

• ActivityExploring, Sightseeing.
• TransportCar.
• MealBreakfast, Lunch.
• AccommodationsHotel Ikala Quito or similar.

This private day tour takes you to Mindo, a small village inside the Andes cloud forest, where you can go zip lining and hiking. Here, it is also possible to visit a butterfly farm where you can also find hummingbirds and sometimes even a toucan. A local lunch will be given in the village. In the afternoon, you will go back to Quito. At around 11:00 PM a semi-private night bus will take you to the Cuyabeno Reserve in the Amazon, which will take about 8 hours.

• ActivityExploring, Hiking, Zip Lining, Wildlife Watching.
• TransportBus, Car.
• MealBreakfast, Lunch.
• AccommodationsOvernight at bus.

The bus you took the night before will bring you to the Cuyabeno Bridge, which is the starting point of your Amazon adventure. From here, you will have a canoe trip down the Cuyabeno River to the lodge. The guide will share information about the Reserve, and important recommendations and other tips to begin the two hours navigation on the Cuyabeno River. Once you arrive to the lodge, you will be shown to your rooms and you can relax a little before enjoying a delicious dinner. Later, you will go on an exciting night walk through the rainforest.

• ActivityExploring, Hiking.
• TransportBus, Canoe.
• MealLunch, Dinner.
• AccommodationsDolphin Lodge or similar.

Early in the morning, on the fifth day of your Ecuador & Galapagos tour, you will go on a canoe excursion. During the brisk morning hours you have the best time to see the rainforest’s thriving activity. After breakfast, you will trek in the primary rainforest with the naturalist and native guides, who will explain about the practical and medicinal uses of the plants. After lunch, you will go out with either paddling or motorised canoes to enjoy the beautiful landscapes and try to find species of monkeys and dolphins. After dinner, you will venture in the forest to find species of insects and, with a bit of luck, species of snakes or frogs.

• ActivityHiking, Exploring, Wildlife Watching.
• TransportCanoe.
• MealBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
• AccommodationsDolphin Lodge or similar.

Early in the morning, you will have a good chance to watch some playful monkeys and some colorful birds. Then, you will return to the lodge for breakfast. In the afternoon, you will navigate along the Cuyabeno River where you will have a good chance of seeing the freshwater pink and grey river dolphins in a spectacular scenery. After that, you will go Birdwatching. In this activity above the canopy, you can enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding rainforest, and you can observe a variety of animal species. After dinner, you will venture out on a night excursion to search for caimans (alligator family) and nocturnal birds.

• ActivityBird-watching, Hiking, Exploring, Wildlife Watching.
• TransportCanoe
• MealBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
• AccommodationsDolphin Lodge or similar.

After breakfast, you will navigate once again along the Cuyabeno river towards an Indian Community, where your naturalist guide will explain the culture and traditions of the native people, from the past to the present. Then, you will travel by canoe down the river back to the Cuyabeno Bridge from where you will take a semi-private bus to return to Quito. It will take approximately 8 hours to arrive to Quito.

• ActivityExploring.
• TransportBus, Canoe.
• MealBreakfast, Lunch.
• AccommodationsHotel Ikala Quito or similar.

On this day, your guide will pick you up from your hotel in Quito to go to Condor park. Here, you will learn about the majestic birds of the region, and you can enjoy a bird show. After that, you will go to the Otavalo where you can walk through its famous market and enjoy the people and the typical Ecuadorian products that they sell. Later, you will go to the Peguche waterfall. Here you can enjoy the forest while you are hiking to the waterfall.

• ActivityExploring, Hiking, Wildlife Watching
• TransportCar.
• MealBreakfast, Lunch.
• AccommodationsHotel Ikala Quito or similar.

After breakfast, you will be picked up to go to Cotopaxi National Park. There are several activities that you can choose to do inside the national park such as horseback riding, mountain biking or just hiking. In the afternoon, you will be dropped off at a local country house (hacienda) where you can see alpacas and enjoy the mountains.

