This holiday visits the places ticked below. You can design your own itinerary by adding destinations. Select the destinations you would like and click the red button to see full details of the holiday you have chosen.
Day 1 (Wednesday) Quito Fly from UK to Quito. You are met at the airport and escorted to your hotel (3 nights).
Day 2 (Thursday) Quito Take the optional Colonial Quito excursion and discover the charms of the old city.
Day 3 (Friday) Quito Join the optional Otavalo excursion, travelling through the volcanoes, then explore the famous indigenous market of Otavalo.
Day 4 (Saturday) Galapagos, Santa Cruz morning flight from Quito to the Galapagos. Transfer to the Explorer II, your home for the next 7 nights. In the afternoon, visit Cerro Dragon where often there are flamingos near the two lagoons.
Day 5 (Sunday) Bartolome, Santiago This morning, visit Bartolome, where you can climb to the summit of this volcanic island. From here, there are wonderful views. You can also snorkel in the surrounding sea, where there are sometimes penguins. In the afternoon, visit Santiago. The black lava shoreline has marine iguanas and red Sally Lightfoot crabs. You can snorkel here with fur seals.
Day 6 (Monday) Fernandina, Isabela This morning, visit Fernandina, the westernmost island. Flightless cormorants, sea lions and Galapagos penguins are common here. After lunch, visit the cliffs off Isabela, the largest of the islands, excellent for snorkelling.
Day 7 (Tuesday) North Seymour, Santa Cruz After breakfast, visit Seymour, home to many marine birds, and see marine iguanas resting in the sun. In the afternoon, visit the highlands of Santa Cruz, where you can see giant tortoises, and explore the lava tunnels.
Day 8 (Wednesday) San Cristobal In the morning, visit the tortoise breeding centre, then have free time in the to relax in a seafront cafe or buy souvenirs in the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. After lunch, visit the tuff cone of Cerro Brujo and swim with sea lions from the beach.
Days 9 (Thursday) Española Sail to Española, the most southerly island, and visit Punta Suarez, walking among the blue-footed boobies. Waved albatrosses nest here from April to November. After lunch, visit Gardner Bay, a beautiful beach with sea lions which is excellent for swimming and snorkelling.
Day 10 (Friday) Santa Cruz, Rabida In the morning, visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, where you can see the work done in the conservation of the flora and fauna of the islands. In the afternoon, visit Rabida Island, a small island with a central volcano, with red lava rocks. The clear waters are very good for snorkelling.
Day 11 (Saturday) Galapagos, Quito Your fnal excursion to Bachas beach, a beautiful sandy beach ideal for swimming, where you may see nests of sea turtles from November to February. Flamingos live in the nearby lagoons. Then transfer to the airport for your flight to Quito (3 nights).
Days 12 & 13 (Sunday & Monday) Quito Two free days in Quito. Take an optional two-day excursion to the Bellavista Cloud Forest or Papallacata Springs and Spa.
Day 14 (Tuesday) Riobamba You drive south of Quito, passing Cotopaxi, to Latacunga. After visiting the market, carry on to Chimborazo National Park, driving to the refuge at 4,800m on the highest mountain in Ecuador. You can take an optional walk up to the second refuge at 5,000m. After lunch, continue to Riobamba (1 night).
Day 15 (Wednesday) Cuenca Catch the early morning train from Riobamba to the Devil’s Nose and Alausi for an exciting journey with stunning views. From here, continue on the beautiful road to Cuenca, visiting the Inca site of Ingapirca if time allows (2 nights).
The railway track is undergoing maintenance in 2010, and some parts of the train journey are not possible. This may extend into 2011. However, we are unlikely to know the exact situation until very close to departure. If part of the railway journey is not possible, this part of the journey will be made by road. However, the descent of the Devil’s Nose is only possible by rail.
Day 16 (Thursday) Cuenca In the morning, take a short tour of Cuenca, including a visit to a Panama hat factory. Afternoon free.
Day 17 (Friday) Quito A free day in Cuenca to explore the city’s markets and plazas, or maybe just watch life go by in one of the many cafes, before flying back to Quito in the afternoon (1 night).
Day 18 (Saturday) Overnight flight to the UK.
Day 19 (Sunday) Arrival in the UK.