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19-Day The Sierra, the Amazon & the Galapagos

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Overview

Experience the Sierra, the Amazon, and the Galapagos Islands on this amazing trip that combines the ultimate trio of Ecuadorian regions!

Within almost three weeks, you will compose a true symphony of unforgettable souvenirs and fully understand the extreme diversity of geographic features across Ecuador. We will start with a day in Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and then quickly move on to tour the Amazon Jungle along the Cuyabeno River.

We will move into the Andes to visit the Otavalo Market and hike around the Cuicocha Lake and in the Cotopaxi National Park. Then, you will fly to the Galapagos Islands for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see the diverse wildlife that Darwin analysed and see the picturesque natural settings where they live.

We promise that this trip will be the best cocktail of Ecuadorian flavours!
Culture & Arts
Outdoors & Nature
Hiking & Trekking
Diving
Sightseeing
Beach & Sea

Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival In Quito

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Arrival In Quito

You will arrive in Quito and be provided with private transport from the airport to the hotel. Relax for the rest of the evening after your travels.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Hotel San Francisco de Quito3 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre to Hotel San Francisco de Quito

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Quito

Day 2

Quito Historic Centre Mitad del Mundo

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Quito Historic Centre Mitad del Mundo

Today you will visit Quito's historic centre. We will begin early in the morning to have enough time to see the highlights of the city. We will go to a viewpoint for a great view of Quito and we will visit the beautiful centre area that is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. We will also go to the Middle of the World monument where you can place each foot in a different hemisphere!

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Hotel San Francisco de Quito3 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Quito City Tour

    El Panecillo

    Church and Monastery of San Francisco

    Cathedral of Quito

    Carondelet Palace

    Quito Mitad del Mundo

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Hotel San Francisco de Quito to Historic Center of Quito

    Private Driver from Historic Center of Quito to Hotel San Francisco de Quito

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Quito

Day 3

Lago Agrio and Jamu Lodge

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Lago Agrio and Jamu Lodge

Travel from Quito to Lake Agrio. Then, after two to three hours of navigation on the Cuyabeno River, you will reach Jamu Lodge in the afternoon. Take a little time to rest after the trip, and then we can go for a swim in the lagoon and watch the sunset.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Jamu Lodge

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Jamu Lodge Day One

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Hotel San Francisco de Quito to Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre

    Plane from Quito to Lago Agrío

    Bus from Lago Agrío to Cuyabeno

    Boat from Lago Agrío to Jamu Lodge

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Quito

    Sucumbíos Province

Day 4

Jamu Lodge Trekking

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Jamu Lodge Trekking

Tour the Amazon in the primary forest for three or four hours whilst your guide explains how this complex tropical ecosystem works. In the afternoon, we will have a swim in the lagoon and watch the sunset. With a little luck, you can observe the pink river dolphins or an anaconda sunbathing in a tree. You will return to the camp for dinner, and then take a night canoe ride to look for caimans.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Jamu Lodge

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Jamu Lodge Day Two

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Sucumbíos Province

Day 5

Jamu Lodge and Puerto Bolivar

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Jamu Lodge and Puerto Bolivar

After breakfast, we will depart for the Siona Community of Puerto Bolivar, the largest ethnic group in the Reserve. A visit to the local shaman is also included. He will explain more about life in the jungle. Afterwards, we will return to the lodge for a nocturnal hike through the primary forest in search of insects, spiders, geckos or scorpions, and listen to the night sounds of the jungle.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Jamu Lodge

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Jamu Lodge Day Three

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Sucumbíos Province

Day 6

Birdwatching at Jamu Lodge and Otavalo

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Birdwatching at Jamu Lodge and Otavalo

Finish touring the Amazon with an early bird-watching excursion in the morning before travelling back to Quito. Then, you will take a private transfer to Otavalo and check-in to your hotel for the evening. This is a long day of travelling, so when you arrive, you can take some rest.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Hacienda Pinsaqui4 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Jamu Lodge Day Four

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Boat from Jamu Lodge to Cuyabeno

    Bus from Cuyabeno to Lago Agrío

    Plane from Lago Agrío to Quito

    Private Driver from Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre to Hacienda Pinsaqui

