Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands - TOUR FULL

Itinerary at a glance

• Day 1: Quito (Tue, 14 June) Arrive Quito and transfer to the Hilton Colon Hotel. Welcome dinner.
• Day 2: Quito (Wed, 15 June) Explore Quito on a guided tour. Walk through the attractive, palm-shaded Plaza de la Independencia, visit the gorgeously ornate 16^th century church of La Compania de Jesus and visit Monasterio de San Francisco, one of the oldest churches on the American continent. Dinner at Urku – a modern Ecuadorian restaurant.
• Day 3: Quito / Mindo (Thur, 16 June) Drive to Mitad del Mundo - the ‘Middle of the World’ – and straddle the equatorial line. Drive up to the rim of the biggest volcanic crater in South America, the extinct Pululahua Volcano, for wonderful views and lunch. Lunch by the crater with spectacular views. Continue to Mindo cloud forest, where you will stay at the Sachatamia Lodge, and take a nature walk. Talk: “The Beautiful World of Butterflies” - Jan Beccaloni (JB).
• Day 4: Mindo (Fri, 17 June) The cloud forests are a unique ecosystem fed by the misty clouds sitting on the slopes of the Andes. Rise early the following morning to watch an incredible variety of birdlife, including hundreds of species of jewelled hummingbirds. Visit the Mariposario Mindo Butterfly Farm. Take a cable car high above the cloud forest valley and the Rio Nambillo below. Walk with a naturalist guide along trails through delicate clusters of wild orchids, ferns and waterfalls wreathed in silver mists, amidst swarms of vivid birds and butterflies. Take a night walk to see spiders and other nocturnal creatures. Talk: “An introduction to spiders and their relatives” - JB.
• Day 5: Mindo / Papallacta (Sat, 18 June) Rise early again to spot the early bird activity in Mindo. After breakfast drive to the high Andes of Ecuador, into the paramo and the montane forest, rich in unusual flora and fauna such as the rare, gnarled Polylepis tree - one of the oddest and rarest trees on the planet. Continue to Papallacta, a thermal area high in the Andes where hot springs bubble up next to the Papallacta River. Check into Termas de Papallactas thermal resort, where the waters reputedly have healing properties.
• Day 6: Papallacta (Sun, 19 June) Visit the Antisana Ecological Reserve in the central highlands, located at the feet of the 5705 metre high volcano, Mount Antisana. Explore the dramatic altiplano landscapes with spectacular snow capped mountains as backdrop and look out for the various species of birds, and the Andean condor, that inhabit the area. Return to Papallacta and spend the rest of the day at leisure enjoying the hot springs. Have dinner at Guango Lodge before setting out on a nocturnal nature walk.
• Day 7: Papallacta (Mon, 20 June) Visit the local market at Sangolqui, a pretty colonial village in pastel hues, and browse among the stalls with the locals. Talk: “Darwin and Wallace - the pioneers of evolutionary biology” - JB.
• Day 8: Papallacta / San Cristobal Island / Lobos Island - Galápagos (Tue, 21 June)

  Your next stop is Ecuador’s ecological wonderland – the Galápagos Islands. Fly to San Cristobal Island and board the Galaxy private yacht for four nights cruising around Espanola, Floreana, Santa Fe, South Plaza and Santa Cruz Islands. Visit Lobos Island, a small islet separated from San Cristobal by a narrow channel, forming a sheltered bay where sea lion pups play in tidal pools. See male frigatebirds displaying their inflated red balloons, perched on the bushes and trees. Chance to observe blue footed boobies’ famous courtship dance. This evening’s talk is: “Evolution in Practice”

• Day 9: Española Island (Wed, 22 June) Wet landing at white-sand Gardener Bay,
  home to sea lions, three species of Darwin’s finches, Española mockingbirds, green sea turtles, colorful tropical fish, including yellow-tailed surgeon fish, angelfish, parrotfish, manta ray, whitetipped reef sharks and playful sea lions. Opportunity to snorkel. Land at Punta Suarez to spot sea lions, red and green marine iguanas, Española lava lizards and diverse seabirds including Galapagos hawks, mockingbird, finches, Galapagos doves, blue-footed and Nazca boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropicbirds and waved albatross.
• Day 10: Floreana Island (Thur, 23 June) Visit Cormorant Point to see Galápagos flamingos and many other birds. Continue to Champion islet to see to see marine turtles, sea lions and many fish. Options for swimming and snorkelling. Visit Post Office Bay, where you can still post a postcard in the historic post barrel, and a lava tube.
• Day 11: Santiago Island - Santa Fe / South Plaza (Fri, 24 June) Visit Santa Fe, landing in one of the most beautiful bays in the Galapagos. Turquoise water and white sand beaches make this location a perfect home for a large colony of sea lions which you will see basking in the sand. Inland, look down for endemic Santa Fe land iguanas, but also look up for Galapagos hawks, which often perch at the top of the cactus looking for prey. Darwin finches, Galapagos doves, mockingbirds and lava lizards are also common along the trail. Continue to the South Plaza, a small islet that packs an impressive amount of wildlife. See Galapagos land iguanas under prickly-pear cactus feeding on their fruits. Oppoturnity to see a colony of sea lions and playful pups enjoying the tide pools, but also large males defending their territories. The trail will take you to a cliff where you can observe many sea birds, such as frigatebirds, red-billed tropicbirds, boobies, swallow-tailed gulls and pelicans.
• Day 12: Santa Cruz / Quito (Sat, 25 June) Visit the Charles Darwin Station, a
  nonprofit organization which has been working for decades together with the Galapagos National Park to preserve the biodiversity. Learn about the projects that both institutions carry together to protect the native species and eradicate the invasive ones which are threatening the Galapagos environment. One of the most important and emblematic projects has been reproducing giant tortoises in captivity. The visit is mostly outdoors in a beautiful dry native forest with giant cactus and many other interesting native plants. It is also a fantastic place to find several endemic Darwin finches Transfer to airport for flight back to Quito and check into the Hilton Colon Hotel. Farewell dinner.
• Day 13: Quito (Sun, 26, June) This morning is at leisure before transferring back to the airport for your flight home or take the Amazon extension.

Extension into the Amazon

• Day 13: Quito (Sun, 26 June) Day at leisure

• Day 14: Quito (Mon, 27 June) Transfer to the airport for flight to Coca. Transfer by river to Sacha Lodge. Nocturnal guided tour.
• Day 15: Sacha Lodge, Amazon (Tue, 28 June) Take dugout canoes past bromeliads and palm trees, looking for wildlife such as the pygmy marmoset, the ocelot and puma. Trek through pristine forest, with 150-foot kapok trees and roots forming huge buttresses. Look out for the crest owl and howler monkeys. Optional night walk after dark.
• Day 16: Sacha Lodge, Amazon (Wed, 29 June) Travel by motorised canoe along Napo River to visit the traditional Yasuní community. See the 'parrot disco' on the clay lick. Take the treetop canopy walk. Optional night canoe trip to see caiman.
• Day 17: Quito (Thur, 30 June) Transfer to Quito and check into Hotel Hilton Colon.
• Day 18: Quito (Fri, 1 July) Depart Quito after breakfast.