Ecuador & Galapagos Family Tour STD 12D

Our driver will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. Free time to relax and acclimatize to your new surroundings.

The visit to the Teleferico is a breath taking experience in more ways than one. The views on top of the tram are fabulous and the altitude of 4100 meters will leave anyone breathless! You can walk around and almost see every part of Quito and on a clear day you might even see the magnificent Cotopaxi in the distance.

In the afternoon you head to the Yaku water museum (closed Monday & Tuesday) where you can play, discover and investigate about the importance of water to our planet. There are a range of fun and educational activities of which the most popular one is blowing giant water bubbles!

Early start with a visit to the Equator line - stand with your family literally in the Middle of the World! We will also take you to the Inti Ñan museum where you can prove (or disprove) various scientific phenomenon that only hold true at the equator.

After the equator visit you will be transfered to Mindo where you will visit an artisan chocolate factory and get to know all of the steps of the chocolate making process, from the harvesting, fermenting, drying, roasting and grinding and of course the crucial moment of tasting is not forgotten!

Early start with a beautiful walk to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the cloudforest. If you are lucky, you will have the chance to see hummingbirds, but your guide will also point out orchids and other fauna typical to the cloudforest. You can enjoy lunch and a bathe when arriving at the picturesque waterfall.

In the afternoon you visit the Butterfly farm and admire some of the rarest and most colourful Orchids. We can end the day at the hummingbird café where you can observe spectacular hummingbirds while sipping from your coffee or fruit juice.

After breakfast you will experience and exhilarating canopy tour for approximately 2 hours (suitable for ages 7 and up with guided assistance, or without guide for over 10s). You will fly safely through the upper reaches of the cloudforest and enjoy excellent views!

After the canopy adventure our driver will transfer you back to Quito.

An early flight to the Galapagos Islands where your English-speaking guide will be waiting for you at the airport in Baltra. 

Then, a fantastic trip takes you 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 service 

…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 service 

An early morning inter-island speedboat will take you back to Puerto Ayora where our driver will meet you and immediate transfer you to Baltra Airport in time for your flight back to the mainland of Ecuador. 

Our driver will carry a sign with your name on it and welcome you at the arrivals area. You will be transferred to your hotel in the city. 

In the morning we visit the colorful Indian handicraft market on the Plaza de Ponchos where you can admire a whole range of handmade crafts such as ponchos, alpaca blankets and a variety of crafts from all over Ecuador. The hustle and bustle of this colorful market is a great experience and a great place for souvenir shopping!

After shopping time, we drive up to the Condor Park for a short visit (closed Monday & Tuesday). You are also able to see a ‘falconry’ demonstration, where a few eagles do what they do best: fly over the beautiful mountains of Otavalo!

You will be picked up at your hotel for a transfer to the airport in time for your international flight out.