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Sucumbíos Province

    Imbabura Province

Day 7

Cuicocha Lake, Cotacachi and Otavalo Market

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Cuicocha Lake, Cotacachi and Otavalo Market

Visit of the Cuicocha lake in the ecologic reserve of "Cotacachi - Cayapas", one of the most beautiful in Ecuador with amazing blue water. Stop in Cotacachi, Ecuador's leading artisan manufacturer of leather goods. Then, we will visit the morning of the famous Otavalo's Indigenous market, the most significant in Ecuador's Andes. Finally, you will reach the San Clemente autonomous community, down the Imbabura volcano, where you will spend the night.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    San Clemente Community Accommodation2 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Cuicocha Lake

    Cotacachi

    Otavalo Market

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Hacienda Pinsaqui to Cotacachi

    Private Driver from Cotacachi to Ibarra

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast and dinner

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Imbabura Province

    Cotacachi

    Otavalo

    Ibarra

Day 8

San Clemente Community

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San Clemente Community

You will spend the day in the community of San Clemente. You will have the chance to spend time with the local people to learn about their way of life. Take hikes to see their natural healing practices and guinea pig rearing. Then, spend the night in one of the San Clemente accommodations with a local family.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    San Clemente Community Accommodation2 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    San Clemente Community

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Ibarra

Day 9

Peguche Waterfall and Cotopaxi Park Horseback Riding

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Peguche Waterfall and Cotopaxi Park Horseback Riding

You will visit the village of Peguche, with its sacred waterfall and its Andean music instrument fabrication workshops. You may see a local music session and weavers fast at work while we pass through. You will then get back on the road to pass Quito and reach Cotopaxi National Park to go horseback riding.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Chilcabamba Mountain Lodge3 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Peguche

    Cotopaxi Horseback Riding

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Ibarra to Waterfall Peguche, Otavalo

    Private Driver from Waterfall Peguche, Otavalo to Chilcabamba Mountain Lodge

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Ibarra

    Imbabura Province

    Pichincha

Day 10

Cotopaxi National Park

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Cotopaxi National Park

Today visit the Cotopaxi National Park with Ecuador's second-highest summit at 5897 metres. It is also the highest active volcano in the world. We will walk around the Limpiapungo lagoon and learn about the local flora and fauna of the area.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Hostal Mama Hilda

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Cotopaxi National Park

    Laguna de Limpiopung

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Cotopaxi to Hostal Mama Hilda

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Pichincha

    Cotopaxi Province

    Chugchilán

Day 11

Laguna Quilotoa

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Laguna Quilotoa

Visit Quilotoa Lake today. The emerald-coloured Quilotoa Lake (3854 m) lays in a still active volcano, its colour is due to the presence of sulfur. If you wish, you can take a walk to the lagoon or simply enjoy the view from the top of the crater.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Hotel Bambú5 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Laguna Quilotoa

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Hostal Mama Hilda to Quilotoa Lake

    Private Driver from Quilotoa Lake to HOTEL BAMBÚ

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Chugchilán

    Cotopaxi Province

    Riobamba

Day 12

Nariz del Diablo and Ingapirca

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Nariz del Diablo and Ingapirca

Get ready for an early start today as we board a train in Alausi to pass through the Nariz del Diablo. The train is more modern than the former trains, and the trip is very safe. You will pass by the "Nariz del Diablo" (Devil's nose) with successive Andean landscapes of highlands, forests, deep gorges, and locals along the way. We will be back on the road in the afternoon to travel to Ingapirca, a site where the rock is full of legends and history.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Felicia Hotel & Suites

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Train Nariz del Diablo

    Ingapirca Ruins

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from HOTEL BAMBÚ to Alausi

    Private Driver from Alausi to Cuenca

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Riobamba

    Alausi

    Cañar Province

    Cuenca

Day 13

Cuenca

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Cuenca

Today, you will visit the historic city of Cuenca with its great examples of Spanish colonial Renaissance architecture. Then, we will tour a Panama hats workshop established in Cuenca more than 60 years ago. You can observe the different stages of the hats' fabrication, an Ecuadorian speciality.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Felicia Hotel & Suites

