ECUADOR TOURS:
BEST OF QUITO & GALAPAGOS
9 Day/8 Night Program featuring QUITO - GALAPAGOS ISLANDS - OTAVALO
From $ 1249.00 Per Person in Double Occupancy (Includes Land Arrangements & Galapagos Cruise Only). Program is Locally Hosted with English Speaking Guide. Ask for our Airline Specials, too!
Day 1: HOME CITY - QUITO
Depart home city for QUITO, lovely colonial capital city of Ecuador. Meet and Greet upon arrival and transfer to your hotel.
Day 2: QUITO City Tour and “Middle of the Earth”
City Tour begins with drive along upscale residential section. View the impressive Parliament Building, whose stone mural records Ecuador’s rich history. Then stroll downtown to visit historic temples and monasteries designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Visit St. Augustine Convent, its beautiful cloisters and vast collection of paintings depicting the life of St. Augustine. Continue to Independence Plaza, flanked by the Cathedral, Presidential Palace, Municipal Building, and Archbishop’s Palace. Then to magnificent Church of San Francisco, one of the great religious Baroque style buildings in the New World. Drive 16 miles north to the Equatorial Monument marking the exact “Middle of the Earth”, and stand with one foot in each hemisphere. Visit the Ethnographic Museum and then tour nearby colonial-style town before returning to your hotel.
Day 3: QUITO – GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
Morning transfer to the airport for flight to Galapagos Islands, magnificent series of islands, 600 miles west of Ecuador, and inspiration for Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking book, The Origin of the Species.
Meeting upon arrival to Baltra and transfer to M/V Galapagos Legend for unforgettable 5 Day / 4 Night Galapagos Islands’ cruise. This modern 110 passenger vessel is fully air conditioned, has five decks, spacious public areas, and elegantly appointed accommodations including 54 exterior and 3 interior state rooms. Features aboard include swimming pool, large lecture room, 24-hour snack bar, piano bar, library and plenty of sun deck space. Expert naturalist guides on board and guided visits to the islands during your journey provide eye-opening detail on the natural history of the Archipelago and its many inhabitants.
P.M. Bartholome Island, tiny island of 1.2 square kilometers and a must see for geology buffs. Volcanic formations include lava tubes, splatter cones and cinder cones. Steep climb to summit of “Pinnacle Rock” rewards hikers with sensational panoramic views of the Archipelago.
Day 4: FERNANDINA & ISABELA ISLANDS
A.M. Punta Espinosa. Hundreds of marine iguanas adorn black rocks, sea lions dash in and out of inlets and flightless cormorants walk tipsily along beaches joined by pelicans and penguins. Marvel at the impressive and still active volcano reaching over 4600 feet in height
P.M. Punta Vicente Roca. Largest in the Archipelago, Isabela is one of the very few populated by man. Tagus Cove is a natural harbor where whalers spent the night and left their ships’ signatures painted on the rocks. On shore, there are penguins, pelicans, flightless cormorants and boobies, while inland there’s a giant tortoise nesting ground on the slopes of the Alcedo Volcano. Breathtaking scenery and exciting snorkeling among manta rays, sea turtles, sea lions, stingrays, dolphin and sunfish are yours to enjoy.
Day 5: ISABELA ISLAND
A.M. Puerto Egas, settled in the 1920’s by Norwegian sailors attempting to establish a fishing and salt factory, is currently uninhabited. Spot fur seals, once thought to be on the verge of extinction, and swim in crystal clear waters of the Grottos. Great blue herons, lava herons, oystercatchers and yellow crowned night herons share the stage with hundreds of marine iguanas.
P.M. Rabida, small island paradise with plenty to see including large- billed flycatchers, Galapagos doves and pelicans, and beautiful pink flamingos. On northern coast, swim among and observe resident sea lions on magnificent red sand beach.
Day 6: SANTA CRUZ ISLAND
This 968 square kilometer island is the 2nd largest and the most populated in the Archipelago. Its highlands are foothills of ancient volcanoes. Enjoy excellent birding including vermilion flycatcher, Darwin’s finches and elusive Galapagos rail and paint-billed crake. Visit Charles Darwin Research Center to view close up hatchlings of young tortoise and eleven surviving species of tortoise. Meet these giants face to face, and stroll among arid zone vegetation including giant prickly-pear cactus forests, salt bush and mangrove.
Day 7: BALTRA - QUITO
A.M. Bachas Beach. Enjoy free time to relax, swim or snorkel among bodysurfing sea lions and marine iguanas. Late morning transfer to Baltra Airport for flight to Quito. Meet and greet upon arrival and transfer to your hotel.
Day 8: OTAVALO MARKET
Early departure from your hotel for drive through dramatic mountain scenery en route to OTAVALO, South America’s most famous Indian market. Enjoy wonderful artisan villages en route such as Calderon, where inventive bread dough figurines are made in myriad shapes and sizes. Continue along valleys of Guayllabamba and Cayambe with their rich dairy farms and rose plantations until arriving to Otavalo. After lunch, stroll the lively market and bargain with Otavalo Indians wearing their traditional blue ponchos, white trousers and long braided hair astride stands piled high with ponchos, woolen goods, tapestries, the original “Panama” hats, sweaters, Indian jewelry and many handicrafts.
Day 9: QUITO – HOME CITY
Morning free for sightseeing, relaxing, or last minute souvenir shopping before flight homeward. At appointed time, transfer to airport for flight home.
*For more information, contact your travel agent or Festival Tours.
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