Ecuador and the Galapagos
Holiday Itinerary
Day 1: Rendezvous in the morning at Quito Airport. KE group package services begin with a walking tour of the old city. Transfer to the group hotel.
Day 2: We start with a transfer to San Pablo village and then onto Zuleta village to experience the daily life and culture of the Imbayos and Cayambe indiginoes. The area is highly scenic and we will enjoy some easy walking through the farmland. We then continue onto our hotel in Otavalo.
Day 3: Today we drive to Cuicocha, making a complete circuit of the lake on foot. There are great views of the surrounding countryside and Laguna San Pablo. We then return to our hotel in Otavalo.
Day 4: This morning we will visit the Indian market for which Otavalo is famous. After lunch in a local restaurant, we will make the drive south to the Cotopaxi National Park where we spend the night in a hotel in Lasso.
Day 5: Drive into the Cotopaxi National Park and hike the last part of the approach to the Jose Rivas Refuge (4800m / 15,750ft), starting point for climbers making the ascent of Cotopaxi. After returning to our vehicle, we transfer to Riobamba.
Day 6: We drive on a switchback mountain road to the parking area beneath the Whymper Refuge on Chimborazo, the highest mountain in Ecuador. We hike up to the refuge for great views. Then we drive to Banos on the Pamamericana Highway where we check into our hotel.
Day 7: Banos is a charming spa town perched on the edge of the Andean Plateau and overlooking the jungle. We have free time here to enjoy the amenities of the town, including the thermal pools. In the afternoon we return to Quito.
Day 8: In the morning we transfer to Quito airport for the 3 hour flight to the Galapagos Islands, landing on Baltra. Pelicans greet us as we travel by boat through Canal de Itabaca to Puerto Ayora. We visit the lava tunnels, have lunch and continue onto the island of Isabela watching the marine birds and wildlife enroute. Before dinner we swim and snorkel with the tropical fish. Hotel on Isabela.
Day 9: Today we explore Isabela, the largest of the Galapagos Islands with 2 active volcanoes. We transfer to the Sierra Negra volcano for a trek around the crater. We continue our trek to the Chico volcano through lava formations and wild landscapes. 6 to 7 hours trekking. Return to Puerto Villamil. Overnight hotel on Isabela.
Day 10: Our morning starts with a visit to the Walls of Tears (Muro de las Lagrimas) where we can also see turtles. Approx 4 hours walking. In the afternoon we visit Tintoerars Islet where we might see, amoungst other species, the White Fin Shark and marine iguanas. After some snorkelling we return to Villamil for dinner. Overnight Hotel Isabela.
Day 11: We sail for Floreana this morning (approx 2 hours). We walk for 1 hour to the discover the site of the first inhabitants of the Galapagos and then visit the turtles. After lunch at Puerto Velaco Ibarra we sail to Santa Cruz island. Dinner and overnight hotel on Santa Cruz.
Day 12: We spend the morning at the famous Charles Darwin Research Station, founded in 1961 to conserve and protect the islands. We visit "Lonesome George", the last of the Galapagos Giant Tortoises. We leave the islands, transferring the airport at Baltra and flying to Quito where we have dinner and stay overnight in a hotel.
Day 13: KE group package services end after breakfast. A complimentary group transfer to the airport is provided.
