AM: Transfer Quito (airport – hotel).
Welcome to Quito. A representative will welcome you and transfer you to your hotel. You will have free time to explore the city, relax and settle in.
Accommodation: In the 5-Star GO Quito Hotel / Premium Room
Itinerary ACorals-karanki
Day 1 – Welcome to Quito AM: Transfer Quito (airport – hotel). Welcome to Quito. A representative will welcome you and transfer you to your hotel. You will have free time to explore the city, relax and settle in. Accommodation: In the 5-Star GO Quito Hotel / Premium Room Day 2 – Quito Old Town […]
Day 1 - Welcome to Quito
Day 2 - Quito Old Town Tour & Middle of the World
AM: Colonial Quito.
Stroll through the busy streets and squares of the most significant historic center of the Americas: a multi-ethnic, artistic, and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
PM: The Middle of the World.
Afterward, our guide will visit the Middle of the World Complex at latitude 0*0*0. Return to the hotel for the night.
Accommodation: In the 5-Star GO Quito Hotel / Premium Room
Day 3 - Quito – Otavalo – Magdalena
Magdalena – Ibarra – Quito:
AM:
Join Magdalena locals in their morning activities, such as milking.
Next, we visit Ibarra, “La Ciudad Blanca,” Imbabura`s capital. Your guide will share its history as we admire the city’s architecture.
Our next stop is Parque Cóndor, a bird of prey rescue center. The park educates visitors about the issues that Andean condors and owls face.
PM:
Our journey continues to the Karanki-Magdalena Community, at 3,100 meters above sea level. The landscape resembles a colorful patchwork, and locals are known for their exquisite embroidery, which is available for purchasing directly from artisans.
Experience their daily life, unhurried by modern distractions. Overnight in a comfortable room with private facilities and hot water. Enjoy authentic, Andean home cooking and optional activities like horseback riding and hiking.
Meals Included: Dinner at Magdalena Home Stay
Accommodation: Magdalena Home Stay
Service and Entrance Fees Include a bilingual guide (English—Spanish), a Tour transfer, Cotacachi Lagoon, and an Andean Instruments Workshop.
Day 4 - Magdalena – Ibarra – Quito
Quito – Otavalo – Magdalena:
AM:
Driving north from Quito, we pass through various ecosystems and agricultural zones, even crossing the equator. Along the way, we taste local flavors and enjoy scenic views of volcanoes, including “El Taita” Imbabura.
At the Otavalo market, visitors can engage with locals, negotiating for woven goods, bags, hats, flutes, and other crafts.
We visit villages like Peguche, known for traditional looms and Andean instruments, and Cotacachi, famous for its leather work. Next, we explore Cuicocha Lagoon in Cotacachi Cayapas National Park. Enjoy free time for lunch with recommendations from your guide.
PM:
Our journey continues to the Karanki-Magdalena Community, at 3,100 meters above sea level. The landscape resembles a colorful patchwork, and locals are known for their exquisite embroidery, which is available for purchasing directly from artisans.
Experience their daily life, unhurried by modern distractions. Overnight in a comfortable room with private facilities and hot water. Enjoy authentic, Andean home cooking and optional activities like horseback riding and hiking.
Meals Included: Dinner at Magdalena Home Stay
Accommodation: Magdalena Home Stay
Service and Entrance Fees Include a bilingual guide (English—Spanish), a Tour transfer, Cotacachi Lagoon, and an Andean Instruments Workshop.
Day 5 - Welcome to Galapagos & Santa Cruz Island
 | AM: Welcome to Galapagos. Departure from either Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra Island is a 2 1⁄2 hour flight. Upon arrival in the Galapagos, passengers are greeted at the airport by our knowledgeable guides who will accompany them on a short ten-minute bus ride to the pier where they will board the Coral I or Coral II. PM: Punta Carrion (Santa Cruz Island). Dinghy ride at the entry of the Itabaca Channel in a lagoon with turquoise water, where we can observe sharks, blue- footed boobies, and different kinds of fish. |
Day 6 - Genovesa Island
| AM: El Barranco (Genovesa Island). Be marveled at the variety of sea life that uses the crevices of the lava cliffs for shelter. Red-billed Tropicbirds fly overhead, and a small colony of fur seals may be found near the landing site. You will be dropped off at a steep stairway that begins on rocks at the foot of a path that leads through a seabird colony full of Nazca and Red- footed Boobies. PM: Darwin Bay (Genovesa Island). From within the flooded caldera of Tower Island, we set foot onto a sandy beach to be greeted by swallow- tailed gulls often said to be the most beautiful gull in the world. In the trail we can see at nesting red-footed boobies and great frigatebirds. |
Day 7 - Rabida Island & Bartolome Island
| AM: Rabida Island. Lying at the archipelago’s heart, this dramatic island with a distinctive red-sand beach is home to sea lions, mockingbirds, finches, endemic Galapagos doves, and vermilion flycatchers. A walk takes us through a forest of palo santo and cacti to a beautiful overview of the bay. PM: Bartolome Island. Considered the most iconic landscape of the entire archipelago the view from the top of Bartolome Island, overlooking the famous Pinnacle Rock and the austere Santiago Island, Our subsequent snorkel here might put us face to face with Galapagos penguins, white- tipped reef sharks, and playful sea lions. |
Day 8 - Santa Cruz Island
| AM: Highlands (Santa Cruz Island). In the central highlands of Santa Cruz Island, we have our best opportunity to interact at close quarters with totally wild, Galapagos giant tortoises. A short walk among these huge, 600lb, reptiles will also offer the chance for more highland species, especially several species of the famed finches. Baltra Island Airport. After the visit, passengers will be transferred to the airport for their return flight to Guayaquil or Quito. |
Day 9 - Back to Quito
AM: Transfer to Quito airport.
Transfer to Quito airport, or guests can also extend their stay in Ecuador with other land tours we offer.
Accommodation: In the 5-Star Go Quito Hotel / Premium Room
