Itinerary
- Day 1
Quito
You'll arrive in Quito and have the rest of the day open if you get in early. The Old Town has roughly 30 churches scattered throughout if you want to walk around and check things out. This evening there's a welcome meeting at 5 or 6 pm where you'll meet your local leader and the other travelers, followed by dinner at a small local restaurant with traditional Ecuadorian food.
- Meals
- Dinner (Traditional Ecuadorian cuisine at a small local restaurant including dishes such as locro (traditional potato soup), quinoa, pork and vegetable dishes cooked with herbs, lemongrass and rich sauces)
Optional Activities
- Explore Old Town Quito
- Visit churches in Old Town (30 available)
Landmarks/POIs Old Town Quito - Day 2
Quito to Galápagos
Start very early, possibly 4 am depending on flight times, and head to the airport with a boxed breakfast during the transfer. After landing at Isla Baltra, you'll get on the cruise ship M/Y Queen Beatriz and settle into your cabin. Lunch happens onboard, then in the afternoon you'll sail to Punta Carrión for snorkeling where you might see blue-footed boobies, herons, rays and white-tipped reef sharks. The evening features a welcome cocktail and crew presentation.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Boxed breakfast on the way to airport), Lunch
Included Activities
- Snorkelling at Punta Carrión (1 hour)
- Welcome cocktail and crew presentation onboard
Landmarks/POIs Mariscal Sucre International Airport Isla Baltra Punta Carrión Itabaca Channel - Day 3
Isla Isabela
You'll wake on Isla Isabela's south coast. Check out Las Tintoreras to see white-tipped reef sharks, blue-footed boobies, penguins, marine iguanas and crabs. Walk through the lava flows and then explore the mangrove lagoon path to reach the Arnoldo Tupiza Giant Tortoise Breeding Center where you can see tortoises at different life stages and spot flamingos. Later you can either swim at the beach or shop in Puerto Villamil.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Las Tintoreras visit (1.5 hours) - Dry Landing
- Arnoldo Tupiza Tortoise Breeding Center including Flamingo Lagoon (2 hours) - Dry Landing
Optional Activities
- Swimming at the beach
- Shopping in Puerto Villamil
Landmarks/POIs Isla Isabela Las Tintoreras Arnoldo Tupiza Tortoise Breeding Center Puerto Villamil - Day 4
Isla Floreana
You'll explore Isla Floreana and its wildlife. Take a panga ride around the bay looking for marine iguanas, sea lions and crabs. Head to Post Office Bay where 18th century whalers left a barrel for mail and you can post your own letter or look for one to deliver. Snorkel with sea turtles and spot pink flamingos and water birds. Snorkel at Devil's Crown, an old volcanic cone with sea lions and colorful fish. Finish at Punta Cormorant with its distinctive olive-green beach made of olivine crystals.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Post Office Bay - Walk (1.5 hours) - Wet Landing
- Post Office Bay snorkelling (45 mins)
- Devil's Crown snorkelling (1 hour)
- Punta Cormorant walk (1.5 hours) - Wet Landing
Optional Activities
- Snorkelling with sea turtles
Landmarks/POIs Isla Floreana Post Office Bay Devil's Crown Punta Cormorant - Day 5
Isla Santa Cruz
You'll wake on Isla Santa Cruz. Visit Puerto Ayora and the Charles Darwin Research Station to see giant tortoises, baby tortoises and land iguanas. Then head into the highlands for a different landscape, traveling through agricultural areas into misty forests. You'll see endemic plants like miconia bushes and scalesia along with inactive volcanic cones. Watch for giant tortoises in their natural setting and the bright red feathers of vermillion flycatchers.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Charles Darwin Research Station (1 hour) - Dry Landing
- Highlands Visit (1.5 hours) - Dry Landing
Landmarks/POIs Isla Santa Cruz Puerto Ayora Charles Darwin Research Station 
- Day 6
Isla Santa Fe and Plaza Sur
Isla Santa Fe has lots of sea lions and good snorkeling spots. You'll see Galapagos hawks, land iguanas, finches, mockingbirds, marine turtles, frigatebirds, doves and lava lizards. After snorkeling, hike a coastal trail into the opuntia forest under the largest trees in the Galapagos. Later sail to Plaza Sur and follow a trail past one of the largest land iguana populations. Walk through cacti and volcanic landscapes with bright red and green colors. Watch for tropicbirds, swallow-tailed gulls and male sea lions on the southern cliffs.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Isla Santa Fe - Panga ride (45 mins)
- Isla Santa Fe - Walk (1.5 hours) - Wet Landing
- Isla Plaza Sur - Walk (2 hours) - Dry Landing
Landmarks/POIs Isla Santa Fe Plaza Sur - Day 7
Isla Española
You'll wake on Isla Española, the southernmost island with nearly all 12,000 pairs of waved albatrosses on Earth. Walk a trail past sea lions and marine iguanas heading to the water through booby colonies. Visit Punta Suarez with a clifftop viewpoint over boobies, frigates and sea lions. Watch albatrosses use the cliffs as a runway with help from southeast winds, and if you're lucky see their elaborate courtship rituals. End the day at Bahía Gardner's white sandy beach with good snorkeling among reef sharks, turtles, sea lions and tropical fish.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Isla Española - Punta Suarez - Walk (3 hours) - Dry Landing
