GALAPAGOS ISLANDS & THE MAGIC OF THE ANDES I 9 DAYS / 8 NIGHTS | FROM $2204
Duration
Tour Type
Explore Tours
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Reservations are subject to availability and may change without prior notice UNTIL YOUR RESERVATION IS CONFIRMED
- To make a reservation, 50% of the fare per passenger must be paid, NON-REFUNDABLE
- Rate applies with a minimum of 2 passengers
- Please inquire about the supplement when traveling alone
- Please inquire about rates for groups
- Itinerary subject to changes due to: weather problems, operational inconveniences, or situations that may endanger the passenger
- The operator is obliged to change to a hotel of the same category assigned to the client in case of emergencies.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
- The quotation is valid for 24 hours after the date of submission
- The price may vary after this date if there is no prior confirmation
- The total amount must be paid in full 30 days before the reservation entry date.
Included/Exclude
- Transfer for domestic flights HOTEL – AIRPORT – HOTEL
- Certified Galapagos National Park English/Spanish-speaking guide
- 8 nights of accommodation, 5-star Hotel in Quito, Superior Tourist Hotels in Galapagos, hacienda hotel in Otavalo.
- Meals according to the itinerary: 8 breakfasts, 2 set menu lunches.
- Visits according to the itinerary
- Snorkeling equipment for boat tours
- Shared maritime transportation
- GALÁPAGOS NATIONAL PARK Fee: $200.00 USD per person, cash only.
- INGALA transit card: $20.00 USD per person, cash only.
- Isabela entry tax: $10.00 USD per passenger.
- Santa Cruz dock entry and exit tax: $1.00 USD per way, per person.
- Water taxis.
- International flights and airport taxes.
- Domestic flights QUITO – GALÁPAGOS – QUITO (Estimated cost: $550.00 USD per person).
- Transfer for international flights AIRPORT – HOTEL – AIRPORT.
- Personal expenses and tips for guides, drivers and hotels (Estimated budget $240 USD).
- Any activity not detailed in the itinerary.
- Meals and drinks not specified in the itinerary (Estimated cost: $240.00 USD per person).
- Entrance fees to tourist attractions not specified in the itinerary.
- Alcoholic beverages
- Wetsuit and fins (Estimated cost: $30.00 USD per person).
- My own room supplement estimated budget: $690.00 USD.
- Medical and travel Insurance (MANDATORY).
- Guide service in other languages available at an additional cost. Contact us for more information.
This departure requires a minimum of 2 passengers.
Arrival in Quito.
Welcome to Quito, the most visited city in Ecuador, known for its cultural richness and considered the "Relic of Art in America." Additionally, it was the first city to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is surrounded by the Pichincha, Antisana, Cotopaxi, and Cayambe volcanoes that form the Andean contour.
Depending on your arrival time, you can spend the day exploring Quito's old town and its surroundings. We can help you organize a day trip (request in advance).
In the evening, one of our guides will meet you in the hotel lobby for a welcome briefing at 6:00 PM. We will discuss details and any questions you may have about the adventure. Our first day is an acclimatization and information day.
Included: Accommodation: Swissotel Quito or similar in double occupancy.
Not included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Quito - Galapagos - Transfer to Santa Cruz - Isabela.
In the morning, after a delicious breakfast, one of our guides will be waiting to transfer you to the airport for your flight to the Galapagos Islands. Once you arrive at Baltra Island, you will be picked up and transferred to the town of Puerto Ayora, the largest town in Galapagos. From here, we will take a speedboat to Isabela, the largest island in the archipelago and the place with the highest volcanic activity in Galapagos. The island is formed by six shield volcanoes (Alcedo, Cerra Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra, and Wolf), five of them are still active, making the island one of the places with the highest volcanic activity on the planet.
Included: Accommodation: Hotel Leon Marino or similar in double occupancy, breakfast.
Not included: Lunch and dinner.
Navigation Tunnels – Kayaking at Tintoreras.
After a delicious breakfast, we will travel along the coast to explore the surprising lava formations that appeared due to volcanic activity on the island. This magical place has been used by BBC/National Geographic staff for documentaries. It is a labyrinth of lava arches and tunnels, both above and below water. The water is crystal clear and full of huge sea turtles, eagle rays, sea lions, fish, white-tip reef sharks, and more.
The turtles will navigate their own highway from the mangroves to the open sea through “Los Túneles.” Here we will have the best opportunity to snorkel with all these beautiful animals, including the curious Galapagos penguin playing around. In the afternoon, we will take our kayaks and paddle along the coast at “Las Tintoreras” to observe some wildlife. Afterwards, there will be time to enjoy a stunning sunset on the beach of Puerto Villamil.
