Natural paradises of Ecuador

Quito Airport - Quito Historic Center

Reception at the airport by an english-speaking guide (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Private transfer with spanish-speaking driver from Quito airport to your hotel.

You will spend the night at Patio Andaluz hotel in Quito.

Quito Historic Center - Quito - Mitad del Mundo

Quito, Ecuador's capital, is a real treasure between the volcanoes of Pichincha, Cayambe and Antisana. At an elevation of 2830 meters, it is the second highest capital in the world.. It was the first city classified by the UNESCO in 1978 and its historic centre is the biggest and best maintained in Latin America.

Departure at 8:30am: to get a good idea of the city, we will firstly go to the Panecillo, a small hill over the city with a statue of the Quito' Virginp, with a splendid 360º view.

You will then have a visit of Quito's colonial centre:

• the church of the Compañia de Jesus (If the time allows it because this one opens the doors only at 12:30) or the Sucre theater;
• the church of San Francisco;
• the Grand Place where are located the Presidential Palace (Carondelet) and Quito's Cathedral.

Visit to he arquelogical museum of "La Florida". This one is built over the tombs that belong to the Quitu culture. They have between 15 and 17 meters of high and people has been founded inside them, not just regular people but royal bodies as well.

You will visit the site of the "Mitad del Mundo" where you can put one foot in the Southern hemisphere and the other in the Northern hemisphere! The different buildings corresponds to different aspects of Ecuador, with the French pavilion being dedicated to the Condamine expedition which determinated the site of this imaginary line in 1736.

The visit of the museum is not included because we do not consider it of much interest.

You will spend the night at Patio Andaluz hotel in Quito.

English-speaking guide in a private transport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

Quito Airport - Baltra - Santa Cruz - Puerto Ayora

Private transfer with spanish-speaking driver to Quito airport.

Transport with an english-speaking guide from your hotel to Quito's airport (if you are from 1 to 3 persons, your guide will also be your driver).

You will take a flight of about 2 hours from Quito to Baltra to Galapagos.

At the airport, after the payment of the migratory card ($20 per person) and the luggage control (20 kg maximum per person and 10kg for the hand luggage per person), you can check in and embark for a 3 hours flight.

Arrival at Baltra airport, located on a small island near Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is the second biggest island of the archipel by its surface and the most populated. You will pay the entrance fee to the Galápagos National Park ($100 per person) before picking up your luggage.

Our local representant will take charge of you at the exit of the airport. You will reach the Canal of Itabaca in public bus (5 minutes) and you will cross the canal in public boat. From there, you will continue on the main island in private pick-up to arrive to Puerto Ayora ( 45 minutes)

You will visit the Charles Darwin Station. Here, you can learn about the ongoing conservation efforts on these Enchanted Islands. The Research Station rears endemic Galapagos plants, land iguanas, and giant Galapagos Tortoises for educational, scientific and conservation purposes.

Remark 1: These price can't be paid in advance by our services, they have to be paid directly at the spots.

Remark 2: If the arrival time is before 10am, you will make a visit in the Highlands, at the Twin Craters or at Manzanillo ranch to see the giant turtlesin the wild, before reaching Puerto Ayora.

Night in Deja Vu hotel in Santa Cruz island.

Santa Cruz - Isabela - Puerto Villamil

For this morning, we will take the public speedboat to Isabela (2:30 approx.), the largest island of Galapagos and the most wild of the three biggest ones.

At Puerto Ayora harbour, your luggage will be checked again before embarking. You will need to take a taxi-boat (between $us 0.50 et $us 1 maximum per person) to reach the boat with which you will make the journey between the two islands.This service is to pay directly on the taxi-boat.

At Ihe arrival in Isabela, you will need to take another taxi-boat (maximum $us 1 per person) to disembark on the island. You willl also need to pay the local tax ($us 10) at Isabela harbour.

Once arrived at Isabela, you will have some time to rest at the hotel or walk around to the village.

You can also head to the Concha y Perla lagoon, where you could swim if lucky with sea lions, colorful varieties of fish, sea turtles and penguins.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Tintoreras Islet (20 min. from the port). The name of the islet derives from the sharks that live in the waters surrounding the islet that have whit-tipped fins, which are known as “Tintoreras”. The islet is one of the most fascinating places on Isabela Island and in fact all of the Galapagos. In this one area we can see sea lions, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, Sally lightfoot crabs, sea turtles, pelicans, and Galapagos penguins. As the island is one of the main breeding sites for the marine iguanas, it is an excellent place to see numerous amounts of these creatures close-up. After the hike through the islet, we will get back on the boat and cool off by snorkeling in the waters nearby, where we can see multicolor fish, starfish, sea-urchins, and with luck manta rays, sharks, and sea lions that may swim with us close up. we ensure you that you will not forget this fascinating experience.

