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Ecuador & Galápagos Island Hopping
Ecuador: Your Destination in Our Hands – 8 Nights / 9 Days
DAY 1: TRANSFER IN
Arrive at Quito International Airport and private transfer service to the hotel.
QUITO CITY TOUR AND THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD (B,D)
- Breakfast. In the morning you will visit one of the most beautiful cities in South America.
- Quito was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Its wonderful architecture is reflected in its plazas, streets, houses and churches and will be the best excuse for walking in a great atmosphere.
- La Basílica Church, Plaza Grande, La Compañía Church, and San Francisco Plaza are part of your experience in this magical city. After this visit you will take a 45 minutes driving to arrive to another great place THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD where you can take a picture on the Equator Line with one foot in the north and another foot in the south hemisphere. Back to the hotel in the afternoon.
- Dinner
DAY 3: OTAVALO MARKET (B,L)
- Breakfast.
- The Otavalo Market day tour is a wonderful way to explore the famous artisanal indigenous market in Ecuador and admire some of the breathtaking views around Otavalo.
- This tour begins with a scenic drive north of Quito through the Sierra highlands. Then we’ll continue to Cayambe where we can taste and learn about the town’s famous bizcochos (local biscuits) From that point, we’ll continue to the famous market of Otavalo where you’ll have the option to purchase local handicrafts.
- The main market day in Otavalo is Saturday; however, this tour can be operated everyday of the week.
- Our professional guide will provide you with insights about the indigenous people of this area, such as the Quitu, Cara and other pre-Inca groups, and some extra information of the city. Afterwards, we’ll go to the beautiful Laguna Cuicocha, which is located in a volcano crater and contains 2 green islands.
- Our last stop will be Cotacachi, a town famous for its leather garments. Before strolling through this town we receive lunch in a nice colonial Spanish Hacienda (17 century). Afterwards, we return to Quito.
DAY 4: BALTRA - SANTA CRUZ (B,L,D)
More about Santa Cruz
The largest accessible lava tunnels: Beneath the ground, hundreds of lava tunnels were formed by varying temperatures of lava flows. Some of these tubes are several kilometers long and even though most have collapsed with time and erosion, a couple of them are still there to be visited. They offer the visitor the chance to understand why the stories of pirates and treasures are related to these geological formations.
The biggest tortoises in accessible visitor site.
The highlands of Santa Cruz host a large wild population of tortoises, they walk freely around the private and National Park lands. In our visit to this area, one can notice the difference in size from these animals to others in other visiting sites. There are 15 subspecies of land tortoises in the Galapagos, 4 from which are extinct. They present two different tortoise shell shapes, the Saddleback and the Dome shape. Santa Cruz has tree tortoise subspecies that show both kinds of shells and allow visitors to notice the difference and once understand the evolutionary process that shaped them into this giant prehistoric like animals.
Activities - Santa Cruz
- Breakfast and private transfer at the Quito airport
- Bus transfer from Baltra airport to Itabaca channel crossing
- Ferry crossing from Baltra to Santa Cruz island
- Highland ranch and visit includes stop at lava tunnels: The main place to visit is the El Chato reserve where you can observe the number of giant Galapagos turtles in their natural state, as well as the lava tunnels. The tour includes a visit to the Los Gemelos craters.
- Lunch at Highland ranch
- Visit to the Charles Darwin research center: famous for captive breeding of giant tortoises, called Galapagos that live an average of 150 years. It was created in 1964, It has a natural history interpretation center and executes educational tasks supporting the service of the Galapagos national park. This station is also the center of operations for foreign scientists who are on the islands to deal with special research programs.
- Dinner
- Hotel on Santa Cruz island
DAY 5: ISABELA ISLAND (B,L,D)
Home of Penguins, Flightless Cormorants, Marine and Land Iguanas and many Marine Birds, Isabela also portrays the picture of the evolving process that these species went through in all different locations of the same island. Originally named Albermale by English colonizers, Isabela offers diverse ecosystems along with some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the archipelago.
Small human population in the south of the islands. This is one of the four populated islands; about 2200 people live in Puerto Villamil. This town is the result of almost 300 years of interesting human interactions related to military plans and prison breakouts, and today is a welcoming site to explore and encounter the settlements that can tell the story.
Punta Vicente Roca visitor site is the best place to find the famous flightless cormorant. The evolution process that this specie went through can be observed on his behavior and environment on this location, providing evidence to understand Darwin’s theory of evolution. Located on the north side, the head of the sea horse is a very important marine productive area, hit by the Cromwell Current, offers the most extraordinary marine life so it is considered one of the best diving spots of the archipelago. Whales and sharks are often seen in our visits.
Bahia Urbina visitor site is located on the central west side of the island and is the only place of the archipelago where tortoises have been born and are still there, in other words, they are a natural, untouched population. All other have suffered migrations or problems with introduced species.
