Galapagos & Amazon Tour STD 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. 

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

Departing from Quito, 30 minute flight to Coca where we start a canoe ride along the Napo River for about 2 hours, lunch box in route.  Arrival at Napo Cultural Center after a trip through Napo River from El Coca City. The members of the kichwa Añangu community will welcome you with a traditional and refreshing ice cold “wayusa”. After lunch you will have a hike along playas trail to watch the amazon wildlife, and during the rest of the day you will have the opportunity to go kayaking to enjoy the sunset in the vastness of Napo River. After dinner you have the rest of the night to rest

After an early breakfast we head in the motor boat to the highlight of the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve, where we can observe a parrot clay lick in the riverside of Napo. Then we walk around 30 minutes through “pericos” trail to reach an amazing parakeet clay lick, where we’ll watch up to 11 species of parrots and parakeets. The morning ends with a visit to the intercultural interpretation center “Kuri Muyu”, which is handled by women, and we learn about the kichwa culture, customs and traditional use of natural resources. After lunch, you go to a one hour hike to in order to climb up the 35 meter observation tower, to spot a variety of birds, howler monkeys squirrel monkeys, parrots and sloths. After having dinner, we experience a unique activity onboard a catamaran to hear legends and traditional chants of the community.

After an early breakfast, visit the sustainable projects around the community, and go to a walk in the Mama - Kuna road, which is an excellent opportunity to see more native wildlife. In the afternoon, after a delicious local lunch, we go in a paddle canoe through Añangu stream, to spot the endemic fauna of the black water ecosystem. Upon your return, you’ll have traditional dinner, called maito” which is grilled fish wrapped in a “bijao” leaf. If you want to taste something unusual, you can try the grilled worms called “chontakuru”. At night we’ll have a brief walk to see nocturnal wildlife around the lodge.

Early in the morning, we take part of the optional “wayusada” ritual with the kichwa family, which has been a way to pass their ancient knowledge to their new generations. Share the traditional chants and have the chance to interpret you dreams during this mystique experience. After this activity we head back for breakfast and then we begin our return journey to Coca with wildlife spotting opportunities along the way in the dugout canoe.

Flight back to Quito and transfer to the hotel.

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.