- Isla Española - Bahía Gardner - Walk (1 hour) - Wet Landing
- Isla Española - Bahía Gardner - Snorkel (1 hour)
Landmarks/POIs Isla Española Punta Suarez Bahía Gardner 
- Day 8
Isla San Cristóbal
This morning head to Punta Pitt on Isla San Cristóbal's eastern end and walk to the top of the volcanic hill for expansive views. See blue-footed boobies, frigates and various seabirds. Sail to León Dormido, a 150m basalt volcanic crater in the sea resembling a sleeping lion with a narrow channel dividing it. Circumnavigate the rock to spot tropicbirds, marine iguanas and sea lions. Later visit tiny Isla Lobos off San Cristóbal's coast to watch sea lions playing in shallow water and spot blue-footed boobies and marine iguanas.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Isla San Cristóbal - Punta Pitt - Walk (2 hours) - Wet Landing
- San Cristóbal - León Dormido (Kicker Rock)
- Isla San Cristóbal - Isla Lobos - Walk (1 hour) - Dry Landing
Landmarks/POIs Isla San Cristóbal Punta Pitt León Dormido (Kicker Rock) Isla Lobos 
- Day 9
Isla San Cristóbal
Visit the San Cristóbal Interpretation Center, an information hub about the archipelago's history and geography from volcanic origins to now. Check out exhibits on the discovery and colonization of the Galapagos and current conservation issues. You'll have some free time for shopping before lunch when new travelers join the tour. In the afternoon, take a bus trip to Galapaguera of Cerro Colorado in the highlands where the national park runs a breeding program for tortoises. See giant tortoises and learn about their origin, evolution and threatened future.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Isla San Cristóbal - Interpretation Center Visit (1 hour) - Dry Landing
- Isla San Cristóbal - Highlands Walk (1.5 hours) - Dry Landing
Optional Activities
- Shopping in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
Landmarks/POIs San Cristóbal Interpretation Center Galapaguera of Cerro Colorado - Day 10
Isla Bartolomé and Isla Santiago
Bartolomé is one of the most striking volcanic landscapes in the Galapagos with parasitic spatter cones, lava flows, Galapagos penguins and lava lizards. Visit Pinnacle Rock, one of the most photographed sites and a distinctive tooth-shaped protrusion overlooking two golden bays. Hike to the top of a once-active volcano with 360 wooden steps for views across Sullivan Bay on Santiago Island and you might spot a Galapagos hawk. Optionally snorkel with tropical fish, starfish, white-tipped reef sharks, rays and penguins. The afternoon brings a sail to Bahía Sullivan on James Island where you'll walk on Pahoe-Hoe lava from an 1897 eruption.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Isla Bartolomé - Walk (1.5 hours) - Dry Landing
- Isla Bartolomé - Panga ride (30 mins)
- Isla Santiago - Sullivan Bay - Walk (1.5 hours) - Dry Landing
Optional Activities
- Isla Bartolomé - Snorkelling (1.5 hours)
Landmarks/POIs Isla Bartolomé Pinnacle Rock Sullivan Bay Isla Santiago Bahía Sullivan 
- Day 11
Isla Santiago
Espumilla Beach on Isla Santiago's northern coast is an important nesting site for marine turtles. See Galapagos hawks up close, ghost crabs, blue-footed boobies diving for fish and brown pelicans. The area has Palo Santo forest and lava formations. Visit Caleta Bucanero, a natural monument with rocks from sea erosion where pirates once careened ships and where Darwin camped for nine days. Snorkel if conditions allow. Later sail to Puerto Egas on the black-sand beach with hundreds of marine iguanas and sea lions, plus tidal pools with sponges, snails, crabs, barnacles and fish.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Isla Santiago - Espumilla Beach - Panga ride or Snorkelling (45 mins)
- Isla Santiago - Buccaneer's Cove - Panga Ride (45 mins)
- Isla Santiago - Puerto Egas - Walk (1.45 hours) - Wet Landing
- Isla Santiago - Puerto Egas - Snorkelling (1 hour)
Landmarks/POIs Espumilla Beach Caleta Bucanero (Buccaneer Cove) Puerto Egas - Day 12
Galápagos to Quito
Flights leave mid-morning so you'll need an early start on your last day on the islands. Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station before heading to the airport for your flight back to Quito. Tonight you may want to go out with your group for a farewell dinner and toast to the adventure you've had.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Charles Darwin Research Station (final visit)
Optional Activities
- Farewell dinner with group
Landmarks/POIs Charles Darwin Research Station - Day 13
Quito
No activities are scheduled for today as your adventure finishes after breakfast. You're welcome to stay in Quito and explore the city at your own pace if you'd like. Contact your booking agent beforehand if you need help arranging extra accommodation to extend your stay.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Explore Quito
