Andes Traditions and Extreme Galapagos – 9 days Ecuador package $4,600 pp

Private arrival transfer from airport to hotel Welcome to Quito and Ecuador!

At the airport you will be greeted by a member of our organization, we will escort you all the way to your hotel, giving you a short briefing about Quito and the country in general with valuable information you need to know.

Private transportation and guide, handling of two pieces of luggage per person at the airport and the hotel

Hilton Colón Quito for three nights Welcome to the award-winning Hilton Colon Quito Hotel. Set in La Mariscal district, on Quito’s bustling commercial and touristic Avenida Amazonas, the hotel is at the heart of the city’s action. Hilton Colon Quito is a 10-minute walk to Quito’s Spanish Colonial old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Relax in a modern guest room with WiFi, a work desk, and panoramic views of the city and mountains.

Live Quito Like a Local A day dedicated to exploring the lives, beliefs, cuisine and traditions of Old Town Quito, the first city named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978, and a revelation to many people.

The tour is all about ‘living Quito like a local’, visiting shops, exploring markets, meeting local herbal healers, wandering the streets, learning skills from artisans, and enjoying a lunch of great Ecuadorian cooking at the sophisticated Casa Gangotena hotel.

Visits include meeting artisans, shopkeepers, hat makers and sweet confectioners. San Francisco Market, one of the oldest in the capital. La Ronda with cobbled street and typical balconies overflowing with geraniums. Here we visit the Manos en La Ronda project and meet artisans in the workshops.

We then visit the chocolatier on the ground floor, where we enjoy a snack and have a chance to discover and taste the finest chocolate in the world – which, of course, comes from Ecuador..! Jesuit church of La Compañía with its stunning gold-leaf interior. Returning back to Plaza San Francisco, we visit the church, choir and pretty patios of the Franciscan order. In the afternoon, we cross the street to the excellent Casa del Alabado Archaeological Museum. It houses a fantastic collection of pieces dating back some 5,000 years, arrayed beautifully within a restored 17th-century colonial mansion.

Otavalo is currently considered one of the most important tour destinations in Ecuador, due to its ancestral cultural heritage, enriched by millenary traditions, myths, legends and customs together with Andean landscapes of outstanding beauty: mountains, lakes, waterfalls and rivers, which as per the Otavalo Cosmovision, possess life and energy.

This one-day private excursion has been designed to provide guests with an overall view of the dramatic Andean scenery, with an earlier departure to arrive in time to appreciate the activity of the Otavalo Market, visit the town of Peguche and observe the weaving processes at a textile workshop.

Baltra Airport (Santa Cruz Island)

We arrive at Baltra Airport and then we take you to the Itabaca Channel to take a ferry across to Santa Cruz Island. A 30-minute bus ride takes us to a restaurant in the Highlands of Santa Cruz Island to enjoy lunch, and then continue to Puerto Ayora.

Puerto Ayora and the Charles Darwin Research Station After driving down from the highlands, we visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and the giant tortoise pens within an impressive giant prickly-pear cactus forest home to many land birds. These are the headquarters of scientific investigation, conservation and the National Park administration.

Late afternoon we stroll along the main street of Puerto Ayora before embarking on Yacht Isabela II. We review the expeditions plan for next day, Captain’s welcome cocktail and dinner.

Island A stunning anchorage provides our jumping-off point for our visit to this sandy white beach with many sea lion harems. Galapagos hawks are often easily observed, perched atop salt bushes. The endemic land iguana, unique to this island, may be spotted during the walk. Snorkelling and swimming from the beach, kayaking or a ride in our glass-bottom boat rounds off the rewarding experience.

South Plaza
South Plaza The turquoise waters of the channel here contrast brilliantly with the white sand and black lava of the shoreline, while a carpet of scarlet sesuvium succulents serves as groundcover for a grove of luminescent green prickly-pear cactus beyond, populated by yellow-gray land iguanas. Along the coastline one finds sea lion colonies, while sea birds play with the thermals that form along the cliffs of this small but amazing island.

The morning starts with an enjoyable walk along the coast and the interior of this island, a favourite of many visitors, observing numerous bird colonies as well as sea lions and marine iguanas. There are opportunities for snorkelling or coastal exploration. We can also ride in the glass-bottom boat for great views of the underwater world.

Las Bachas (Santa Cruz Island)
Las Bachas (Santa Cruz Island) After WWII, US military barges were beached and abandoned here. Locals referred to the beach as the barges beach, a name that morphed to “bachas”.

Today it is an important nesting area for the east Pacific green sea turtle. Located on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island, it is a glorious white beach, with several brackish lagoons only a few steps away from the sea. These lagoons are the feeding grounds of various wading birds, from stilts to flamingos. We can swim and/or snorkelling from the beach. Thursday’s expedition plan review and dinner.

This morning, a Galapagos icon awaits for us: Bartolomé Island. A great way to start the day, with a steep climb up a wooden staircase: the view from the top is worth the effort! Following the walk, we take the dinghies for a ride around colossal Pinnacle Rock, followed by time we will enjoy the beach and some snorkelling. We can also ride in the glass-bottom boat for great views of the underwater world.

