• 12 Days from
    $3896 p/p in USD
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    Departures
    Year Round
TRAVEL PARTNER

Adventure Journeys

  • Colombia
  • Ecuador
  • Peru
Destinations

Destinations

Ecuador, Galapagos,

Tour Type

Tour Type

Guided, Small Group

Safari Standard

Safari Standard

Mid Range

Tour Overview

A truly unique lifetime adventure blending the spectacular geography of Ecuador’s mainland of active volcanoes, immense canyons, vast tropical rain forests, and powerful waterfalls, with the enchanted Galapagos Islands, where the magic diversity of fearless animals flourishing in a volcanic ecosystem create an awe-inspiring atmosphere. This is a perfect combination that includes a wide variety of outdoor activities while discovering the highlights of Ecuador in the same journey.

General Information

  • Safari types:
    Family Safari, Guided Safari, Jungle Safari, Wildlife Safari
  • You will visit:
    Galapagos Islands, Cotopaxi National Park, Quito, Puerto Ayora, Isabela Island, Baltra Island, Santa Cruz Island, El Chato Reserve
  • Wildlife:
    Birds, Sharks, Rays, Seals, Penguins, Giant Tortoise, Turtle, Iguana, Sea Lions
  • Activities:
    Hiking, Kayak, Nature Walk, Snorkelling, Sightseeing Tour, White Water Rafting, Cultural Experience, Mountain Bike, Rafting
  • Getting around:
    Transfer Vehicle, Domestic Flight
  • Start/end:
    Start in Quito, end in Quito

Price Per Person – USD

From USD 3,896 per person

What's Included

  • Transportation: Comfortable land and sea transportation.
  • Accommodation based on double occupancy: 5-star hotel in Quito, 3+ star hotels in Galapagos, 3-star hotel in Baños, homestay in the Amazon, 4-star spa resort in Papallacta.
  • Meals: 10 Breakfast, 5 Lunch, 1 Dinner.
  • Activities: Hiking to the top of Sierra Negra active volcano, snorkeling and kayaking in Tintoreras, snorkeling at the lava tunnels, visiting the Charles Darwin research station, hiking in Santa Cruz highlands, 3 hours hiking in Cotopaxi National Park in the Andes, 3 hours biking in the manganates national park, 4 hours white-water rafting on jatunyacu river in the amazon rainforest, 3 hours canyoning at pimpilala waterfalls, bird watching and hiking exploration in the cloud forest, soaking in papallacta hot springs, share time with local Indigenous people in the amazon, making chocolate, salsa lesson.
  • Gear: For snorkeling, use fins and masks; trekking or hiking, use black diamond trekking sticks; biking, use Trek X-caliber MTB (hydraulic disc brakes, front rock shock suspension); Bontrager helmets and biking gloves; canyoning, use rubber boots, ropes, and black diamond harnesses, and rafting, use Aire and NRS 7-person rafts, NRS life jackets, NRS paddles, and splash jackets.
  • Trip Leader: Certified AJ expert English-speaking adventure trip leader and local guide.

What's Excluded

  • International flights.
  • Galapagos Ingala Card – $ 20 USD.
  • Galapagos National Park Fee – $ 100 USD.
  • Isabela Pier Fee – $ 10 USD.
  • My own room supplement – estimated budget $889 USD.
  • Airport transfers.
  • Travel insurance (suggested).
  • Meals not described in the itinerary – estimated budget $200 USD.
  • Tips for guides, drivers, and hotels. – estimated budget is $180 USD

Disclaimer

  • This itinerary is owned and delivered by ‘Adventure Journeys
  • All prices are ‘From’ and may vary at the time of booking
  • Display price is usually based on two people sharing
  • Adventure Journeys‘ reserves the right to change the content and price of the itinerary
  • All itineraries and services are subject to availability

Day by Day Overview

Welcome to Quito! The largest, best-preserved colonial city in America – declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. The city is considered the Cultural Capital of South America and is located on the equator in a valley at the foothills of the Pichincha volcano. Depending on arrival time, you can spend your day exploring the old town of Quito and the surrounding area. ADVENTURE JOURNEYS can help you to organize a day trip (please request in advance). In the evening, one of our trip leaders will meet you at the hotel’s lobby for a welcome briefing at 18:00 hours. At this time we will discuss the details and questions you may have regarding the adventure. Our first day is an acclimation and information day.

Accommodation: Sheraton Quito or similar

Today, we get ready to explore the most amazing archipelago on the Pacific coast and the place where Charles Darwin based his theory on the evolution of species. We will board a morning flight from Quito to the island of Baltra. Once we arrive, we head to the town of Puerto Ayora, the largest town in the Galapagos. From here, we will take a quick boat to the largest island in the archipelago, where most of the volcanic activity in the Galapagos is reported. The island was formed by six shield volcanoes, Alcedo, Cerra Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra, and Wolf; five are still active, making the island one of the most volcanically active places on Earth.

The Galapagos Islands are located 600 miles (965.6 km) from the coast of Ecuador. It is really important to understand that you will have to take air, road, and sea transportation to get there.

Accommodation: Albemarle Boutique Hotel or similar

Meals: Breakfast

Explore the amazing lava formations created by the volcanic island’s last eruptions along the seashore. BBC and National Geographic have historically filmed this magical place for their documentaries. It is a labyrinth of lava arches made of crystal-clear water full of sea turtles, eagle rays, sea lions, sharks, and more. The turtles navigate their own highway from the mangroves to the open sea through “Los Tuneles.” Here, we will have the best snorkeling opportunity with all these beautiful animals, including the curious Galapagos penguins playing around.

