Ecuador & Galapagos

Morning transfer to Quito Airport for a domestic flight to San Cristóbal Island. Lunch on board the boat. Afternoon visit to Tijeretas hill whose name is thanks to the frigate birds referred to locally as ‘Tijeretas’. Here, enjoy a great view of beautiful landscapes at the foot of a frigate bird nesting colony. Continue to the Galapagos Interpretation Centre to learn about the history of the Galapagos Islands from the very beginning of their volcanic origins through to today’s conservation efforts. Tour the Human History exhibit to learn about the islands’ discovery and colonisation and discover the natural history and variety of flora and fauna that make the Galapagos so fascinating. Return to the boat for dinner on board.

Enjoy the day on Española Island, one of the oldest in the archipelago. Morning visit to the white sandy beach of Gardner Bay. Spend the morning exploring on shore and snorkelling in the beautiful turquoise water at Gardner Bay. Spot young sea lions and large schools of surprisingly big tropical fish, including yellow tailed surgeonfish, king angelfish, and bump-head parrot fish. Look for white tipped reef sharks napping on the bottom.

After lunch on board, sail to the
western side of the islands to Punta Suárez, one of the richest wildlife landing sites in the Galapagos, known for its amazing bird colonies and home to the waved albatross. Dinner on board.

Land at Punta Cormorant on
Floreana Island and discover two amazingly different beaches: one with green sand, coloured by olivine crystals, and another with white sand particles known as ‘Flour Beach’. Observe flamingos and
other shore birds feeding in the
lagoon. Spot penguins and marine iguanas at the water’s edge and explore the lava tubes. End the morning snorkelling at Champion Islet where you can get up close and personal with the playful sea lion colony that reside in the waters off this tiny island. Keep an eye out for sea turtles, rays and colourful fish
swimming by.

After lunch on board, visit Post
Office Bay and learn about its unique history. In the late 18th
century, English whaling vessels
placed a barrel here to be used as a post office. Today, the box is used mainly by tourists, who may drop off and pick up unstamped letters to be carried to far destinations. Dinner on
board

Disembark in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, a scientific organisation initiated in 1964 to preserve the ecosystem of the Galapagos, and the Fausto Llerena Breeding Centre to see the iconic giant Galapagos tortoises which were brought back from the brink of extinction. A corral houses adult
tortoises and a nursery cares for the young until around age three when their shells have hardened.

Lunch on board. In the afternoon, enjoy a walk in the highlands where you might be lucky to see the Galapagos giant tortoise in its natural surroundings. See some of the amazing volcanic formations and keep an eye out for the mainly nocturnal barn owls that sometimes roost here. Dinner on board.

Today we will be visiting the beautiful and remote Genovesa Island. This northern island, famous for its red-footed booby colony, is a paradise for bird lovers. It is estimated that about 200,00 red-footed boobies live on this island. Morning visit to El Barranco or Prince Philips’s Steps after a visit by the British Monarch in 1964. El Barranco’s steep 81-foot stairway leads up to a high cliff-face that opens out onto the plateau surrounding Darwin Bay. At the top of the steps, we will meet Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, mockingbirds, and finches along the way of a palo santo trail. It will also be possible to see wedge-rumped storm petrels swarm and short-eared owls.

Lunch on board. Afternoon visit to Darwin Bay which was formed by the collapse of the flooded caldera of Tower Island, another name used for Genovesa. After landing at a small sand and coral beach, it easy to realise why this island is a bird lover paradise. Among the bird species found here, the most common are swallow-tailed and lava gulls, mockingbirds, yellow-crowned night herons, lava herons, Galapagos doves and yellow warblers. Continue on a short and flat trail to encounter red-footed booby and great frigatebird nests. Visit a tidal lagoon where sea lions swim playfully ending our path on a cliff with magnificent views of this remote part of the Galapagos. Dinner on board.