Sullivan Bay (James Island)
Sullivan Bay (Santiago Island) After lunch, we get on board the pangas to land at Sullivan Bay on the east coast of Santiago, a white coral sand beach great for swimming, and with a trail over a lava field that flowed here less than 100 years ago. This is the perfect place to see and feel the volcanic origin of Galapagos while observing its wildlife.

At the airport you will be greeted by a member of our organization, we will escort you all the way to your hotel, giving you a short briefing about Quito and the country in general with valuable information you need to know. Private transportation and guide, handling of two pieces of luggage per person at the airport and the hotel) Hilton Colón Quito for three nights Welcome to the award-winning Hilton Colon Quito Hotel. Set in La Mariscal district, on Quito’s bustling commercial and touristic Avenida Amazonas, the hotel is at the heart of the city’s action.

Hilton Colon Quito is a 10-minute walk to Quito’s Spanish Colonial old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Relax in a modern guest room with WiFi, a work desk, and panoramic views of the city and mountains.

A day dedicated to exploring the lives, beliefs, cuisine and traditions of Old Town Quito, the first city named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978, and a revelation to many people. The tour is all about ‘living Quito like a local’, visiting shops, exploring markets, meeting local herbal healers, wandering the streets, learning skills from artisans, and enjoying a lunch of great Ecuadorian cooking at the sophisticated Casa Gangotena hotel.

Visits include meeting artisans, shopkeepers, hat makers and sweet confectioners. San Francisco Market, one of the oldest in the capital. La Ronda with cobbled street and typical balconies overflowing with geraniums. Here we visit the Manos en La Ronda project and meet artisans in the workshops. We then visit the chocolatier on the ground floor, where we enjoy a snack and have a chance to discover and taste the finest chocolate in the world – which, of course, comes from Ecuador..! Jesuit church of La Compañía with its stunning gold-leaf interior.

Returning back to Plaza San Francisco, we visit the church, choir and pretty patios of the Franciscan order. In the afternoon, we cross the street to the excellent Casa del Alabado Archaeological Museum. It houses a fantastic collection of pieces dating back some 5,000 years, arrayed beautifully within a restored 17th-century colonial mansion.

Otavalo is currently considered one of the most important tour destinations in Ecuador, due to its ancestral cultural heritage, enriched by millenary traditions, myths, legends and customs together with Andean landscapes of outstanding beauty: mountains, lakes, waterfalls and rivers, which as per the Otavalo Cosmovision, possess life and energy.

This one-day private excursion has been designed to provide guests with an overall view of the dramatic Andean scenery, with an earlier departure to arrive in time to appreciate the activity of the Otavalo Market, visit the town of Peguche and observe the weaving processes at a textile workshop.

We arrive at Baltra Airport and transfer to the Itabaca Channel to take a ferry across to Santa Cruz Island. A 30-minute bus ride takes us to a restaurant in the Highlands of Santa Cruz Island to enjoy lunch, and then continue to Puerto Ayora.

Charles Darwin Research Station (Santa Cruz Island)
After driving down from the highlands, we visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and the giant tortoise pens within an impressive giant prickly-pear cactus forest home to many land birds. These are the headquarters of scientific investigation, conservation and the National Park administration. Late afternoon stroll along the main street of Puerto Ayora before embarking on Yacht Isabela II. Expedition plan review, Captain’s welcome cocktail and dinner.

After breakfast, we land at Post Office Bay to visit the historic barrel that has been serving as a post office in the archipelago for over two centuries. Snorkelling off the beach.

Punta Cormorant (Floreana Island)
Our visit to Punta Cormorant takes in an olivine-crystal beach for an easy walk by a brackish water lagoon where bird species like greater flamingos may be observed. On the other side of the island, we come to a white-sand beach where sea turtles come out at night to nest. We can usually snorkel at “Champion Islet” site, panga ride or ride in our glass-bottom boat.

Our morning outing at Punta Suárez provides an exciting walk on lava/boulder terrain to visit its unique sea bird colonies, including the waved albatrosses (April - January), boobies, swallow-tail gulls, and the famous “blowhole”. Also, look for red-green-black marine iguanas. Back on board for lunch.

Gardner Bay (Española Island)
In the afternoon, we set down at this beautiful, white coral beach for a short walk to observe the sea lions, mockingbirds, finches or enjoy the beach. There is great snorkelling in this area, or else there’s time to kayak, panga ride or ride the glass-bottom boat.

In the morning, we land on the eastern tip of the island. The trail that ascends from the beach provides spectacular views of the shoreline and is the only site in the Galapagos where the three species of boobies can be found together, as well as the two frigate species, plus a colony of bachelor sea lions. After the walk, if conditions are favourable, there is a chance to swim, kayak or snorkel from the beach or a panga ride.

Cerro Brujo (San Cristobal Island)
In the afternoon following lunch on board, a dinghy ride along the shores of tuff-stone layers takes us to Cerro Brujo's expansive, white coraline beach, great for walking, with rewarding birdwatching with good views of seabirds and shore birds. Also, look out for Galapagos sea lions. These are the same shores that Charles Darwin walked upon, back in September 1835. After the walk, there is a chance to swim and snorkel.

After breakfast, we depart to pier and airport for our flight back to the mainland. Transfer from Quito Airport to your hotel.