Ecuador and Galapagos holiday, tailor made
| country: | Ecuador, Galapagos Islands |
| location: | Galapagos Islands |
| departures: | This Ecuador and Galapagos holiday can be tailor made throughout the year and can be adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary |
| price: | From £1763 (12 days) excluding flights, per person based on two sharing or £2552 for a single passenger. Price includes all travel within Ecuador including domestic flights to the Galapagos Islands, listed excursions, breakfast daily and 8 lunches. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Ecuador and Galapagos holiday, tailor made
Ecuador and Galapagos holiday, tailor made: Ecuador is a small country which boasts coastline, wild jungle, stunning mountains and of course the famous Galápagos Islands.
The Andes run from north to south and are home to the capital Quito, nestled in amongst the peaks, and the colourful market town of Otavalo. Close to Quito is the cloud forest of Mindo, which is a bird watcher and botanist’s paradise and an excellent alternative to flying east into the Amazon basin. Rarely do visitors to Ecuador miss out on the trip of a lifetime – a cruise around the Galapagos. This magical archipelago is utterly unique with endemic birds and mammals, unafraid of human visitors.
Highlights of our Ecuador and Galapagos holiday:
The Andes run from north to south and are home to the capital Quito, nestled in amongst the peaks, and the colourful market town of Otavalo. Close to Quito is the cloud forest of Mindo, which is a bird watcher and botanist’s paradise and an excellent alternative to flying east into the Amazon basin. Rarely do visitors to Ecuador miss out on the trip of a lifetime – a cruise around the Galapagos. This magical archipelago is utterly unique with endemic birds and mammals, unafraid of human visitors.
Highlights of our Ecuador and Galapagos holiday:
- Explore the capital Quito with its quaint and well-conserved colonial core of cobbled plazas and alleys lined with white-washed mansions and churches.
- Visit the colourful indian market of Otavalo, great for buying gifts and people-watching.
- Walk along jungle trails and enjoy the abundance of bird life in the verdant Mindo cloud forest reserve, three hours from the capital.
- Take the thrilling train ride to Alausí including the Devil’s Nose – a breathtaking switchback perched along a cliff – before continuing to Ecuador’s second city, coastal Guayaquil.
- A ‘once in a lifetime’ visit to the Galápagos Islands – a unique ecosystem whose visits by Charles Darwin on board the Beagle contributed to his theory of evolution. Spend three nights in a hotel on Santa Cruz Island – a land-based alternative to a cruise. Experience the wide array of Galápagos wildlife, seemingly undeterred by human presence. Kayak, snorkel, hike in the mountains, visit the Charles Darwin Research station; or make yacht excursions to neighbouring islands.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive in Quito. |
| Day 2: | Full day in the countryside around Quito, speckled with adobe villages and dominated by towering snow-capped volcanoes. Visit the famous market at Otavalo and lunch at a colonial hacienda. |
| Day 3: | Day at leisure to explore the city, its quaint and well-conserved colonial core of cobbled plazas and alleys lined with white-washed mansions and churches, and perhaps visit the Equatorial monument. |
| Day 4: | Descend from the lofty capital through ever-changing vegetation to the lush Mindo cloud forest reserve, awash with orchids and legions of tropical birds. Stay at a cosy wooden lodge from which you can explore nature trails and join guided bird-watching walks. |
| Day 5: | Return by road to Quito. |
| Day 6: | Drive through rich countryside down the stately Avenue of the Volcanoes, with awe-inspiring views of Cotopaxi volcano. Spend the night in Riobamba. |
| Day 7: | The most thrilling highlight of the trip - an eye-watering train ride up and down the switchbacks of the Devil’s Nose - an almost vertical cliff - to Alausi, continuing by bus to the port of Guayaquil. |
| Day 8-10: | Fly to the Galápagos Islands and travel to Finch Bay, a small hotel located on a stunning beach on Santa Cruz Island and surrounded by mangroves. The island is populated with a wide diversity of famous Galápagos wildlife, including sea lions, marine and land iguanas, and virtually all the bird species that inhabit the archipelago. Hike, snorkel or kayak on Santa Cruz or visit neighbouring islands by yacht. |
| Day 11: | Return to Guayaquil on the coast of the mainland for one further night. |
| Day 12: | Transfer to airport for the flight back to the UK. |
tailor made holiday
This trip is run by a company which specialises in only Central and South America holidays. It can be tailormade to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by travel experts with intimate knowledge of the destination. The length of stay, standard of accommodation and even the itinerary can all be amended and tailored to suit your preferred style of travel and budget. Quality and value are the hallmark of these trips.how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment
Our company is actively engaged in supporting a variety of projects and charities in Latin America. One such project is the Galápagos Conservation Trust, a UK charity that works with key institutions in the Galápagos to ensure a sustainable future for the archipelago. Whether you are planning a visit or concerned about its conservation, we recommend you look at their website and maybe even adopt a blue-footed booby, seal pup or Galápagos tortoise! On our Ecuador and Galapagos holiday we use a local ground operator that is highly involved in the conservation of both mainland Ecuador and the Islands - so much so that it founded the Galápagos Islands Foundation. The initiative involves assuring a bright future for the islands’ fragile ecosystem through the education and training of the local community as well as coastal cleanups and a recycling project. Hotel Finch Bay is eco-focused with water provided from its desalinisation plant, and a waste recycle and recycling program. Also by staying on Santa Cruz Island rather than offshore on a boat, the local economy in Puerto Ayora benefits directly from your custom. On the mainland too, the hotels in Quito and Guayaquil are centrally located with plenty of restaurants, cafés and shops on your doorstep. Community Local markets such as Otavalo are thriving social meeting places where all and sundry is bought and sold – from fruit and veg to boldly-painted wooden masks and colourful ponchos. Not only does income from visitors go directly to the local indigenous community but tourist demand can help stimulate or even revive traditional craft-making. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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