Day 1 Quito

• “Bienvenidos a Ecuador!” or “Welcome to Ecuador!” Meet your local guide upon arrival into Quito. Quito is the second highest capital in South America with an altitude over 9,000 feet. Ecuador contains one of the most varied geographies in South America, with very distinct regions ranging from rainforests to the Andes Mountains to the Galapagos Islands.

Overnight: Quito

Day 2 Colonial Quito

• Journey back in time as you explore the largest and best-preserved historic center of Latin America: Colonial Quito. Quito was one of the first cities (along with Cracovia, Poland ) to be declared “Cultural Patrimony of Mankind.”

Overnight: Quito

Day 3 Quito - Mindo Cloud Forest - Middle of the World

• Hop back and forth onto the equator when you visit the “Middle of the World” monument.
• Discover “Mariposas de Mindo” a butterfly breeding farm – home to over 25 different species of butterflies.
• Explore the canopy of the Cloud Forest via cable zip lines and meet some of the canopy’s residents such as tanagers, flycatchers, toucans, and even hummingbirds.

Overnight: Quito

Day 4 Cotopaxi National Park

• Cotopaxi Volcano is the one of the world’s few true conical volcanoes, and it makes an impressive site in the protected park.
• Learn about the park’s inhabitants when you walk with a naturalist who will explain much of the Andean flora and fauna to you.
• Scale the slopes of the Cotopaxi Volcano to a refuge where you will have lunch.
• Learn about the geology of Ecuador’s Avenue of Volcanoes.

Overnight: Riobamba

Day 5 Inca Trail

• Enjoy an early breakfast before gearing up for your Incan adventure.
• Trek part of the Inca Trail across the Andean Highlands, around the sacred Laguna Culebrillas Lake, before setting up camp for the evening in this peaceful setting alongside the Incan ruins of Paredones.

Overnight: Camping in the Andean Highlands next to Incan ruins

Day 6 Ingapirca and Cuenca

• Continue your hiking adventure today in the Ecuadorian Andes. Your guide will tell you about the history, and the flora and fauna of the region as you take in the beautiful landscape and hike the well preserved ruins of Ingapirca.
• Visit the museum located here to learn more about the Incan culture and the Canari culture that the Incas conquered.
• Explore the sun temple and moon temple, noting sacred areas where llamas were sacrificed and the idols of the puma, snake, sun, and moon were housed

Overnight: Cuenca

Day 7 Cuenca

• Learn about the tumultuous history of colonial Cuenca, as well as its status today as the cultural and arts and crafts center of Ecuador.
• Visit the Panama hat factory for which the city is famous and learn how this iconic item is made – and yes, the Panama hat was actually created in Ecuador!

Overnight: Cuenca

Day 8 Guayaquil

• Continue down the Andean Mountains to Ecuador’s largest city, which is also the financial, commercial, and industrial center of the country. Note the changing landscape as you come down into the Pacific Lowlands.
• Explore this tropical metropolis and such sites as the Moorish clock tower and La Rotonda. Learn about when pirates attacked this city and watch the pirate ship that sails daily down the Guayas River.
• Prepare for tomorrow where you will board your early flight to the “Enchanted Islands.”

Overnight: Guayaquil

Day 9 Manglares Churute Ecological Reserve

• Arrive at the Manglares Churute Ecological Reserve and explore the Mangroves Ecosystems by boat, stopping along the way to observe wildlife, interest points, and crab fishermen working the mangrove. Our quiet boat engines allow us to get up close and personal with the local wildlife including a wide array of birds, howler monkeys, and possibly dolphins! Enjoy a typical local lunch of crab and other delicious fare.

Overnight: Galapagos Islands

Day 10 Galapagos Islands

• Board a plane on the continent and head over Pacific waters to the Galapagos Islands. You will land on San Cristobal Island. Prepare to meet park officials who will check that your luggage has not carried any plant or animal product that may damage this set of unique ecosystems.
• Receive an introduction to the natural history of the islands as preparation for your exploration of the world’s ”living science laboratory.”
• Dive into the amazingly clear waters off the Northern bay.

Overnight: Galapagos Islands

Day 11 Galapagos Islands

• Work a coffee plantation and its daily operations and learn about this profitable crop, from field to cup.
• Help out at the breeding center for giant tortoises. Projects are in place to save this amazing creature and you can do your part to help.
• Snorkel with the local sea lion colony and nursery at La Loberia. Watch for marine iguanas and other unique inhabitants. Snorkeling the Galapagos is like being dropped into a giant aquarium!
• Board your boat to take you to the beautiful beach Puerto Grande, a great place to bird watch and, as the evening progresses, star gaze.

Overnight: Camping on a Galapagos beach

Day 12 Galapagos Islands

• Discover Lobos Islet, a seasonal nesting ground for the Blue-footed Booby.
• Explore the Charles Darwin Station. Learn about the flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands before seeing Lonesome George: the last tortoise of his species. A researcher here will discuss with you their conservation and preservation efforts.
• Experience the quaint village of Puerto Ayora, popular with both sailors and sea lions.

Overnight: Galapagos Islands

Day 13 Galapagos Islands

• Journey across the waters from Isabela Island to Las Tintoreras (White Tip Reef Shark resting site), a canal where the sharks rest in the shallow water. Watch your step on the trail as marine iguanas are abundant. You might see the recently established colony of penguins at Puerto Villamil.
• Visit the “Wall of Tears.” This unfinished wall is a monument to the many conscripted convicts who toiled for this pointless structure; it served no function, other than as a demoralizing punishment for the island's prisoners.

Overnight: Galapagos Islands

Day 14 Galapagos Islands

• In the morning you will visit the highlands of Santa Cruz and the double crater Caldera de los Gemelos, which is known for its diversity of around 300 different fern species and nearby “forest” of sunflowers. While exploring the highlands of Santa Cruz, you will pass different vegetation zones, from the dry lower region full of cacti to the Scalesia forests in the humid highlands.
• Board your flight to return to Guyaquil to catch your international flight home.