• ActivityBiking, Exploring, Hiking, Horseback Riding.
• TransportCar.
• MealBreakfast.
• AccommodationsHacienda Papagayo or similar.

In the tenth day of your Ecuador & Galapagos tour, you will be picked up by your guide in the morning, and after a 1,5 hour drive, you will arrive at the Quilotoa crater. Hidden at the center of the crater, you will find a beautiful turquoise lagoon. To reach the lagoon you will need to hike down the crater. After a local lunch, you will be brought to Baños, a little town in between the Andes and Amazon region where you will stay a couple of days.

• ActivityExploring, Hiking.
• TransportCar.
• MealBreakfast, Lunch.
• AccommodationsHotel Posada J or similar.

The atmosphere in Banos is laid back and relaxed, and this is complemented by a nice sub-tropical climate. Tourists love to come to Baños for outdoor activities like rafting, canyoning, canopy, mountain biking or hiking. There is a beautiful route through the most impressive waterfalls of Ecuador called “Ruta de las Cascadas”. You will have the chance to go biking through this route without a guide, but with a good mountain bike, helmet and a map. Additionally, you can take an optional canopy line called “El Torpedo” ($ 20) and even go bungee jumping off the Baños bridge ($ 15). At night the town is full of entertainment like pubs, restaurants and bars, all in walking distance.

• ActivityBiking, Exploring, Sightseeing.
• MealBreakfast.
• AccommodationsHotel Posada J or similar.

On day 12 of your Ecuador & Galapagos tour, you will go rafting at the Pastaza River with level III/IV rapids. In the afternoon, you will have some free time to relax.  Additionally, you can also visit the “Swing to the End of the World” (not included).

• ActivityRafting, Relaxing, Sightseeing.
• TransportCar.
• MealBreakfast, Lunch.
• AccommodationsHotel Posada J or similar.

After breakfast you start a drive down to Cuenca through the Andes with a private driver/guide. Ifyou would like, you can make some stops at Guamote, Aloasi (Nariz del Diablo train) or Ingapirca. There will be a lot of local indigenous people along the route. This, together with the stunning Andes landscapes, will give you enough picture material.

• ActivitySightseeing.
• TransportCar.
• MealBreakfast.
• AccommodationsHotel Victoria or similar.

After breakfast your guide will pick you up for a private tour through the colonial city of Cuenca. You will have the afternoon free, so you can explore Cuenca a little bit more yourself.

• ActivityExploring, Sightseeing.
• TransportCar.
• MealBreakfast.
• AccommodationsHotel Victoria or similar.

On day fifteen of your Ecuador & Galapagos Tour, you will visit the Cajas National Park.  This national park offers incredible hikes through tundra vegetation and polylepis forests which almost feel like a setting from Lord of the Rings. In the afternoon, you will drive to Guayaquil.

• ActivityExploring, Hiking.
• TransportCar.
• MealBreakfast.
• AccommodationsHotel Wyndham Guayaquil or similar.

Early in the morning, you will fly from Guayaquil to the Island of Baltra (about 2 hours). At Baltra Airport, you will meet up with the English speaking guide who will take you to the port of Puerto Ayora, but before you get there, you will stop at one of the ranches in Santa Cruz Highlands to visit some giant tortoises in their natural habitat. You will have the chance to walk around and take some pictures of these amazing animals before going to the village.

• ActivitySightseeing, Wildlife Watching.
• TransportAirplane, Boat, Bus, Car.
• MealBreakfast, Lunch.
• AccommodationsHotel Fiesta or similar.

After breakfast you will travel to Santa Fe Island. Geologically, this island is one of the oldest in the archipelago. After a 45 minute boat ride, you will arrive to the bay of Santa Fe. There you will have a very nice snorkeling activity, and if you are lucky, you can spot some birds on the rocks. After snorkeling, you will go to Playa Escondida or Garrapatero in Santa Cruz island and have a wet landing there. You will have approximately 1 hour to relax and discover the beach. Afterwards, you will go back on board to enjoy your lunch.