Included: Accommodation: Hotel Leon Marino or similar in double occupancy, breakfast.
Not included: Lunch and dinner.
Hike to Sierra Negra Volcano - Tintoreras.
After a healthy breakfast, we prepare our backpacks and head to the trailhead where we begin our hike. We will walk to the edge of the Sierra Negra crater, an active volcano that last erupted in October 2005. The hike is approximately six miles along the widest part of the crater. During the hike, your guide will inform you about the flora and fauna of this area.
Upon arrival, you will enjoy the impressive views of the huge lava-filled crater. Depending on weather conditions and timing, we may continue to Volcán Chico, another crater with a wild landscape and colorful lava formations. In the afternoon, we will visit the Tintoreras, located a short distance from Puerto Villamil. It is home to a large variety of wildlife. While snorkeling in the crystal-clear turquoise waters, you will have the opportunity to see white-tip reef sharks, Galapagos penguins, sea turtles, and sea lions. One of its beaches, surrounded by mangroves, is one of the few places where marine iguanas can successfully reproduce.
Included: Accommodation: Hotel Leon Marino or similar in double occupancy, breakfast.
Not included: Lunch and dinner.
Transfer Isabela - Santa Cruz - Charles Darwin Research Station - El Chato.
In the morning, you will cross from Isabela to Santa Cruz Island to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station. During our island crossing, we will be on the lookout for dolphins and whales (from July to October). Once we arrive, we check into the hotel. Then we will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn more about many of the endemic species seen in the wild, as well as ongoing conservation and management efforts in 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. Walking through the beautiful landscape of El Chato with these heavy giants is an unforgettable experience! We will also see other highland wildlife such as pintail ducks, egrets, flycatchers, finches, and frigates that gather to wash the salt from their feathers in a freshwater lake. Then, we will return to Puerto Ayora to spend the night in the most populated city of Galapagos.
Included: Accommodation: Hotel Dejavu or similar in double occupancy, breakfast.
Not included: Lunch and dinner.
Transfer out - Quito
After our final breakfast in the Galapagos Islands and the last photos taken of the sea lions, we have a transfer to Baltra airport in time for our flight back to the mainland.
Upon arrival in Quito, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.
Included: Accommodation: Swissotel Quito or similar in double occupancy and breakfast.
Not included: Lunch and dinner.
Quito - Quitsato - Otavalo - Ponchos Market - Visit to the Sacha Warmi Community.
Our tour begins at 8:00 AM at the designated meeting point for this tour. We will head north of the city, approximately 1.5 hours to QUITSATO, a large 52-meter diameter Sun clock made of a large stone mosaic marking the various solstice and equinox lines as well as the hours of the day, indicated by the shadow projection of a 10-meter tall post exactly in the center of this large circular platform. Here we will learn about the interesting history of geodetic missions in the Ecuadorian Andes and the great importance of solstices and equinoxes in the world.
Afterwards, we will proceed to Otavalo where we will visit its traditional and renowned PONCHO MARKET, the most recognized Indigenous market in South America. Here you can find a wide variety of crafts: exquisitely woven fabrics, wool ponchos, hats, tapestries, hand-knitted sweaters, scarves, carved tagua jewelry, and even Andean musical instruments.
25 minutes away is the parish of Gonzales Suarez, home to the Sacha Warmikuna project (women of the mountain). Here we will enjoy a delicious lunch and a tour of the alstroemerias, the garden, the roses, and the strawberries, and you will be part of the preparation of the chili sauce.
Included: Accommodation: Hacienda Pinsaqui or similar in double occupancy, breakfast, and lunch.
Not included: Dinner.
Otavalo - Hike around the Cuicocha Crater - Quito.
After a good breakfast, our challenge begins with a beautiful five-hour hike around the Cuicocha crater lake, with stunning views of this active volcano and incredible valleys located in the Cotacachi Cayapas ecological reserve. During this hike, we will walk approximately 14 km. (9 miles) around the crater. At the end of our hike, we will take a boat ride to the center of the crater to experience the true activity of this volcano and observe the bubbles emerging from the center of the caldera.
In the afternoon, we will enjoy a delicious lunch in Cotacachi, famous for its leather goods, and then we will transfer back to Quito.
Included: Accommodation: Swissotel Quito or similar in double occupancy, breakfast, and lunch.
Not included: Dinner.
Departure
Today our journey will end and you will have your international departures. Take with you your memories and photographs and leave a piece of your heart, as you will soon want to return to Ecuador to experience more of this enchanted land. We wish you a "bon voyage"!
Included: Breakfast.
Not included: Lunch and dinner.
This departure requires a minimum of 2 passengers.
