After breakfast, meet for pick-up and transfer to the tour meeting point. Join your group and board the sleek Quito Metro—a slice of everyday city life—gliding towards the Historic Centre. Step into Independence Square, ringed by arcades and palaces, then admire the baroque splendour of La Compañía de Jesús, famed for its gilded interior and sculpted façade.

This afternoon, travel north to the Intiñan Museum, set on the Equator. Explore interactive exhibits on Andean culture and try playful experiments that highlight the quirks of standing with one foot in each hemisphere. It’s a light-hearted, hands-on finale to a day steeped in history, flavours and local colour.

Overnight: Quito.

After breakfast, meet the group at the designated point and set off towards the Andean north. Your first pause is the open-air observatory of the Quitsato Sundial, poised on the Equator itself. Trace pre-Columbian sky lore as your guide reveals how ancient peoples tracked seasons and stars on this exact line between hemispheres.

Continue to the storied Otavalo Market, one of South America’s most vibrant craft bazaars. Wander lanes of hand-loomed textiles, Andean knitwear, carved gourds, silverwork and classic felt hats, meeting Otavaleño artisans at their colourful stalls.

The day crescendos at the sapphire bowl of Cuicocha Lagoon, a volcanic crater lake ringed by high-paramo and framed by two islets. Breathe the resin-scented air, admire mirror-bright water edged with chuquiragua and polylepis, and take a quiet moment to soak up the Andean stillness.

Return: Late afternoon group drive back to Quito • Overnight: Quito.

After breakfast, set out early along Ecuador’s storied Avenue of the Volcanoes, where snow-capped cones rise above tawny páramo and wide-open valleys. Your first stop is the Mariscal Sucre Interpretation Centre, a compact introduction to Cotopaxi—its geology, glacial history, high-Andean wildlife and deep cultural resonance for local communities.

With context in mind, enter the park to admire the near-perfect symmetry of Cotopaxi Volcano. Depending on weather and group energy, choose between a steady hike towards the José Rivas Refuge (on ash-and-scoria slopes with sweeping vistas) or a gentler circuit at Limpiopungo Lagoon, where wetlands mirror the volcano and caracaras, coots and wild horses often roam the shore.

Return: Afternoon drive back to Quito • Overnight: Quito.

After breakfast, head northwest into the emerald folds of the Mindo Cloud Forest, a lush world where mist drifts through bromeliads and the air is threaded with birdsong. Begin at a serene butterfly farm: stroll among iridescent wings, watch chrysalis boxes and learn the delicate stages of the butterfly life cycle.

Continue on a guided forest walk beneath dripping moss and orchid-laced limbs. Keep eyes and ears tuned for tanagers, hummingbirds and the flash of motmots; your naturalist helps decode calls, nest sites and the cloud forest’s intricate web of life.

Conclude with a sweet finale at an artisan chocolate atelier. Follow cacao from bean to bar—fermentation, drying, roasting—then savour a guided tasting that spans fruity, floral and nutty notes unique to Ecuador’s prized varietals.

Return: Late afternoon drive back to Quito • Overnight: Quito.

This morning you’ll be accompanied to Quito Airport for assistance with Galápagos travel formalities—Transit Control Card (TCT/INGALA) registration, special luggage inspection and airline check-in—right up to security. Please note that fruits, vegetables and seeds are prohibited in luggage under strict biosecurity rules.

On arrival at Baltra Airport, meet your local guide and board the airport bus to the canal, then a short ferry crossing to Santa Cruz. En route to Puerto Ayora, stop in the emerald highlands to visit a private ranch where giant tortoises roam freely in their natural environment and walk through an atmospheric lava tunnel—a reminder of the islands’ volcanic origins. Lunch is served at the ranch.

Continue by private vehicle to Puerto Ayora, the archipelago’s liveliest town, and check in to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure to stroll the waterfront, spot marine iguanas on the rocks, or simply unwind.

