DAY 1: Arrive in Quito

Upon arrival at the Quito Airport, after you collect you luggage and go through Immigration and Customs, you will be met by a shuttle driver from the hotel who will transfer you to Old Town Quito.

Overnight in Old Town Quito: Hotel San Francisco de Quito or similar
Meals Included: None

DAY 2: Quito City Tour & Middle of the World

We begin out tour in the old city center with a walk that will take us to the highlights of Quito’s beautiful colonial town. Our first stop is Plaza de la Independencia, also known as Plaza Grande, the heart of Quito’s old town. Plaza Grande is bordered with historic buildings on all sides, including Carondelet, the presidential palace, and the Metropolitan Cathedral.

Our next stop is La Compañia, regarded by many as the most beautiful church in Latin America. Its stone façade is handsome, but the real highlight is the interior. Full of intricate wood carvings and plaster work, and almost entirely covered in gold leaf, its opulence is hard to believe. Only two blocks away is San Francisco, another 16th century church, although far less lavish than its neighbor, San Francisco is notable for its beautiful plaza and the Spanish architecture of its adjacent monastery.

We get back in our car and drive up to the Panecillo, where we enjoy a panoramic view of Quito and view the famous ‘Virgen de Quito’ statue, here we make a quick stop at a fair trade artisan shop for souvenir shopping before heading 30 kilometers north of the city to the Equatorial City Complex, a collection of monuments and museums built around Latitude Zero.

Here we visit the complex called Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, with its main attraction the Equatorial Monument. Additionally we visit Intiñan Museum, a very fun and picturesque place that intents to show the equator from a different perspective, here you will find many ancient solar calendars, clocks and season indicators.

As well, you will be able to stand on the ”real equatorial line” and do all sorts of magical equator-like things such as balancing an egg on the head of a nail, do a Strength test trying not to fall sideways as you attempt to walk the line with your eyes closed, see how the Coriolis effect works in both hemispheres, and many more. The museum also displays interesting ethnographical and cultural features.

Overnight in Old Town Quito: Hotel San Francisco de Quito or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 3: Fly to Galapagos. San Cristobal Kayak Adventure

After a morning flight from the Ecuadorian mainland to San Cristobal Island, we meet you at the airport and head to our hotel. We’ve included a little down time to unwind from your morning travels. You can explore the town and have lunch on your own.

Early in the afternoon, our local guide gives you a quick introduction to the island before heading to the coast, where our kayaks will be waiting for us. Here we get our first taste of Galapagos magic, paddling along the coastal bays and coves of San Cristobal’s north coast. You’ll find a world of blue footed boobies, frigate birds, sea lions and sea turtles. If we’re lucky, we may see rays underwater or even marine iguanas perching on lava rocks. Back at the hotel, you’re free to enjoy some of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno’s seafood specials on your own.

Overnight on San Cristobal Island: Casa Opuntia or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 4: Snorkel the Northern Coast of San Cristobal

We dedicate a whole day to snorkeling amid the underwater wonders of the Galapagos! In the company of our experienced local guide but as part of a shared group, we search the nearby coves and cliffs for sea turtles, frigate birds, blue- footed boobies, and Nazca boobies. There’s also the chance to get up close and personal with sea lions – the young pups are ever-curious and playful. As we snorkel, we might spot eagle rays, golden rays, Galapagos sharks, starfish, clams, and thousands of tropical fish. With luck, we may even come across hammerhead sharks. As the sun sets on our day and over the rolling waves, we return to the hotel for a relaxed evening in this quiet coastal town.

Overnight on San Cristobal Island: Casa Opuntia or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Boxed Lunch

DAY 5: Day Tour to Uninhabited Española Island

Española Island (or Hood Island) is a true highlight in the Galapagos, both above and below the water. Due to its very remote location, there are a large number of endemic species that evolved independently from the rest of the archipelago.

In the morning, you will visit Punta Suarez. This site offers quite a display of wildlife: marine iguanes with copper red patches, swallow-tailed gulls, the endemic long-billed mocking bird, finches, mockingbirds, masked and blue-footed boobies, oystercatchers, sea lions, and lava lizards. This is the only island where the waved albatross is to be seen during their breeding season. From April through December, the fascinating waved albatrosses are found on the Island performing mating rituals, nesting, and raising their young.

Gardner Bay is a spectacular, long, white-sand beach where one can swim with sea lions and wander at your own pace. Your guide will lead you while snorkeling, pointing out wildlife like green sea turtles, manta rays, white-tipped reef sharks, and tropical fish.

Navigation from San Cristobal to Española Island takes about 2 hours each way. You’ll leave town at 7:15am and return around 5:00pm. Lunch is on board.

