Nature's Masterpiece: The Galápagos Islands and Amazon Rainforest

Welcome to Quito, a city of dramatic mountain backdrops, colonial charm, and soulful creativity. Upon arrival at the airport, we’ll arrange a private transfer for you to the Illa Experience Hotel, a beautifully restored heritage home in the historic San Marcos district. More than just a place to sleep, Illa is an immersive cultural stay that weaves in local traditions, art, and flavors—right down to daily surprise “experiences” like traditional candy-making or Andean music.

Spend the evening settling into your elegant room or enjoying the rooftop views of the city. We’ll gather for a welcome cocktail on the rooftop as the sun sets over Quito’s skyline, followed by dinner at the acclaimed La Purísima, known for its innovative take on Ecuadorian cuisine.

After a delicious Ecuadorian breakfast at the hotel, we’ll explore the heart of Quito through a curated city tour. This is no ordinary city tour, expect a multisensory journey through the UNESCO-listed Old Town, with visits to artisan workshops, centuries-old churches, and vibrant local neighborhoods that offer an insider’s glimpse into Quito’s living culture.

We’ll stop for a locally inspired lunch before continuing to the Fundación Guayasamín, home and museum of Ecuador’s most revered artist, Oswaldo Guayasamín. His emotional works highlight Latin American struggles and strength. The Quito-view museum enhances its contemplative atmosphere, with expert guides bringing Guayasamín’s story to life.

This evening, we’ll indulge in an extraordinary tasting menu at Urko, one of Latin America’s most innovative restaurants. Chef Daniel Maldonado showcases Ecuador’s biodiversity through his “Ciclo de la Vida” concept, with each dish telling a story of the country’s seasons, regions, and traditions. A truly unforgettable culinary experience.

This morning, we’ll accompany a local chef on a visit to one of Quito’s bustling markets. As we browse stalls brimming with tropical fruits, herbs, and Andean ingredients, you’ll learn how food connects to Ecuador’s identity. 

Back at Illa, we’ll step into the kitchen for a hands-on cooking class, followed by a leisurely lunch made with your own creations.

In the afternoon, enjoy free time for shopping, wellness appointments, or exploring. We’ll get dropped off at one of the city’s most picturesque squares, where we can explore artisan boutiques, galleries, and cozy cafés—perfect for picking up handcrafted treasures or simply people-watching.

This evening, we’ll gather for dinner in-house at Inés Restaurante, where the chef brings contemporary elegance to traditional flavors. It’s a relaxed and intimate setting to reflect on our Quito adventure.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel this morning, sampling fresh local fruit, warm breads, and rich Ecuadorian coffee one more time. Take in the final moments of our stay at the Illa Experience Hotel, whether it's a quiet moment on the rooftop terrace or a final stroll through the San Marcos neighborhood.

When it's time, a private transfer will bring us to the airport, where we'll meet with the rest of the group for our flight to the Galápagos. While your Quito extension may be coming to an end, this awe-inspiring adventure in Ecuador is only just beginning.

Fly into Quito's Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO). As most flights arrive late, we've included an Arrival Day, including a stay at the Marriott Quito Airport hotel with dinner. Rest and relax. We'll head to the Galápagos Islands tomorrow morning.

We'll transfer to the airport together and fly from Quito to San Cristobal Airport in the Galápagos this morning. A driver will meet us at the airport and take us to our (women-owned!) home for the week, The Ocean Spray. 

The Ecuadorian government has designated 97% of the land area of the Galápagos Islands as the country's first national park. To protect this extraordinary natural resource, access is tightly controlled. A licensed naturalist must accompany any trip ashore. We'll have one aboard as a resource for the voyage.

After a ship orientation, we'll set sail for Lobos Island and Kicker Rock. Lobos Island is aptly named after the many sea lions resting and playing along its rocky shores. It's also home to various birds, including pelicans, frigate birds, yellow warblers, and more. In the clear waters of the narrow channel, sea turtles, sea lions, stingrays, and perhaps even white-tipped sharks are easy to find.

We'll view Kicker Rock, one of the most iconic sites in the Galápagos Islands. It consists of two eroded volcanic cones towering 340 feet above the sea. Seabirds nest there, and it's a nice spot to take pictures while our dinghies circumnavigate the rock.

This morning, we'll set sail for Pitt Point, where it will feel like you’ve landed on another planet. You can observe the various stages of volcanic activity that shaped this island over time. A walk to the top offers fantastic views of the surrounding waters. Watch out for blue-footed boobies' nests on the ground, and keep an eye out for the red-footed boobies nesting in the trees once you reach the top of the island.