Night in Wooden House hotel.

Isabela - Puerto Villamil

After breakfast we will prepare ourselves to depart for the Tunnels | Cape Rosa is a site located at 40 minutes by boat southwest of Puerto Villamil. The sighting of birds and marine animals from the lava platform is one of the most important attractions. While snorkelling at this site, experience enclose encounters with many species of fish, rays, sea turtles, penguins and sea lions.

During the rest of this day, we suggest to visit the Breeding Center of the Giant Tortoises and the Humid Lands on your own.

Night in Wooden House hotel.

Isabela - Puerto Villamil

Early in the morning (8:00 am aprox.), after breakfast, we will prepare ourselves for the Sierra Negra Volcano hike by putting on comfortable walking shoes and possibly a rain jacket, making sure our cameras are stored in waterproof bags, making sure to bring sunscreen, water, and hats, and finally by preparing our box lunch at the hotel to take with us. We will then travel approximately 45 minutes by truck or bus to begin the 12 km hike (appx. 3 hours). The hike is long in terms of distance, but not very difficult as the inclines and declines are quite gradual. Sierra Negra Volcano has the second largest crater in the world, measuring approximately 6 miles in diameter and 300 feet deep. We will reach Volcan Chico before heading back, which should provide a spectacular view of the incredible moonlike terrain. Return to Puerto Villamil for free end of afternoon.

Night in Wooden House hotel.

Isabela - Baltra - Quito Airport - Pifo

After a short early breakfast, departure by public boat to return to Puerto Ayora. You will be taken to Baltra's airport so as to get your flight back to the continent.

You will take a flight of about 2 hours from Baltra to Quito.

You will spend the night at La Jimenita hotel-hacienda in Pifo, close to the airport.

Airport transfer to the hotel.

Dinner included at the hotel.

Coca - Napo Wildlife Center

Transfer from hotel to airport.

Domestic flight Quito - Coca (around 40 minutes). Arrival in Coca, gateway to the Amazon rainforest. Your local guide will meet you and lead you to your motorized canoe , which will sail for about 2h30 to get to the Yasuní National Park, classified by UNESCO "Biosphere Reserve" by a biodiversity of extreme wealth and well-preserved . The lodge we have chosen for you is the only hotel inside the reserve and offers, despite the difficulties of access, services worthy of a 4 star hotel keeping a real authenticity. To get respecting the environment and its occupants, the journey will continue by boat without motor (prohibited in the park) by another 1.30h. We will take a small tributary of the Napo River, opportunity to have a first contact with the local fauna and flora. This lodge is managed in collaboration with local communities, to recover the benefits to develop new projects in the surrounding villages. After a welcome drink and a little rest, some explanations will be given on this community project and program the following day, before enjoying a quality dinner and get to your bungalow to sleep by the sounds of the Amazon rainforest.

Napo Wildlife Center

After waking up and a delicious, your guide will show you the wealth of this place. For this, two solutions: the Canopy Tower about 30 minutes of walking through the woods, a tower about 36 meters high which allows you to be in the middle of numerous birds above the trees; other walks are possible, but a night out in canoe in order to discover night life where you can cross yourself with the bright eyes of a caiman that comes out only at night

Napo Wildlife Center

Surprises continue throughout the day, but a unique place to visit in the area is the cliff parrots, where hundreds of individuals of different species meet to ingest kaolin found there. Then it might be interesting to visit a nearby community involved in this project and meet their daily lives. Other excursions are possible depending on your wishes. If you want you can walk or by canoe, the wildlife in the region is rich but wild, but if you open your eyes is common to see groups of monkeys in the wild and even other rarer if you're lucky.

Napo Wildlife Center - Coca - Quito Airport - Quito Historic Center

Departure from Lodge in canoe and the in boat towards the airport of Coca. You will take a 40 minutes domestic flight from Coca to Quito.

Private transfer with spanish-speaking driver from Quito airport to your hotel.

You will spend the night at Patio Andaluz hotel in Quito.

Quito - Quito Airport

Free time in the ecuadorian capital. You have multiple choices of activities according to what you have already visited and the free time you dispose of:

- handcrafts market in La Mariscal for your last gifts, or on Amazonas street;

- museums, according openning time: Alabado arqueological museum in Historic Center, Modern Artist Guayasamin museum in Bellavista area, Mindalae handcrafts museum in La Mariscal, Weilbauer arqueological museum in the Catholic University;

- Botanic garden in La Carolina Park with its magnificent collection or orchids;

- arqueological sites inside the city as Rumipamba or La Florida;

- a last walk in the Historic Center (ex.: La Ronda street);

- free time for thinking at a terrace of a bar in La Mariscal quarter.

Private transfer with spanish-speaking driver to Quito airport.