Galapagos & Amazon Tour BCK 12D

Arrival to Quito - Our driver will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel.

Free time to relax and acclimatize to your new surroundings.

A full day to acquaint yourself with the very best sites of the city of Quito. 

In the morning you will enjoy a guided tour of the colonial highlights in the historical city center, including a visit to the impressive Basilica, the famous Plaza de Independencia, the San Francisco Church and other historical sites. You’ll walk the cobble stone streets, admire the architecture and observe local life at the old plazas. 

After lunch we head north to the Equator line monument called Mitad del Mundo - stand literally in the middle of the world! We also visit the unique Inti Ñan museum where you can prove (or disprove) various scientific phenomena that only hold true at the equator. 

At the end of your tour, your guide will drop you off at the bus meeting point to Lago Agrio. 

Tour duration: 7-8 Hours / Type: This is a privately organized tour

Upon your arrival to Lago Agrio town, you will take private transportation to the entrance of Cuyabeno Reserve, where you will have lunch. Then you will get onboard the canoe, to start the two hour ride down the Cuyabeno River to Caiman Lodge. During the trio you will get a glimpse of the amazing flora and fauna that inhabits the reserve. Once you arrive, and after you settle in the lodge you will be transferred to the main lagoon to have a swim and watch a beautiful sunset. After dinner, you will head out for a night walk.

After breakfast, you begin with a three-hour trek to the rainforest, while the guide explains the unique flora and fauna that you will see during the experience. After the trek, you will enjoy lunch and resting time, and during the late afternoon, you will explore the interconnected river by a paddle canoe. You may spot diverse river wildlife and also contemplate the beautiful sunset. After dinner, you will do some caiman spotting

Early wakeup call and breakfast; then you will head downstream to Puerto Bolivar SIona Community, where you will be welcomed by a Siona woman, who will show you how to harvest some yuccas and show you the preparation of their traditional meal, Cassave (yucca flat bread). Then you will be introduced to the Shaman of the Siona Tribe, who will explain the Ayahuasca ritual, and he will also choose a participant for a cleansing ritual. After this activity return to the lodge for lunch, and in the late afternoon you will enjoy the explanation of the preparation of traditional chocolate/coffee or encocado. Then you head back to the lodge for dinner.

Early wakeup call and breakfast to enjoy an early morning birdwatch activity. You will be transferred to the entrance of the reserve by canoe, and then a bus will take you to Lago Agrio so you can get back to Quito by bus. 

An early morning transfer to the airport in time for your flight out to Galapagos Islands,

Our guide will be waiting for your for a fantastic trip to the Highlands of Santa Cruz – this is the best place to see the Giant Tortoise up close in the wild. They roam the lush highlands searching for food or cooling off in the muddy pools. You will wander the trails while your guide will explain some interesting facts about these gentle giants. There is also a lava tunnel that you can explore. 

After this activity, you will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station where you will receive more background information from your guide about the islands, with a focus on Darwin´s theories as well as the breeding work on various tortoise populations.

Tour duration: 4 Hours / Type: This is a privately organized tour

Today you have the opportunity to discover one of the uninhabited islands on a boat excursion. The tour includes a guided hike on the island and some time for snorkeling, with lunch on board. The exact destination depends upon daily availability, but will be one of the following options:

Bartolome: the site of the iconic Galapagos landscape of Pinnacle Rock, where you can take your perfect photo. You do have to climb 364 steps to get here, but the reward is immense. Along the way you can see lava fumaroles, and enjoy the incredible lunar style landscape. With a bit of luck, you may also see the world´s only tropical penguin here! After the land visit, you´ll have time to explore the amazing underwater wildlife while snorkeling.

North Seymour: One of the best islands for Galapagos birdlife, where you can see Frigate Birds, swallow tailed gulls and the famous Blue Footed Boobies who nest here. With red colored soil and red carpet vine growing on the island the scenery is exotic. Another interesting species found on North Seymour is the Land Iguana, a unique species from the ones seen on other islands.

South Plazas: This small but scenic island has a fantastic concentration of wildlife, from Sea Lions to Land Iguana´s and many bird species, including Frigate Birds, Lava Gulls and Red-Billed Tropicbirds. The dramatic cliffs, blue seas and spectacular natural red-carpet of algae make the scenery of this island particularly pretty.

Santa Fe: A very diverse island with a beautiful white sand beach where Sea Lions bask in the sun. The island is covered with huge cactus trees, food for the Land Iguana population that is endemic to this Santa Fe. The walk up is quite rocky buy you´ll be rewarded with stunning views at the top. Santa Fe is also considered one of the best snorkeling sites in Galapagos where sharks are often seen!

Tour duration: 7-8 Hours / Type: This is a shared tour service

Galapagos: Isabela - Today we will take the Public speedboat to Isabela Island (7:00 aprox), which lasts approximately two and a half hours.

On arrival at Isabela we will take a brief rest at the hotel and then head to the Concha de Perla lagoon where you can swim with sea lions, colorful varieties of fish, and with luck sea turtles.

Tour duration: 2 Hours / Type: This is a privately organized tour

After lunch we visit Tintoreras Islet - the name of the islet derives from the sharks that live in the waters surrounding the islet that have whittipped 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 a large community 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 with luck we may see multicolor fish, starfish, sea-urchins, and with luck manta rays, sharks, and sea lions that may swim with us close up.

Tour duration: 3 Hours / Type: This is a shared organized tour

Today you can choose between a snorkel trip to Tuneles & Cabo Rosa or a hiking trip to Sierra Negra & Volcan Chico. 

A boat ride of about an hour and a half takes you to Tuneles; this is a fascinating landscape of huge collapsed lava tunnels. You begin on land where blue footed boobies often nest. Afterwards you will enjoy superb snorkeling at Cabo Rosa - this is one of the very best snorkel sites in Galapagos! White tipped reef sharks, green marine turtles, sting rays, sea lions, eagle rays and even sea horses are regularly seen here!

Tour duration: 5 Hours / Type: This is a shared organized tour

…OR…

An incredible hiking trip that is all about landscapes and volcanoes! A guided 4 to 5 hours return trek takes you up to the summit of the active Sierra Negra volcano for wonderful views into one of the largest craters in the world. Descending further you can visit Volcan Chico, to witness the incredible landscape of smouldering cones and craters formed by various past eruptions; it literally feels like you're walking on the moon!

Tour duration: 5 Hours / Type: This is a shared organized tour

At dawn. we head to the dock to take the public speedboat back to Santa Cruz Island. From Puerto Ayora we will transport you across the highlands and to Baltra Airport.

On arrival to Quito our driver will transport you to your hotel.

Our driver will transfer you back to the airport in time for your international flight out.