Overnight on San Cristobal Island: Casa Opuntia or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 6: Discover Isabela’s Beaches, Lagoons and Islets

After breakfast, we say goodbye to San Cristobal to board our small plane for a thrilling flight across the archipelago’s azure waters and volcanic landscapes to Isabela Island.

Wonder what the inter-island flight is like? Check out a short video here – http://detourdestinations.com/blog/inter-island-flights-in-the-galapagos

Amazingly, Isabela Island is still in the throes of creation, formed by six active shield volcanoes. In fact, Isabela is one of the most volcanically active spots on the planet.

Upon arrival, our local guide will meet us and we head to the visitor site known as Tintoreras, to explore this beautiful marine world by kayak, weaving between a set of small islets filled with hidden coves and beaches. Here, we have a good chance to meet an unexpected resident of the Tropics: the endemic Galapagos penguin. In addition, it’s likely to spot reef sharks, sea turtles and sea lions as we paddle.

Lunch on your own. You can choose from seafood, Ecuadorian or international cuisine in the small beach town of Puerto Villamil.

Enjoy a quick dip in the ocean or a swing in a hammock, before we meet for a quick briefing you on your next adventure: a self-guided bike ride through a succession of Isabela’s white sand beaches, mangrove forests and brackish lagoons. The ride is fun and easy, and as ever in Galapagos, there are plenty of birds to spot and wonders to take in. Free and easy evening.

Overnight on Isabela Island: Casita de la Playa or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 7: Hike Isabela’s Highlands

From the coast, with our local guide we join a shared group to drive up the flanks of the mighty Sierra Negra volcano. When the road peters out, we continue by foot. We hike through the intriguing highland ecosystem, which is at times smothered in dreamy clouds. At the top, on the volcano’s rim, a surreal world of geological history unfolds before us, with incredible views of the surrounding volcanoes and ocean, it is a pristine other-worldly scene to savor.

After a break to catch our breath and take in the views, we hike the rim of this enormous crater and, if the group is feeling energetic, continue on to the caldera of Volcan Chico (“little”). Volcan Chino offers a a surreal landscape of vibrant hues created by Sulphur deposits. While passing steaming fumaroles, we’ll explore the spectacular lava formations.

We return to the lowlands in time to spend our last afternoon on Isabela relaxing on the talc-powered beaches and soaking up the island-life atmosphere. You are free to have dinner on your own.

Overnight on Isabela Island: Casita de la Playa or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Boxed Lunch

DAY 8: Cross to Santa Cruz for a Hike in the Highlands

We depart Isabela early aboard a public speed boat for our ride east to Santa Cruz Island and the archipelago’s largest settlement, Puerto Ayora. We meet you at the dock and head to the hotel. There’s no time to waste as the famous Galapagos giant tortoises await. We drive up to the highlands where these lumbering creatures heave their way through their natural habitat. It is truly an honor to walk in the stately presence of these gentle giants. Spot pintail ducks, Darwin’s finches, frigate birds, egrets and the vermillion flycatcher amid this lush ecosystem.

Our next stop is the incredible lava tunnels, which made ideal hideouts for the pirates who once frequented the Galapagos. Legend has it that they were also used to hide Inca gold stolen from Spanish galleons. Lunch is served at a traditional hacienda in the highlands. If time permits, we can visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and the National Park’s tortoise breeding program back in Puerto Ayora. You’re free to enjoy the port’s array of shops, restaurants and bars in the evening on your own.

Overnight on Santa Cruz Island: Hotel La Isla or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 9: Bay Tour, Snorkel and Tortuga Bay Adventure on Santa Cruz

A day dedicated to exploring Puerto Ayora’s fascinating natural environment. After breakfast, with our local guide, we join a shared group to make our way west from the port, stopping by the Lobería where sea lions can be observed. We come to an islet called Punta Camaño, a great place to don our snorkels, masks and fins to meet sea lions and schools of fish. Passing through the romantically-named Canal del Amor, we disembark at Playa de los Perros, where, after a short walk, groups of jet-back marine iguanas bask beneath the sun’s rays, occasionally slipping off into the sea to feed.

Following lunch in Puerto Ayora on your own – where there are options aplenty for you to choose from – one of the world’s most beautiful beaches lies a short hike from town: Tortuga Bay. If you feel energetic, at the first beach you come to you can rent a surf board, or at the second beach, a kayak. If you prefer to relax, the second beach is tranquil, hemmed by mangroves and ideal for observing birdlife or going for a swim. Dinner is on your own.

Overnight on Santa Cruz Island: Hotel La Isla or similar
Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 10: Depart Galapagos. Fly to Quito and then Fly Home

The time as come to bid a fond farewell to the Galapagos. We board a transport to take you north over Santa Cruz Island to the Itabaca Channel, where a short hop on a ferry and a short bus ride takes us to Baltra Island’s airport.

Fly Galapagos – Quito – home (flights not included).

Meals Included: Breakfast