Today we will visit the best-preserved capital city in Latin America.  Our first stop is to Teliferico where we’ll board a gondola and travel 4100M from the edge of the city centre up the ease side of Pichincha Volcano for a fantastic view of Quito.

We’ll then continue to northern Quito and visit the equator monument and the Intiñan museum to learn more about Ecuador and view some houses from both the Amazon and the Andes to learn a bit about the indigenous communities living in Ecuador.

From there we head to Old Town and celebrate Dia de los Difuntos (Day of the Dead).  We go to lunch and enjoy a traditional drink – Colada Morada – while learning about it’s history and how it’s made.

After lunch we take a walk through the winding cobblestone streets of Old Town to see La Compania (the Golden Church), the Plaza Grande and Plaza San Francisco. You will take in the splender and energy of the city as your guide introduces you to architecture and history of Quito and Ecuador.

Dinner at the hotel. Overnight at Hotel Ikala or similar. (BLD)

Fly from Quito, Ecuador to the Galapagos National Park. After landing in Baltra we will transfer to Santa Cruz, via the Itabaca Canal, to our bus waiting on the other side. As we journey to Puerto Ayora, we leave the lowland desert and climb in elevation and experience the changes of vegetation. Lunch at a restaurant in town.

After lunch we board a boat to Isabela Island and then take a bus to our hotel for the next three nights.

Dinner in town Overnight at Hotel Casa de Marita or similar. (LD)

After breakfast at the hotel, we head to the harbor to try out our snorkeling gear and snorkel in the calm waters of La Concha de Pearl. This is one of the rare snorkeling spots outside of the national park. Here you will be able to explore mangrove habitats below the waterline. This important transition zone between ocean and freshwater habitats is home to schools of fish like mullet and colorful reef fish like filefish, parrotfish, and big animals like sea turtles and sea lions.

After lunch, embark on a short boat ride to Las Tintoreras, a chain of small islets located in the south of Puerto Villamil, Isabela. This biodiverse site is home to Galapagos sea lions, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, sea turtles, pelicans, and Galapagos Penguins. It is also one of main breeding sites for marine iguanas, and a great spot to get a close-up with them. After a hike around the islet, get back on the boat and cool off by snorkeling in the waters nearby. Swimming next to multi-color fish, starfish, sea urchins, and with luck we will add penguins to our list of animals we will have snorkeled with while visiting the Galapagos.

Dinner in town. Overnight at Hotel Casa de Marita or similar (BLD).

This in as all day adventure that is broken into two parts.  The tide and weather will determine which activities we do first.

Part 1: Lava Walk: We will ride on a fast boat to the west of Isabela, towards Cabo Rosa where the area known as the Tunnels is found. This is an extensive lava flow formed by long and numerous lava tubes with collapses that result on beautiful basaltic arches surrounded by pristine turquoise waters.  You will step from the boat to the shore and take an easy stroll in this other-worldly environment. You will see turtles and other marine life meandering through the labyrinth of tunnels below you as you walk on the lava trails. There are Blue-footed Boobies and their nests everywhere. Your guide will explain the courtship dance, and nesting behavior of this photogenic birds. You might even see the dance.

Part 2:  Snorkeling: There are several park-designated snorkeling sites that your guide will choose and you will have two opportunities to get in the water to explore.  Expect to snorkel with schools of golden rays, spotted eagle rays, seahorses, white-tipped and black-tipped sharks, and huge sea turtles.

Late afternoon return to hotel. Overnight at Casa de Marita or similar. (BLD)

Morning:  We take a walk through the wetlands looking for birds like flamingos searching for breakfast.  Afterwards we head by boat to Santa Cruz.

After lunch, we visit the Charles Darwin Station, formerly the home of Lonesome George, the famous of his subspecies on Pinta Island. We’ll learn about the Foundation’s successes in repopulating the islands with the once endangered land iguana and several species of giant tortoise and see the most representative animals of the islands. Be on the lookout for Darwin finches and Mockingbirds.

Return to hotel.  Overnight at Hotel Santa Fe or similar. (BLD)

In English “Grieta” translates as Crevasse. So Las Grietas is a long crevasse, or fissure canyon, with high volcanic walls, filled with emerald green waters. Quite the dramatic setting!

