8 Days tour to Ecuador - Quito & Galapagos - GLESQG

 

9 Days tour to - Quito, Otavalo, Cotacachi, Equatorial Monument, Galapagos, Santa Cruz & Tortuga Bay Beach

Day 1 - Monday

Day 1 - Monday

Arrival to Quito

Welcome to Quito you will be met by IBMT Tours representative and transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Quito

Day 2 - Tuesday

Day 2 - Tuesday

Quito | Otavalo | Cotacachi

After breakfast Departure from our designated hotels in Quito through the Pan-American North Highway until arriving to Cayambe, where the passengers will have the opportunity to taste the delicious “Bizcochos de Cayambe”, a type of cracker or bread baked in a clay oven (greatly paired with local cheese or caramel sauce).  After admiring Lake San Pablo, we will arrive at the Otavalo Market, the largest in America, where the indigenous people of the area, known as "Otavalos", one of Ecuador's most recognized ethnic groups, make and sell their textiles and handicrafts. 

Passengers may choose between to stay in this area and enjoy more time from the market and our bus will pick them up at the end of the tour (they will not have the visit to Cotacachi and Cuicocha), or continue with the journey to the town of Cotacachi, recognized for leather clothing and crafts. On the way to Cotacachi, we will visit an andean instrument workshop "Ñanda Mañachi" located in the area of Peguche, to spend some special moments with the local people and understand the Andean culture.

In Cotacachi you have enough time to visit the village, the shops of leather goods and free time for lunch, (not included).

Later we will visit the Ecological Reserve where the Cuicocha lagoon is located, inside the crater of the Cotacachi Volcano, which originated after a volcanic explosion thousands of years ago. And if the weather permits it will be possible to make a walk by the lagoon, that is to say sailing in the crater of the volcano in small boats (with additional cost).

** Bus will wait for 10 minutes in Otavalo to pick up passangers that stayed there, and after that will return to Quito and their respective hotels or starting point.(Breakfast).
 

Day 3 - Wednesday

Day 3 - Wednesday

Quito / Equatorial Monument

Breakfast at hotel. We begin in the northern part of the city with a tour along the most important commercial areas, where most of the hotels in Quito are located. Then we head to the historic center to visit the Basilica del Voto Nacional, where we will make a brief stop and explanation to later reach the Plaza de la Independencia, where through a walking route you will see the Cathedral, the Government Palace, the Archbishop's Palace and the La Compañia Church, recognized for its adornments and gold altars. Tour will continue towards the Church of San Francisco, built in the seventeenth century. (Entrance to churches are not included). Then headed to the Mirador del Panecillo, a place renowned for its beauty, where you can admire a beautiful landscape of colonial and modern Quito.

We will stop at the “Zona Rosa” of the city, approximately an hour and a half to have free time for lunch (not included), and then continue to the northem part of the city, heading up to the “Middle of the World City”, where the monument that divides the Northern from the Southern Hemisphere will be observed. It was built during the XVII century when a French Expedition defined the precise location of the equatorial line. Includes entrance to Middle of the World where you can enjoy the cultural experience of the attractions of this privileged place.(Breakfast).
 

Day 4 - Thursday

Day 4 - Thursday

Galapagos - Santa Cruz | Puero Ayora | Scientific Charles Darwin Station

Breakfast at Hotel before your transfer to the airport for your flight to Galapagos(Include). Welcome at the Baltra airport and transfer by public buses to the tip of the Itabaca canal, where you will proceed by a public ferry service in the Island of Santa Cruz. Transport will be waiting in order to transfer you to Puerto Ayora, area where the hotels are located on the Island. On the way, you will have the opportunity to visit the lava tunnels and a Turtle reserve. Visit to the Scientific Charles Darwin Station, where you can learn more about the Galápagos Islands; the species that live in this enchanted place, its origin, the theory of Evolution, the conservation programs, and observe some Giant Turtles in captivity. (Transfer operates daily at 1pm). Accommodation. 
**It will be possible to operate transfers without visits and without guide at the following times: 10am and 3pm** (previous request).(Breakfast).