Activities - Isabela Island
- Breakfast at the hotel on Santa Cruz
- Morning transfer by speed boat to Isabela Island
- Snorkel excursion at Tintoreras with visit to Tintoreras islands: The islet takes its name from whiten sharks known as Tintoreras. This is considered one of the most fascinating species of the galapagos, in the same area we will find: sea lions, sea iguanas, blue footed boobies, crabs (sally light foot crab), sea turtles, pelicans and the peculiar Galapagos penguins. This exalted wildlife exhibition will leave us breathless. Then we will move to a sea inlet on the islet for snorkeling, the site is ideal for this activity because a large variety of fish, starfish, sea urchins, stingrays, and the beautiful sharks and sea lions swim on the site. After this unique meeting, we headed to the Isabela pier to finish the tour.
- Lunch
- Visit the breeding center and walking at Los Humedales
- Dinner
- Hotel on Isabela island
DAY 6: ISABELA ISLAND ( B,L,D)
More about Isabela Island
The largest island of the archipelago and is easily recognized due to its shape that resembles a seahorse.
Well known for having the second biggest active crater of the world in Sierra Negra Volcano, is located on the west of the archipelago and has one of the richest marine ecosystems. Isabela together with Fernandina are still located over the hot spot, causing volcanic activity until today, making them the youngest islands of the archipelago. Wolf Volcano had activity just last year giving visitors the chance to see how the islands grow and turn into what we know today.
It was formed into a big island mass by six volcanoes that in the beginning were six different islands, five of which are still active. Each one of them is populated by a different specie of Tortoise that used to live in a separated island.
Activities - Isabela Island
- Breakfast at the hotel on Isabela island
- Tour volcan Sierra Negra the walk is done on a path of medium difficulty with a steep slope. The Sierra Negra volcano has the second longest crater in the world, approximately 6 miles in diameter and 300 feet deep and is one of the most spectacular views in the Galapagos.
- The walk continues to Chico volcano. You can feel the hot earth as we approach, since this is a volcano that is active. The panoramic view from this place is wonderful.
- Lunch
- Afternoon transfer by speed boat to Santa Cruz
- Dinner
- Hotel on Santa Cruz island.
DAY 7: SANTA CRUZ - NORTH SEYMOUR ISLAND (B,L,D)
More about North Seymour Island
This small island is one of the most important fishing sites for Marine Birds.
This place is the reason for many travellers and ornithologists to observe the spectacular and diverse amount of birds of the Galapagos.
The visit site is located next to the nesting area of Frigate Birds, both Magnificent and Common, that rest on the trees along the whole year.
Watching the mating dance of the blue-footed boobies is another highlight of this experience. There is additionally a Palo Santo forest that spreads on the south shore of Seymour where birds nest, and offer a spectacular view of the channel formed in between Bartolomé and Seymour.
It is an unpopulated island.
Its formation is related to an uplifting of the underwater layer that resulted in a very eroded flat rock surrounded by risks. Here, the marine base is still evident, giant rocks and shells are found everywhere.
Hundreds of sharks such as the Tiger Shark, Galapagos Shark, Reef Shark and others, swim by the shore of this island. The Upwelling Phenomenon caused by the cold currents, enhance the marine diversity on this snorkelling and dive area.
Animals: frigate birds, blue footed boobies, sea lions, marine iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls, snakes, herons, hawks, sharks, rays
Activities - North Seymour Island
- Breakfast at the hotel on Santa Cruz Island
- Boat ride tour North Seymour Island
- This island is located north of Santa Cruz Island, sighting of sea lions, the island's landscape contrasts with the palo santo forest and the red earth; here you can see nesting blue-footed boobies, seagulls, land iguanas and admire frigatebirds in their nests.
- Snorkeling at Las Bachas Beach, located on Santa Cruz Island , you may see sharks, a variety of fish and perhaps flamingos in the beach lagoon.
- Lunch
- Back to Santa Cruz
- Dinner
- Hotel on Santa Cruz Island
DAY 8: GALAPAGOS - QUITO ( B,D)
DAY 8: GALAPAGOS - QUITO ( B,D)
DAY 8: GALAPAGOS - QUITO ( B,D)
- Breakfast at the Hotel Santa Cruz island
- Bus transfer to Itabaca channel
- Ferry crossing from Santa Cruz to Baltra island
- Bus transfer to Baltra airport transfer out
- Arrive at Quito international airport and private transfer service to the hotel
- Dinner
- Hotel in Quito
DAY 9: FLY HOME (B)
DAY 8: GALAPAGOS - QUITO ( B,D)
DAY 8: GALAPAGOS - QUITO ( B,D)
- Transfer out hotel – airport ( end of our services)