Then we're off to Witch Hill. We'll explore the incredible crevices and eroding rocks along the shoreline from our dinghy. Afterward, we'll visit a powdery white sand beach with teal and turquoise waters.  

Today, we'll likely see sea lions, shore birds, finches, mockingbirds, tropical fish, and crabs like the Sally Lightfoot.

Each night will culminate with a beautifully prepared meal on board our floating home, made with local ingredients.

This morning, we're off to Floreana and Post Office Bay. Centuries ago, great whaling ships, often at sea for years at a time,  would stop at Floreana for supplies. They devised a clever solution for sending mail home: they left letters in a particular place, and when passing ships stopped there on their way back to Europe or North America, they would pick up all the letters destined for their home port and deliver them. Hence, "Post Office Bay". This practice continues today! Bring a postcard to send to your home city!

After lunch, we'll head to Cormorant Point / Devil’s Crown. It's one of the finest snorkeling opportunities in the Galápagos Islands. Impressive volcanic structures that have submerged over time lie below the surface. Hundreds of colorful fish species can be seen along the reef, with diving marine iguanas, sea turtles, sea lions, and rays. It’s a beautiful underwater spectacle you don't want to miss.

In case that's not enough, just beyond the first beach is a saltwater lagoon with flamingos!

This morning's destination is Santa Cruz Island. On the north side of Santa Cruz is Black Turtle Cove, a shallow inlet surrounded by mangroves. It provides natural protection for various marine life, attracting the vulnerable juveniles of many species. Below the water's surface, you can see black-tip and white-tip reef sharks, sea turtles, golden cow-nose rays, and spotted eagle rays. Pelicans and blue-footed boobies hunt here, diving gracefully into the water.

This afternoon, we'll head to Bartholomew Island and Pinnacle Rock, a volcanic cone formed by magma expelled by an underwater volcano. The sea cooled the hot lava, and as it exploded from contact, the pieces created a massive rock of many layers of basalt. The huge rock also has a beach where a small population of green sea turtles nest during the breeding season. Galapagos penguins gather here, and swimming offers beautiful sights of colorful schools of fish and curious sea lions.

We're off to Genovesa and Darwin Bay. Centuries ago, it was a shield volcano, but now you can see where one of the sides of its caldera collapsed after hundreds of years of erosion. It's known for the wide variety of birds it houses. An estimated 20,000 red-footed boobies call this island home.

After lunch, we'll voyage to El Barranco. (In English, this site is also known as Prince Phillip’s Steps). It leads to a rocky path up a cliff that rewards the adventurous with a remarkable view. We'll wander through a Palo Santo forest, home to nesting red-footed boobies and other shorebirds.

Keep your eyes peeled for Red-footed boobies, blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, storm petrels, Galapagos doves, short-eared owls, sea turtles, rays, sea lions, and marine iguanas.

On Santiago Island, we'll head for Espumilla Beach in Buccaneer Cove. Buccaneer Cove is an excellent snorkeling destination. It was once a refuge for passing sailors and pirates, and the underwater formations provide a fantastic home for the many species of tropical fish found here.

After lunch, we'll sail to Egas Port, also known as James Bay, and home to quick-footed Galapagos lava lizards. There are grottos and tide pools that house various marine species. This is also one of the best snorkeling sites in the Galapagos.

Look out for fur sea lions, Galapagos hawks, oystercatchers, marine iguanas, finches, sharks, sea turtles, sally lightfoot crabs, and all manner of tropical fish.

Formed by uplifted submarine lava, North Seymour Island is home to a vast colony of about 2,500 land iguanas and large populations of sea lions, blue-footed boobies, common noddies, and frigatebirds. It's possible to see land and marine iguanas along the coast and the Galápagos' largest colony of Magnificent Frigatebirds.

This afternoon in Santa Cruz, we’ll head to the highlands to see the famous giant tortoises in the wild. So renowned are these endemic animals that they gave the archipelago its name. 

We'll continue to the famous Charles Darwin Research Station, offering us a unique opportunity to discover the vital work to preserve the archipelago’s ecosystems. The Research Center is also home to a significant breeding program for Galapagos tortoises, whose numbers have declined since the 1970s. These captivating reptiles are accustomed to humans, so be sure to bring your camera for some close-ups!

Mosquera Islet is between the islands of Baltra and North Seymour. It's a reef of rocks and coral (the result of an uprising) and a great white sand beach. This island has one of the largest populations of sea lions in the Galápagos. There have been occasional reports at this site of Orcas (Orcinus orca) feeding on sea lions.

After our visit to Mosquera, our trip draws to a close. We'll transfer to Baltra airport for our return flight to Quito as a group.