* This day includes an activity called ‘Pesca Vivencial’ which means that you might be able to experience a fishing demonstration according to weather and park regulations.

* Wet landing means that the boat gets close to the beach, and from there, you will disembark in the sea. It is recommended that you bring extra clothing, as you might get wet.

• ActivityExploring, Relaxing, Snorkeling, Wildlife Watching.
• TransportBoat, Car.
• MealBreakfast, Box Lunch.
• AccommodationsHotel Fiesta or similar.

After breakfast you will visit the Charles Darwin Station where more than 100 scientists, educators and volunteers provide scientific knowledge and assistance to ensure the conservation of the environment and biodiversity of Galapagos. The guides will explain more about the famous Galapagos giant tortoises. After a local lunch, you will take the public speedboat to Isabela (about 3 hours). After a brief rest at the hotel, you will head to the Flamingo Lagoon, which is the largest coastal lagoon found in the Galapagos, and it is one of the main reproductive sites for the grand majority of flamingos in the area.

• ActivitySightseeing, Wildlife Watching.
• TransportBoat, Car.
• MealBreakfast, Lunch.
• AccommodationsHotel San Vicente or similar.

Early in the morning, after breakfast, you will have a tour to The Wetlands. Here, you will visit the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center  where you will spot small and giant tortoises in their natural habitat. The next activity is a visit to The Wall of Tears. Please have in mind that the total length of the walk in The Wetlands area is approximately 3 to 4 hours.

After lunch, you will have a little break, and then you will visit Tintoreras Islet. It is called like this due to a large crack, in which white-tip sharks, known as Tintoreras, come daily to rest at the bottom. You will have a transport which will take you to the pier of Puerto Villamil from where you will board a boat, for 10 minutes, to cross to the islet located across the bay. It will be necessary for passengers to use walking shoes or sneakers (closed shoes) to cross the volcanic rocks. You will observe penguins, sea lions, marine iguanas. Also, you can go snorkeling with colorful tropical fish while enjoying the beaches of Isabela.

• ActivityExploring, Hiking, Sightseeing, Snorkeling, Wildlife Watching.
• TransportBoat, Car.
• MealBreakfast, Lunch.
• AccommodationsHotel San Vicente or similar.

Early in the morning on the twentieth day of your Galapagos & Ecuador tour, you will go on a boat ride from Puerto Villamil. You will explore the brilliant scenery in Los Tuneles, which is considered the most beautiful place to snorkel in Isabela Island. You will get the chance to spot large quantities of seabirds such as the albatrosses, flamingos, blue footed boobies and even the magnificent frigatebird. You can also find species feeding such as tortoises, swimming iguanas, sea lions, manta rays, Galapagos penguins, lobsters, and sea snakes. Depending on when you will go to Los Tuneles, you can choose to also explore Concha Perla by yourself, before or after your visit to los Tuneles, since it is very close to the dock.

• ActivityExploring, Snorkeling, Wildlife Watching.
• TransportBoat, Car.
• MealBreakfast, Snack.
• AccommodationsHotel San Vicente or similar.

On your last day in the Galapagos Islands, you will have a free day to explore Isabela. You can relax or do any optional activity.

• ActivityRelaxing.
• MealBreakfast.
• AccommodationsHotel San Vicente or similar.

After breakfast, you will travel to Baltra Airport, from where you will depart to Guayaquil. Upon arrival, you will be picked up by a shuttle and transferred to your hotel. For the rest fo the day, you can relax at the hotel, or explore Guayaquil by yourself.

• ActivityRelaxing.
• TransportAirplane, Boat, Bus, Car.
• MealBreakfast.
• AccommodationsHotel Wyndham Guayaquil or similar.

Today, your Ecuador & Galapagos tour comes to an end. After breakfast, you will have a transfer back to Guayaquil Airport.

• TransportCar.
• MealBreakfast.