Day 5 - Friday

Day 5 - Friday

Santa Cruz | Tortuga Bay Beach

Breakfast at hotel. In the morning excursion to Tortuga Bay Beach, after 40 minute walk (approx.) we will arrive to this magic place, one of the most beautiful beaches in the Galapagos, with white sand and green mangroves. “Playa mansa” is where we can swim and enjoy of the beach.  Free time for lunch (not included). In the afternoon, tour around the bay on board a yacht, starting with a visit to “La Lobería”, named because of the presence of sea lions. Here you will be able to swim or snorkel. Then we proceed with our tour to the “Canal del Amor”, a marvelous site where nature gives us an unforgettable view; at the end of this channel, just a few meters forward, a viewpoint where we can observe reef sharks; from here we continue with a short walk to see the marine iguanas that inhabit in “Playa de los Perros”.  Punta Estrada will also be visited. Return to Puerto Ayora.
*Note: shipping used in this excursion is a boat engine with capacity for 16 people. This tour only takes place Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.(Breakfast).

Day 6 - Saturday

Day 6 - Saturday

Galapagos Island

Breakfast at hotel. Excursion in yacht to one of the following Islands: Bartolomé & Bahía Sullivan, Seymour & Bachas, Plazas & Punta Carrión, Santa Fe or similar ones. Lunch included and return to Puerto Ayora to accommodation.(Breakfast).
*Tour Operations in Galápagos, may change due to climate conditions, operations, and logistics and are also subject to availability and itinerary changes. We Guarantees the number of excursions and visits to be met, but does not guarantee the itinerary or specific place to visit.

Day 7 - Sunday

Day 7 - Sunday

Galapagos Island

Breakfast at hotel. Excursion in yacht to one of the following Islands: Bartolomé & Bahía Sullivan, Seymour & Bachas, Plazas & Punta Carrión, Santa Fe or similar ones. Lunch included and return to Puerto Ayora to accommodation.(Breakfast).
*Tour Operations in Galápagos, may change due to climate conditions, operations, and logistics and are also subject to availability and itinerary changes. We Guarantees the number of excursions and visits to be met, but does not guarantee the itinerary or specific place to visit. 

Day 8 - Monday

Day 8 - Monday

Galapagos | Quito

Breakfast at hotel. We will pick you up at your hotel to go to the canal of Itabaca, where a ferry will take you to Baltra Island. At the port you will board a public bus that takes you to the airport. On the route from the hotel to the canal, you will have the opportunity to make a brief stop at the craters "Los Gemelos", crater holes formed by the collapse of materials, surrounded by scalesia's forests. (Transfer operates daily at 07h00, 09h00 and 12h00). Includes only transport.(Breakfast).

Included:

  • Transfer airport - Hotel – Airport in Quito
  • 3 nights’ accommodation in Quito
  • Domestic flight from QUITO to GALAPAGOS
  • Breakfast
  • The Original Quito City Tour in Trolley + Authentic Middle of the World Tour
  • Otavalo Indigenous Market, Cotacachi & Cuicocha Tour
  • Transfer Baltra / hotel in Puerto Ayora, visiting the highland part of Santa Cruz Island (Includes lava Tunnels and a turtle reserve) + Visit to the Scientific Charles Darwin Station. (Transfer operates daily at 1pm). **It will be possible to operate transfers without visits and without guide at the following times: 10am and 3pm** (previous request)
  • 4 nights of accommodation in Galápagos (Santa Cruz Island) with breakfast
  • Excursion to Tortuga Beach & Bay Tour
  • 2 Full day Excursion in yacht to one the following islands Bartolomé & Bahía Sullivan, Seymour & Bachas, Plazas & Punta Carrión, Santa Fe or similar ones (Lunch included)
  • Transfer hotel / airport with a stop at Los Gemelos craters. (Transfer operates daily at 7am, 9am 12pm). Includes only transport.
  • Hotel taxes

Not Included:

  • In Quito and Guayaquil, Municipal tax of US$ 2,00 per room per night is not included.
  • International flights
  • Travel tips
  • Travel insurance
  • Any other expenses not previously specified
  • National Park fees to Galapagos 100$
  • Surcharge for transfer airport / hotel in Galapagos, for flights arriving before 10h00am and after 12h30pm: US$ 78,00 USD per person                      
  • Passengers flying to Galapagos in Tame airlines, must pay US $. 5.00 per way, in cash, for the public bus service from the airport to the Itabaca Canal, prior to boarding the ferry that transports them to Santa Cruz Island where they will board our private transportation.

Hotels:

First Superior: HILTON COLON HOTEL / PALO SANTO HOTEL
Luxury: SWISSOTEL HOTEL / ROYAL PALM HOTEL

*Rates do not apply for Holidays.