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Cuenca Historic Centre

    Panama Hat Museum

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Cuenca

Day 14

Cajas Park and Guayaquil

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Cajas Park and Guayaquil

You will continue to the Western mountain range to Cajas National Park from Cuenca, where you will enjoy stunning views over the many lakes of this protected area. Then, journey onward to reach Guayaquil, Ecuador's biggest city and economic capital. Down from the mountains, you will pass by fertile lowlands with huge orchards and banana plantations before arriving in Guayaquil.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Grand Hotel Guayaquil4 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    El Cajas National Park

    Las Peñas

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Felicia Hotel & Suites to Parque Nacional Cajas

    Private Driver from Parque Nacional Cajas to Guayaquil

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Cuenca

    Azuay

    Guayaquil

Day 15

Travel to the Galapagos and Santa Cruz Highlands

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Travel to the Galapagos and Santa Cruz Highlands

Travel from Quito to the Galapagos Islands today. You will arrive at the Baltra Airport, and then take a tour to see the Santa Cruz Highlands. The highlands offer amazing views of the surrounding areas and also the chance to see local wildlife like the vermilion flycatcher, the elusive Galapagos rail and the paint-billed crake.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Hotel Dejavu3 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Santa Cruz Highlands

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Grand Hotel Guayaquil, an Ascend Hotel Collection Member to Aeropuerto Internacional José Joaquín De Olmedo

    Plane from Guayaquil to Baltra Island

    Private Driver from Baltra Island to Hotel Dejavu

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Guayaquil

    Galápagos Islands

    Puerto Ayora

Day 16

Tintoreras Rock and Concha de Perla

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Tintoreras Rock and Concha de Perla

You will travel from Santa Cruz to Isabela Island aboard a public speedboat this day. You will visit "Tintoreras", which are small volcanic rock islands that in front of Puerto Villamil. They are named from the shark population "tintorera" that are abundant in the turquoise waters bordering these islands.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Volcano Hotel3 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Las Tintoreras Islet

    Concha de Perla

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Boat from Santa Cruz Island to Isabela Island

    Private Driver from Puerto Villamil to Volcano Hotel

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Puerto Ayora

    Ecuador

    Puerto Villamil

Day 17

Puerto Villamil and Rose Cape

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Puerto Villamil and Rose Cape

You will visit Los Tuneles, one of the best places to practice diving since it offers calm, transparent waters. This area is unique because it has geological formations made up of lava, which over time formed a large number of arches and tunnels in and out of the water.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Volcano Hotel3 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Diving in Los Tuneles of Lava

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Volcano Hotel to Puerto Villamil

    Private Driver from Puerto Villamil to Volcano Hotel

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Puerto Villamil

    Ecuador

Day 18

Suggested Visit to Tortuga Bay

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Suggested Visit to Tortuga Bay

You will travel from Isabela to Santa Cruz aboard a public speedboat. There aren't any planned activities today, but we would suggest you visit Tortuga Bay, a beautiful beach of white sand. It has its name because it is the place where the black tortoise lay their eggs. You will be able to see the white tail shark, iguanas, mangroves and flamingos. It is a great place to see birds.

  • accommodation icon
    Accommodation

    Hotel Dejavu3 star

    Note: We will endeavor to book the aforementioned hotels. If, however, we are unable to secure them due to circumstances out of our control, we will replace them with hotels of similar value and standard.
  • activities icon
    Activities

    Tortuga BayOptional Activity

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Boat from Isabela Island to Santa Cruz Island

    Private Driver from Puerto Ayora to Hotel Dejavu

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Puerto Villamil

    Ecuador

    Puerto Ayora

Day 19

Return to Quito and Travel Onward

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Return to Quito and Travel Onward

Depart from the Galapagos Islands today and return to mainland Ecuador for your onward flight.

  • transportations icon
    Transportations

    Private Driver from Hotel Dejavu to Baltra Island

    Plane from Baltra Island to Quito

  • meals icon
    Meals

    Breakfast

  • destination icon
    Destinations

    Puerto Ayora

Included in Price

  • 18 nights accommodation
  • 29 activities
  • 18 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 5 dinners
  • Airport transfer
  • Domestic flights
  • Entrance fees
  • Ground transportation
  • Licensed English speaking guides

Not Included in Price

  • Alcohol beverages
  • Entry visas / airport departure tax
  • Gratuities
  • International flights
  • Laundry
  • Personal expenses
  • Travel insurance
  • Trekking permits
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