Note: These charges are additional and will be added to your invoice in advance for a smoother airport process and your convenience. Fees are correct at the time of publication and may change without notice; payment methods are subject to local airport/park policy.

Overnight: Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz Island).

After breakfast, meet our staff for an escorted transfer to the pier and board the public speedboat to Isabela (~2 hours, sea conditions permitting). On arrival, greet your local guide and set out by small boat to the volcanic outcrops of Tintoreras Islet, where black lava meets turquoise shallows.

Disembark for a guided walk over ʻaʻā lava to observe basking marine iguanas, sapphire crabs and, in a sheltered lava channel, resting white-tip reef sharks (the “tintoreras”). Keep watch for charismatic Galápagos penguins drying their feathers on the rocks and snoozing sea lions along the shore.

Slip into the water for a guided snorkel session—calm bays often reveal green sea turtles, reef fish and playful juveniles of many species. Return to port for a hosted lunch, then continue by road for a short visit to the island’s Flamingo Lagoon and a portion of the Isabela wetlands, a mosaic of brackish pools and mangroves alive with waders and shorebirds.

Overnight: Isabela Island (Puerto Villamil).

After breakfast, meet your private guide for an unhurried journey into Isabela’s highlands. Drive to El Cura, trailhead for the Sierra Negra trek. Begin on cinder and volcanic ash paths that rise gently to a panoramic viewpoint, where the vast caldera spreads in dark, rippled arcs—steam vents and old flows tracing the volcano’s living geology.

Continue along the ridge towards Volcán Chico, crossing lava fields of twisted ʻaʻā and ropey pāhoehoe, punctuated by hardy shrubs and occasional fumarolic warmth underfoot. Ocean vistas open to the horizon while your guide interprets eruptions, wind-carved formations and pioneer plants that stitch life back onto new rock.

Post-hike, refuel with a traditional lunch at a nearby farm in the highlands. Later, return to the port to visit Concha de Perla, a sheltered lagoon reached by a short boardwalk. Slip into clear water for gentle snorkelling; sea lions often glide past, with green turtles and reef fish weaving through sunlit gardens.

Overnight: Isabela Island (Puerto Villamil).

After breakfast, meet your host for a transfer to the pier and assistance boarding the public speedboat to Santa Cruz. On arrival (around 08:30), settle in with a well-deserved breakfast before your chauffeur drives across the island (~45 km) to the Itabaca Channel. Cross the turquoise channel by boat (≈10 minutes), then return to Puerto Ayora with the remainder of the day at leisure.

Overnight: Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island.

After breakfast, enjoy a full day at leisure to discover the natural wonders of the Galápagos at your own pace—or select one of our curated optional activities below (available at additional cost).

Optional (Half-Day) — Tortuga Bay Private Tour with Lunch

Start: 08:00 • Duration: ~5 hrs • Type: Private, guided.

Depart your hotel with a certified naturalist guide by taxi to the trailhead, then walk ~3 km through a corridor of giant Opuntia cacti to sublime Tortuga Bay. The long, open beach gives way to a calmer cove where swimming is recommended. Watch for basking marine iguanas and, at times, juvenile reef sharks near the shore. Return along the same trail and enjoy lunch after the visit.

Optional (Full-Day) — Charles Darwin Station & Tortuga Bay with Lunch

Start: 08:00 • Duration: ~8 hrs • Type: Small-group, guided.

Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn about conservation work and follow the
Tortoise Route, where you can see the preserved remains of Lonesome George. After an included
lunch, continue to Tortuga Bay via the scenic 3 km Opuntia-lined trail (each way), with time to
enjoy one of the archipelago’s most beautiful beaches.

Overnight: Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island.

After breakfast, meet your driver for a scheduled transfer to the Itabaca Channel (~45 km from Puerto Ayora). Cross the turquoise strait by boat (≈10 minutes), then continue by airport bus (≈15 minutes) to Baltra (GPS).

You’ll receive assistance up to luggage check-in before proceeding to security for your homeward flight.

Safe travels and thank you for treading lightly in the Galápagos—your visit helps support conservation and local communities.