Day notes
Upon arrival to Quito, your &Beyond representative will meet you and escort you to your waiting vehicle for the drive to your hotel.
Situated in a circle of Andean peaks, Quito is the world’s second highest capital, with arguably one of the finest settings in the world. Originally settled by the Quitu tribe in the first millennium, Quito was an important part of the Inca Empire, before being destroyed and re-founded by Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Benalcázar in 1534. The colonial center - declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978 - is one of the largest and best preserved in Latin America. It is home to excellent museums, churches and art galleries.
Transfer from Mariscal Sucre International Airport [UIO] to Casa Gangotena Hotel
Transfer
Mariscal Sucre International Airport [UIO]
Casa Gangotena Hotel
Check-in to Casa Gangotena Hotel
Included:
Private Bilingual Guide
Private Transportation
Excluded:
Meals
Personal expenses
Any extra not mentioned
Day notes
Our city tour begins at downtown, passing through the modern section of Quito towards the city's historic district. Sit in Independence Square, flanked by the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace and City Hall. Stroll past El Sagrario Church and marvel at the exquisite stone facade of La Compañía Church. Visit the San Francisco Church, built over the ruins of an Inca Palace in the 16th century. Ride up the road to the Panecillo or the Itchimbia hills for a breathtaking view of Quito.
After this special activity you will be driven to the Cafe Plaza Grande where you will have prepared another wonderful activity “Cooking Classes”, here you will have the opportunity to learn how to cook a typical Ecuadorian dish, a professional chef will be your teacher in this activity who will show you how to prepare "ceviche" and our famous "helado de Paila" (it is an ice cream made with fresh typical pulp fruits with rudimentary Ecuadorian tools, it is considered one of the most famous food in Ecuador). The Chef will tell you how to prepare the fish, shrimps, and all together will be served with a special sauce for ceviche made with tomato, onions, coriander, lemon juice, orange juice, and more spices. Once the ceviche is ready, you will continue with the Helado de Paila, where you will have to shake the pulp on a bronze recipient until getting the special flavor and distinctive of this typical ice cream. The lunch will be served after this activity.
Continue to the Equatorial Monument, built as a tribute to the French scientists who determined the shape of the earth in the 1700s. Visit the Ethnographic Museum inside the monument, where the colorful way of life of the different ethnic groups of Ecuador is on display, or visit the Intiñan interactive museum, which shows the different theories of the Incas in determining the middle of the world.
Included:
Breakfast and Lunch
Excluded:
Dinner
Personal expenses
Any extra not mentiond
Day notes
After breakfast at the hotel you will be picked up at 08:00am and driven from Quito via North Pan American Highway towards Cayambe, where our first stop will be at Quitsato Sundial, this is located exactly on the equator, as its gnomon to cast a shadow. From this huge clock face, a compass rose of light stones inlaid into dark allows you (or one of the guides on hand, at least), not only to read the time, but also the month, while other features indicate the solstices and equinoxes. The words “quitsa to” mean “centre of the world” in the language of the Tsáchila people, and one of the goals of the monument is to link Ecuador’s modern identity as an equatorial nation to the ancient cultures of the region.
After that we will be driven to visit Huarmi Maqui. Huarmi Maqui was born with the purpose of uniting a group of women artisans to show their high quality products but not only to sell them but to show how each one makes the effort and the meaning of each one of his garments doing it in an autochthonous way that will lead us to understand how the Ecuadorian Indigenous of the Sierra Region lived before, surely you will fall in love with their crafts and clothes that are characterized by their colorful and elegant dress. Here we will have the opportunity to share a special lunch with Mrs. Natico, she is the representative of the Huarmi Maqui Cooperative.
Lunch will be served at local hacienda.
Then we will continue to visit the Condor Park located at the summit of Curiloma, a magical place with one of the most breathtaking landscapes of the Ecuadorian Andes, this wildlife refuge and educational park is home to majestic Andean Condors (Vultur gryphus) and other spectacular Andean birds of the área.
Finally you will be driven back to Quito.
Included:
Breakfast and Lunch
Excluded:
Dinner
Personal expenses
Any extra not mentioned
Day notes
After breakfast you will picked up and driven to the airport for taking the flight to Galápagos.
Extraordinary exploring activities await our young travellers (ages 6-12) on Galapagos expeditions on board Santa Cruz II
And that’s the reason for this shout out to our youngest travellers. No need to be bored on a family vacation when you have the Pirates Aboard Programme. Our youthful participants jump into “kid-style” fun activities for a better understanding and appreciation of the amazing biodiversity of this enchanted archipelago. The captivating cruise programme has the smallest members of the family living the pirate life while exploring the coolest islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Pirates Aboard engages guests ages 6-12 with educational activities that delve deep into the fascinating wildlife paradise that surrounds them. All young pirates are handed a draw-string bag on arrival containing an array of materials. These include an Activity Book – with colouring and drawing pages, games, and educational texts. The book was specially designed by illustrators in conjunction with our staff expedition teams. Young pirates also receive colouring pencils.
True to our mission of making everyone welcome and comfortable on board, all our boats offer special kid-style menus, children’s books, DVDs and games in the libraries, and visits to the bridge to spend time with the Captain and navigators.