Before or after the trip, you can enjoy some optional activities such as snorkeling at “Concha de Perla”, biking or just relaxing on the exotic white-sand beaches of Isabela Island. We recommend you take some time to visit the giant tortoise breeding center located within walking distance from the hotel.

Accommodation: Albemarle Boutique Hotel or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After driving up from Puerto Villamil to the trailhead, we will prepare our backpacks for the hike into a young forest ecosystem, a world of recent geological history. Our destination is the rim of Sierra Negra Crater, an active volcano that last erupted in June 2018. Upon arrival, we take in breathtaking views and explore the circumference of the massive, lava-filled crater, a caldera that is over six miles across at its widest point. If we feel energetic enough, we can continue our hike to Volcan Chico, a secondary crater that has a wild landscape of puffing fumaroles and colorful lava formations, great examples of the dramatic geological events that have formed the Galapagos Islands over millennia. In the afternoon, we will visit Tintoreras Islet, located a short distance from Puerto Villamil and home to a great variety of wildlife. Its turquoise, crystalline waters are inhabited by white-tipped reef sharks, Galapagos penguins, marine turtles, and sea lions. One of its beaches, surrounded by mangroves, is one of the few sites where marine iguanas can reproduce successfully.

Accommodation: Albemarle Boutique Hotel or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, traverse from Isabela to Santa Cruz Island to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station. Once we arrive, we will check in at the hotel. We will then visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn more about many of the endemic species seen in the wild and the ongoing conservation and management efforts on the Galapagos Islands. In the afternoon, we will head to the El Chato reserve in the highlands of Santa Cruz, home to the famous Galapagos tortoises. Hiking through El Chato’s beautiful landscape with these lumbering giants is an unforgettable experience! We will also see other highland wildlife, such as pintail ducks, egrets, flycatchers, finches, and frigatebirds, which gather to wash the salt off their feathers at a freshwater lake. Afterward, return to Puerto Ayora to spend the evening in Galapagos’ most populous town.

Accommodation: La Isla Hotel or similar

Meals: Breakfast

After our final breakfast on the Galapagos Island and the last photos taken of sea lions, we have a transfer to Baltra’s airport in time to catch the flight back to the mainland.

Accommodation: Sheraton Quito or similar

Meals: Breakfast

Today is a day on your own to explore the beautiful surroundings of Quito, ADVENTURE JOURNEYS can help you to organize a day trip:-

  • Colonial City Tour & The Equador Line
  • Mindo Cloud Forest
  • Otavalo  Market Fair

 

Accommodation: Sheraton Quito or similar

Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, we leave Quito and drive south along the gorgeous Avenue of Volcanoes, seeing the colorful Andean fields. On our way, we will reach 12,000 feet (3657 meters). After arriving at the Cotopaxi National Park, we will hike around Limpiopungo lagoon in the foothills of the Rumiñahui volcano. From here, we have the best views of Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world.

In the afternoon, we continue our drive towards the Llanganates National Park, known as the sacred mountain, until we reach the town of Baños, located at the entrance of the Amazon. Here, we can enjoy the best nightlife by drinking cocktails and dancing salsa.

Accommodation: Selina Baños or similar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning we cross country mountain bike from the Llanganates National Park down to the Pastaza River Canyon, enjoying the beauty of the special cloud rainforest climate. The road brings us through some Andean farms and a great canyon with many waterfalls. While descending into the jungle, we will have a breath-taking view of Baños, a town well known for its spectacular location right at the foothills of the Tungurahua volcano, which has been active since 1999. The volcano is the main attraction of this region. In the afternoon we will have some time to explore the town and also go to The Swing of the End of the World, where the winner of the 2014 National Geographic photo contest took his photo.

Accommodation: Selina Baños or similar

Meals: Breakfast

This morning we will hit the road of the waterfalls. The first stop will be at the Bride’s Veil waterfall, where we will take the Tarabita (cable car) to get across the Pastaza River. Then we will hike down to the Pailon del Diablo waterfall, the second highest in Ecuador.

Later, we will go deeper into the jungle inside the Llanganates National Park. The name “llanganates” comes from “beautiful mountain” in the local native language. Here, 600 years ago, the Incas hid their golden treasures. Many explorers have spent years looking for these treasures, some have even disappeared with no luck in this dense pristine jungle. During a hike through the tropical rainforest, we will climb through several waterfall canyons. Our local native guide will teach about the incredible flora and fauna that thrive in this unequaled habitat.

We will spend the night at the Local Basic Jungle Lodge run by a Kichwa Indigenous family.

NOTE—This is a very basic accommodation. You will have your own room but will have to share the bathroom. The rooms are very clean, and all the beds have mosquito nets. There is no electricity in the room, but there is a social area where you can have access to power to charge your batteries.

Accommodation: Amazon Homestay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We greet the day by preparing our gear to paddle the wild waves of the Jatunyacu River, located just a 5-minute drive from the homestead. The beauty of this river will inspire you and reveal the magic of the Amazon rainforest. After a very important safety briefing from our rafting guides, we will start our class III rafting expedition down the Jatunyacu River, well known for its clear waters and awesome rapids. We will have a lot of fun playing some games and also exploring one of the canyons. The end of the journey offers us a stop for a picnic prepared by our guides.

We conclude our day with a drive back up to the Andes to a spot called Papallacta, where we will stay the night and recharge in the volcanic hot springs high in the midst of the cool Andes.

Accommodation: Papallacta Spa Resort

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

International departures, end of services. Take with you memories and photos and leave a piece of your heart, as you will want to return to Ecuador soon to experience more of this enchanted land. We wish you a “buen viaje”!

Meals: Breakfast

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