Galapagos Ecuador Tours 7 Days

Breakfast at the hotel. This sightseeing excursion offers the best of Quito with its rich cultural legacy, ornate facades, and dazzling gilt altars. Quito’s Historical Center, the largest and best-preserved in Latin America was built over the ruins of the Inca’s northern imperial seat. Quito, founded in 1534 became the first city in the world to be declared by UNESCO in 1978 a World Cultural Heritage site. The visit will take you to iconic places such as Independence Square to have a view of important colonial buildings: The Archbishop’s Palace, The Metropolitan Cathedral, The Government Palace, as well as other representative examples of colonial art and architecture as the Santo Domingo Convent.

After visiting the old colonial Quito, a short trip to the north of the city of Quito will lead us to our planet’s Latitude 0, to visit the original Equatorial monument and where visitors can learn about the 18^th century French Geodesic expedition, one of the first executed under the modern scientific principles, which main’s purpose was to measure the roundness of the Earth and then we will visit the Intiñan museum known as well as “The trek of Sun” where we will be guided through the wonderful world of the Andean Cosmovision (view of the nature of the cosmos), Culture and Traditions. Mixed with didactic games where the physic laws show us the unique events that happen in the middle of the world. This is the place where you can stand with one foot on the northern hemisphere and the other one on the southern hemisphere…a unique experience….

Overnight in: Quito at selected hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

This excursion will take you to the Antisana Ecological Reserve. We will depart Quito due south going through the famous Avenue of the Volcanoes. On our way and if the day is clear we might get a glimpse of the iconic Cotopaxi volcano, considered by many the most beautiful volcano. In the Antisana Ecological Reserve, we encounter the Antisana Volcano (stratovolcano), which at 5704m is the fourth tallest mountain in the Ecuadorian Andes. Massive glaciers feed water to lakes and rivers of the reserve, which sustain the abundant wildlife of the region.

The tour includes a visit to La Mica lagoon where there will be an opportunity to walk in the surroundings of the Lagoon and learn about the moorlands (Andean Paramo) flora and fauna; the excursion continues to a nearby Hacienda dedicated to protecting the Condors of this area where there might be a possibility to spot Condors, Alpacas or Llamas and sometimes even deers.  Walk freely in the Hacienda enjoying the solitude of the Paramo; on a clear day, beautiful panoramic views of the Andes will bring the possibility for great pictures.

Lunch is included in the Hacienda (set-menu basis) in the afternoon come back to Quito.

Overnight in: Quito at selected hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

Assistance and transfer from the hotel to the airport to take the regular flight to the Galapagos Islands
**Suggestion for your flight to enjoy the Galapagos Ecuador tours more: Reserve the earliest flight from Quito to the Galapagos Islands as well as the tardiest flight from the Galapagos to Guayaquil or Quito to enjoy the islands (we suggest to check the best connection flight with your international flight)

Arrival at Seymour Ecological Airport in Baltra Island. You will be transferred by a 15 minutes car ride to Itabaca Channel (shared service). You will cross the channel by public ferry to Santa Cruz Island (20 minutes approx.), where a car will be waiting to take you to Puerto Ayora Village where your hotel is located (45 minutes approx.). After check-in, visit the Tortoise Breeding Center, former Charles Darwin Research Station. Afternoon at leisure to enjoy Puerto Ayora town on your own.

Overnight in: Puerto Ayora at selected hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast.

Breakfast at the hotel. Full day navigation tour to one of the following islands: San Cristobal, or Bartolome, or Plazas, or North Seymour, or Santa Fe, or Isabela, or Pinzón (full snorkelling).

Bartolome Island is famous for its Pinnacle Rock, which is one of the most representative geological and photogenic landmarks of the Galapagos.  Walking clumsily on the rocks at the base of Pinnacle Rock is a small colony of the Galapagos Penguins, one of the smallest species of penguin in the world and the only one found north of the Equator.  The visit to Bartolome includes a climb to the highest point of the island to get spectacular views of the surrounding lava landscape, an area often referred to as the Galapagos “moonscape”.  The site is an open textbook of geology, featuring small craters and some amazing formations of rock, ash and lava of varied types and origins, as well as some “pioneer” plants colonizing the fresh lava and ash-flows.

Overnight in: Santa Cruz island at selected hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast and lunch

At the proper time, we will take a course to the pier of Puerto Ayora to have a navigable route through the Bay of Santa Cruz. We will visit La Lobería, a small island where we will be able to swim and to make superficial diving next to the sea lions. Here we will know places like The Love Channel, The Channel of the Sharks, The Cracks and the Beach of the Dogs. You can enjoy the observation of sharks, sea lions, blue-footed boobies, iguanas and rays among other species.
Afternoon at leisure to enjoy your last day in the Enchanted Islands of Galapagos.

Overnight in: Puerto Ayora at selected hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast.

At the scheduled time transfer from the hotel in Puerto Ayora to the airport located at Baltra Island to take the flight back to mainland Ecuador and connect with your international departure flight.
Thank you for allowing us to be part of your experience!

Meals included: Breakfast.