The water at Las Grietas is a mix of seawater that enters from one end, and freshwater that filters in from the other. The protected walls mean that the water is crystal clear and very calm with no current – perfect for a relaxing swim. The mangroves and Opuntia cacti along the trail are buzzing with activity. Busy little Galapags finches flit from plant to plant, while flycatchers and woodpeckers do their thing. Large brown pelicans are also a fairly common sight, as are lava lizards hiding between rocks.

On our way back we stop at the lagoons to learn about their importance in creating salt for the fisherman.

After lunch is time to relax or walk around the town of Santa Cruz.

Return to hotel.  Overnight at Hotel Santa Fe or similar. (BLD)

Today we take a bus to the highlands of Santa Cruz to visit the Primicias Ranch and tortoise sanctuary.  We walk through the reserve visiting the giant tortoises as they often congregate in this area on their migration between coast and highlands. They enjoy wallowing in the shallow ponds in the area.

We then participant in a Ecuadorian cooking class with a local chef, enjoying our home cooked meal together afterwards.

After lunch we hike through the lava tunnels and then head to Los Gremelos the ‘Twin Craters’ or sinkholes. These geologic formations tell the story of the volcanic history of the Galapagos. This area has a very different climate from the other parts of the island and are surrounded by scalesia forests, which are known as “broccoli trees”.  It is the habitat for bromeliads, orchids, mosses, lichens and many birds. Here, you are able to find the famous vermillion flycatcher, eight species of Charles Darwin finches, and every so often, short-eared owls.

Return to hotel.  Overnight at Hotel Santa Fe or similar. (BLD)

Today our group will be picked up from the hotel at 8 am and taken back to the Itabaca Channel where the crew of our boat will be waiting for us. The trip will take around one hour and close to your arrival you will be able to spot the grey shapes of the Bursera Graveolens trees, that almost never carry any leaves.

Seymour was created many million years ago due to the elevation of tectonic plates and the island has a flat shape with many small cliffs that serve as home for the local seabirds. Swallow-tailed gulls and frigate birds fly over the island. Frigate males showing their big red throat pouches to find their mate. Meanwhile, as we walk along the path, we can spot blue footed boobies nesting or executing their mating ritual in which they dance and whistle in a very unique way. It is also common to see these birds flying near the coasts looking for food and dive into the water at high speed, a stunt that they are only able to perform due to a special waterproof protection on their wings.

After lunch we’ll have a chances to snorkel the waters around Seymour.

Seymour is probably the island which best represents the known Galapagos species, as you will also be able to see sea lions, sea and land iguanas, pelicans, great and magnificent frigate birds and many others.

Return to hotel.  Overnight at Hotel Santa Fe or similar. (BLD)

Today we take a boat ride to Tortuga Bay, located on the south side of Santa Cruz Island. This lovely beach is so named for its black sea turtles which nest here. The beach at Tortuga Bay Galapagos is a long, fabulous stretch of white sand.

Upon arrival, we take a short walk to a nearby beach where we’ll find a colony of marine iguanas. If we are lucky we might be able to see some of the iguanas swimming in the ocean to eat the algae in low tide.

After we enjoy the calm waters to cool down from the heat or we can rent kayaks to go around the bay to look for birds that hanging out on the rocks and mangrove trees. There are pelicans and finches, and in the salt lagoon that backs onto the mangroves there are sometimes flamingos too.

We take a boat back to town to enjoy lunch.  As this is our last afternoon in the islands and we have a chance to visit some local galleries and souvenirs stores to bring back memories from our trip.

Overnight at Hotel Santa Fe or similar. (BLD)

Today we say goodbye to the Galapagos.

Late morning we check in for our flight back to Quito. Participants can buy lunch at the airport. We arrive Quito around 4:30pm. Check in to the hotel and relax for the evening.

Dinner at the hotel. Overnight San Jose de Puembo or similar. (BD)

After breakfast, we head to the town of Papallacta to visit an organic rose plantation and to South American Organics to learn about Guayusa, a plant leaf that has many medicinal properties.

We enjoy a delicious lunch before heading to the local Ecuadorian Artisinal Markets for a last chance to purchase souvenirs.

After dinner we head to the airport for our flights back home. (BLD)