Enjoy a morning panga ride around the mangroves at Black Turtle Cove to find rich marine wildlife between the fresh and salt waters. Keep any eye out for manta rays and sea turtles in this tranquil ecosystem. Whitetip reef sharks can also be
seen gliding by. Disembark on Baltra Island and transfer to the airport for a late morning flight to Quito.

Lunch under own arrangements. On arrival in Quito, transfer to the Casona de la Ronda Hotel where a further one night is spent. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner under own arrangements.

Morning transfer to Quito Airport for a domestic flight to El Coca flying over the eastern Andes mountain range. On arrival, transfer to the port and board a boat for your river transfer to Napo Wildlife Centre, a stunning eco-lodge located in a tributary of the Napo River in the Amazon rainforest, where three nights are spent.

Picnic lunch on the boat. After
arriving at Napo Wildlife Centre, entry dock, disembark for a majestic and peaceful paddle canoe ride surrounded by trees and wildlife, paddling along a narrow creek that connects to the lake where the lodge is located. Look out for various species of monkeys as well as large birds like toucans, parrots, or even macaws. Late afternoon arrival at the lodge. Enjoy a welcome drink with an overwhelming view of the Añangu Lake. Dinner at the lodge.

An early start to reach the most
accessible parrot clay licks in Ecuador. Guests reach this destination just before parrot activity kicks off at the clay lick to ensure the best viewing experience. A total of 11 species of parrots, parakeets, and macaws can be seen on a daily basis. Later, hike along a forest trail to visit the Kichwa Community of Añangu and share time with a family on one of their many activities.

Lunch at Napo Cultural Centre with people of the Kichwa community. Return to the creek and enjoy a short hike through a Terra Firme Forest until we arrive at the second parrot clay lick. Return to the lodge for dinner.

Leave the lodge to experience an amazing view of the rainforest from a 36-metre-tall canopy tower, a great way to see the hustle and bustle of life above ground-level deep within
the Terra Firme forest. As you ascend the 12-floor tower, you pass through different levels of the forest and emerge at the top of a huge Ceiba tree. Flocks of colourful tanagers pass right through the canopy of the tree. Blue-and-yellow macaws fly past while, in nearby trees, adorable spider monkeys search for fruit. Two species of large toucans call in the early mornings and afternoons, and the life of the forest canopy is laid out before you. Birds that are virtually impossible to see from the forest floor far below are suddenly right beside you, usually oblivious to your presence.

Lunch at the lodge. Afternoon walk to discover another Terra Firme trail along primary forest where you might find lizards, colourful manakins, or the unique and endemic golden-mantled tamarin monkey. After the hike, explore the lake and creeks in a dugout canoe and enjoy a likely chance meeting
with our local giant otter family on the way. Dinner at the lodge.

Early departure from the lodge by canoe back to the Napo River. The creek may reveal new sights of giant otters, monk saki monkeys, and rare birds along the way. Once we have reached the river, you will transfer to the motorized boat to return to El Coca. On arrival in El Coca, transfer to the airport for a domestic flight to Quito.

Lunch under own arrangements. Transfer to the Casona de la Ronda Hotel where a final one night is spent. Farewell dinner at a local
restaurant.

Morning walking tour of Quito’s
colonial quarter, the largest and best preserved of South America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The stroll starts at the Independence Plaza, flanked by the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Municipal Building and the Archbishop’s Palace. Visit the temple of La Compañía de Jesús and its awe-inspiring gilded interior. Continue to the Monastery of San Francisco, one of the great religious buildings of the New World with its impressive façade and Baroque interior influenced by
Moorish style, and with the winged Virgin of Quito at its main altar.

Lunch in a local restaurant.
Group transfer to Quito Airport for suggested Iberia flights to London Heathrow via Madrid departing at 18.05 hrs.

Arrive at London Heathrow at 14.55 hrs.

N.B. Please note that this trip
does involve a substantial amount of walking and a certain level of fitness is required.