If you're heading home, book an evening flight from Quito or plan to stay overnight if the best flight home leaves earlier.

If you're joining the optional trip extension to the Amazon rainforest, we'll overnight at the Marriot Airport Hotel in Quito for convenience and fly out tomorrow morning.

This morning, we'll take a 30-minute commercial flight to Puerto Francisco de Orellana "El Coca". We'll be whisked from the airport to the Napo River, where we'll board a motorized canoe and head downriver to begin the unforgettable experience in the Amazon rainforest. The staff will help with our bigger luggage. You just need to take care of your carry-on items.

Our destination is La Selva, a stunning, woman-owned eco-lodge on 50 acres of rainforest. 

After a rest, time to unpack, and a briefing from one of the naturalist guides, we'll walk down the Matapalo Charapa Trail. We'll stroll under immense strangler fig and mahogany trees while our guides share their knowledge of the flora and fauna. At this time of day, soft, natural light filters through the canopy, and diurnal and nocturnal animals begin their daily transition.

After dinner, Garza Cocha Lagoon is an excellent place for a night canoe ride to search for caimans, bats, owls, and nocturnal mammals with the help of a spotlight. There are also fantastic opportunities for stargazing if the night sky is clear!

After breakfast, we'll take a 15-minute walk to La Selva's observation tower, soaring an impressive 120 feet above the forest floor. The naturalist and native guides will use a spotting scope to show us colorful birds, and perhaps even primates, as they go about their daily lives in the canopy. 

Our next stop is Mandi Cocha, about a 30-minute walk from the tower. This small lake boasts a myriad of vegetation and landscapes, displaying the beauty of the flooded forest. With some luck, we might spot the famous giant otters that make their home nearby. 

We'll break for lunch and have time to chat about all the critters and birds. 

Between daily activities, feel free to kayak in the lagoon, get a massage, take a yoga class, or relax in your room and take a nap. 

This afternoon, we'll head to the Garza Cocha Lagoon. This is one of the most beautiful lakes in the Ecuadorian Amazon. We'll have several opportunities to spot monkeys and birds. Sometimes, huge groups of squirrel monkeys join families of capuchin monkeys to look for food. Howler monkeys also like to spend the late afternoon around the lake. The hoatzin, a large, unique bird found only in pristine Amazon environments, is also easy to spot.

We'll indulge in a delicious meal at the lodge and have time to relax before bed.

After an early breakfast, we'll make our way back to the Napo River and take a motorized canoe ride to the clay lick, one of the most fascinating displays of the wild world. Hundreds of parrots and parakeets gather here to eat the mineral-rich soil, an important part of their diet.

Then we'll visit the indigenous community of Pilchi where we'll learn about how the first nations of the Amazon lived for thousands of years, including how they dress, what they eat, how they cook, and the many ways they use what the forest provides in their daily lives - a truly unique, fascinating, and fun experience!

Don’t be shy to ask questions, and bravely try some of the traditional drinks with your food! The indigenous people love to share their ancestral knowledge and spread awareness about their culture. 

After lunch, we'll take a fantastic walk on the Coto Trail to the edge of the Garza Cocha Lagoon. In the afternoon, the sun's light makes this walk an amazing experience and the perfect opportunity to enjoy the forest's beauty. The naturalist will explain the creatures we discover along the way. We'll also encounter medicinal plants that have been used for thousands of years. 

It's been a busy day. Let's relax and have a leisurely dinner.

After breakfast, we'll head to Yasuní National Park, Ecuador's largest protected area. On this adventure, we’ll visit a different clay lick where scarlet macaws and other parrot species gather to drink the sodium-rich water. Other mammals, such as deer, wild pigs, and tapirs, also come to drink water here!

Afterward, we will take a lovely walk through this incredible forest, where we will find other species of primates unique to this area. Yasuní National Park is also home to the last uncontacted Indigenous tribe in Ecuador—but since they are uncontacted, we won’t see them!

After lunch, we'll paddle down the beautiful Morete Yaku, the main creek that feeds into the Garza Cocha Lake. We'll see the difference between the Terra Firme and the swamp forest, also known as Moretal. Morete is a dominant plant species in this ecosystem. This tall palm plays a crucial role for various animal species and indigenous communities that rely on its fruit as a key energy source.

This is our last night in the Amazon. Over dinner, we'll regale each other with stories about the wonders we've experienced.

After breakfast, we'll return by boat to Coca and then by vehicle to the airport. What a spectacular trip it's been!

We'll take the short flight to Quito together, where you can connect with your return flight home. If possible, book an evening flight from Quito so you have plenty of time to connect. Otherwise, plan on flying home the next day.