Our on-board staff can arrange treasure hunts, cookery classes, towel-sculpting, panga rides, handicraft and postcard-making workshops and quizzes for the young ones.
The Galapagos Islands are a dream destination for families traveling together, especially those who enjoy the outdoors, with plenty to see on exciting excursions on land and at sea.
Baltra Island/Mosquera
We arrive by plane at Baltra Island and transfer to the dock to board the Santa Cruz II where we receive our welcome introductory briefing, boat drill and lunch.
Cerro Dragón (Dragon Hill) (Santa Cruz Island)
The north shore of Santa Cruz hosts the fascinating landscapes of Cerro Dragón (Dragon Hill). The first part of our walk passes a brackish-water lagoon frequented by shorebirds, ducks and flamingos, while further inland, the trail offers a beautiful view of the bay and the western islands of the archipelago, as well as the chance of observing land iguanas.
Check-out from Casa Gangotena Hotel
Overnight Cerro Dragon
Transfer from Casa Gangotena Hotel to Mariscal Sucre International Airport [UIO]
Transfer
Casa Gangotena Hotel
Mariscal Sucre International Airport [UIO]
Scheduled Flight from Mariscal Sucre International Airport [UIO] to Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport [GPS]
Scheduled Flight
Mariscal Sucre International Airport [UIO]
Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport [GPS]
Transfer from Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport [GPS] to Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport [GPS]
Transfer
Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport [GPS]
Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport [GPS]
Cruise from Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport [GPS]
Cruise
Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport [GPS]
Baltra Harbour
Included:
Breakfast at hotel in Quito
Lunch and Dinner onboard
Excluded:
Personal expenses
Any extra not mentioned
Day notes
Punta Vicente Roca (Isabela Island)
After breakfast, we explore the coast by panga, while our naturalist guide explains the dramatic geology of the area, a nesting place for several Galapagos highlights: flightless cormorants, Galapagos penguins, fur seals, boobies, etc. Depending on weather conditions, we can snorkel along the cliffs of this area rich in marine life, seasonally-visited by green sea turtles and oceanic sun fish (Mola mola)
Punta Espinoza (Fernandina Island)
The afternoon is dedicated to exploring the youngest island of the archipelago, Fernandina, which, having no introduced mammals, boasts a unique environment with a very high density of marine iguanas, who share their space with sea lions, Sally light-foot crabs, hawks, penguins and the flightless cormorants.
Overnight Punta Vicente Roca
Overnight Espinoza Point
Included:
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner onboard
Excluded:
Personal expenses
Any extra not mentioned
Day notes
Puerto Ayora and the Charles Darwin Research Station (Santa Cruz Island)
In the morning, we disembark (dry landing followed by a brief bus ride) for our visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station’s giant tortoise Breeding Centre within an impressive giant prickly-pear cactus forest, home to many land birds. These are the headquarters of scientific investigation, conservation and the National Park administration. Following our visit, we board our transport to enjoy lunch in the cooler highlands of Santa Cruz Island, a completely different ecosystem.
Santa Cruz Island
We have several options available for the afternoon, which can be discussed in advance with your Expedition Leader. Options include beach walks, kayaks, walks along the tortoise reserve, etc. At the end of the afternoon’s activities, we return to Puerto Ayora and embark on the Santa Cruz II.
Overnight Charles Darwin Research Station
Included:
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner onboard
Excluded:
Personal expenses
Any extra not mentioned
Day notes
Baroness Tower - Post Office Bay (Floreana Island)
After breakfast, panga ride along the maze of channels on Floreana’s north shore can be enjoyed. We follow this visit by continuing to Baroness Cove with its breathtaking views of Floreana. We land at Post Office Bay to visit the historic barrel that has served as a post office in the archipelago for over two centuries and where postcards are traditionally left for guests from other vessels to hand-deliver to their destinations. Snorkelling off the beach. We then head back on board for lunch.
Champion Islet – Punta Cormorant (Floreana Island)
Following lunch and a siesta, we take the pangas and glass-bottom boat to explore the underwater wonders around Champion Islet, an extinct shield volcano, regarded as one of the best snorkelling spots in the archipelago. From there, it’s on to Punta Cormorant, beginning with a wet landing on the olivine-crystal beach for an easy walk that includes a brackish-water lagoon where bird species such as greater flamingos, pintail ducks, common stilts, herons, sandpipers, and others gather. We continue our walk over to a white-sand beach, where sea turtles emerge from the sea at night to nest (from December to May).
Overnight Post Office Bay
Overnight Cormorant Point
Included:
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner onboard
Excluded:
Personal expenses
Any extra not mentioned
Day notes
Baltra Island
We disembark at Baltra Island to transfer to the airport to take the flight back to the mainland.
Upon arrival in Quito Airport you will be assisted for taking the international flight home.
Disembark from Santa Cruz II Cruise
Transfer from Baltra Harbour to Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport [GPS]
Transfer
Baltra Harbour
Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport [GPS]
Scheduled Flight from Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport [GPS] to Mariscal Sucre International Airport [UIO]
Scheduled Flight
Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport [GPS]
Mariscal Sucre International Airport [UIO]
Included:
Breakfast
Excluded:
Lunch and Dinner
Personal expenses
Any extra not mentioned
