Action-Packed Galapagos and Ecuador Adventure

The largest city in Ecuador and located on the Pacific coast, Guayaquil is the country's economic hub and with good flight connections, is more often than not simply a necessary stopover to or from the Galapagos. With a good selection of fine restaurants and cultural establishments, we can help you make the most of your short time here should you want to venture out.

Arriving in from your flight, you'll be met by your bilingual naturalist guide and helped with your bags.

Aboard a small boat, head to a unique place where lava flow has been impacted for many years by the oceans waves. This has formed the unique tubes, arches and bridges of Los Tuneles. This site is one of the best snorkelling spots on the island, a marine paradise for white tipped reef sharks, green sea turtles, sea lions, manta rays and parrot fish.

This morning you will drive up to the highlands where you will hike into a world of recent geological history which is the second largest active caldera on the planet. On the hike up admire the incredible views of the surrounding volcanoes and sea and then walk along the rim of this enormous thirty square mile crater.

Head out to los Humedales, to walk through all four species of mangroves that exist in the Galapagos, dotted with solitary beaches, lava tunnels, natural pools and estuaries where you can see flamingos and other birds. You will also visit the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center and see some of the lumbering reptiles out on the trails. Finally see El Muro de las Lagrimas - the Wall of Tears - a wall was built from huge blocks of lava by prisoners as a punishment when Isabela was a penal colony from 1945 to 1959.

During this tour of the Highlands of the Galapagos you will discover the numerous vegetation zones and microclimates of this area. The first stop will be a visit to crater pits where you can walk along the rims. You will also have the chance to see eerie and mysterious lava tunnels. As you drive along the misty Scalesia and Guayabillo forests look out for the wild birds that inhabit this area, as well as the wild tortoises which roam the land. You will be able to see these Galapagos Tortoises up close in their natural habitat on your final stop at the Tortoise Reserve.

Paddling around the waters of the Marine Reserve is a great way both to spot unique endemic wildlife. Birds rest on the cliffs that form the edges of the islands and sea lions and their pups lie meters away on the beaches.

Drive to an off-the-beaten-path area before switching to mountain bikes for a long down-hill glide on freshly paved roads to Garrapatero Beach. During the ride down pass little farms and ocean views and at the beach enjoy the atmosphere with hardly any other tourists around.

Take a boat out from Santa Cruz across to North Seymour Island. A low lying island that is an extraordinary place for breeding birds, and is home to one of the largest populations of nesting blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigate birds, as well as a growing population of the Galapagos land iguanas while sea lions ride the crashing waves all the way into shore.

Transfer from Quito towards Otavalo, visiting one of the most important rose farms in the Cayambe area, and the Otavalo Indian Market, famous throughout the Andes for its handcrafts, textiles and tapestries. Lunch will be served at Hacienda La Compañia, one of the oldest haciendas in the area and still a private residence.

During your time in the beautiful countryside of the Otavalo region, simply enjoy the relaxed, bucolic pace of life here and we can arrange a number of our privately guided tours for you to enjoy some traditional Ecuadorian culture.

Accompanied by your own private guide, explore the beautiful Hacienda Zuleta and the surrounding area. Make the day your own with a choice of activities, from two-hour horse rides, to hikes, cultural tours to Otavalo, and visits to a condor conservation projects, Zuleta’s cheese factory and organic hardens. Other activities, such as extended horse rides, cooking lessons and mountain biking can also be added to the day at an extra cost.