Quito

Quito, situated in a circle of mountainous peaks, is the world's second highest capital and has one of the finest settings of any city in the world. Quito is home to excellent museums, churches and art galleries and its colonial center, one of the finest in Latin America, has been designated a World Heritage Site, by UNESCO.

Tours including Quito

• All of our Ecuador tours include at least 2 nights in Qutio

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Galapagos Islands

The islands emerged about five million years ago, give or take a million, as a result of violent volcanic action. In geological terms, this should be considered a recent event. As the young islands were cooling off, say, two million years later, some species gradually arrived. They were live organisms riding on "rafts of vegetation" from the shores of Central and South America. Unusual climatic events, like flooding, can take lots of vegetation rafts eventually to the ocean. Therefore, it is pure chance that allows a raft to eventually reach Galápagos. These early immigrants had to adapt to a peculiar new environment, and simply evolved -- slowly -- in a different direction from their continental ancestors. And, wonders of nature, they developed into species unique to the islands, with features not seen in their past ancestors. Galapagos Islands General Info - Read even more details about the islands and their history.

Tours including Galapagos Islands

• Quito & Galapagos Islands with Yacht La Pinta - 11 Days - from $6,959
• Quito & Galapagos Islands with Isabella II - 11 Days - from $6,455
• Galapagos with M/V Santa Cruz - 8 Days - from $3,435
• Quito & Galapagos Legend - 8 Days - from $3,909
• Quito & Galapgos Islands with Galapagos Explorer II Cruise - 8 Days - from $3,865
• Quito & Galapagos Islands with Coral I or Coral II - 8 Days - from $3,505
• Quito & Galapagos Islands with Anahi Catamaran - 8 Days - from $3,815
• Quito & Galapagos Islands with Finch Bay Eco Hotel - 8 Days - from $3,160
• Galapagos Island Hopping Tour - 14 Days - from $3,769

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Important Note Regarding Galapagos Itineraries:

The route and program may vary according to National Park policies and regulations, weather conditions, seasonal changes, safety reasons and wildlife encounters. Safety will be always part of the daily programming of activities. Kindly follow all suggestions. It is compulsory to wear a life vest during all dinghy rides between the ship and the shore. Flexibility is essential in order to cope with nature's outstanding features. Given the islands’ volcanic origin, and the fact that most walking is done over pristine and irregular volcanic terrain, guests must be in suitable physical condition for this kind of outings. The ship also organizes activities like boat rides, glass-bottom boat trips, snorkeling, swimming, lectures, all complementing everyone’s experience.
The Expedition Staff can provide you with snorkeling gear (mask and snorkel, fins, floating vest and net bag). A shortie wet suit is highly recommended from June to December. Cooperation of guests is a key point when complying with the rules of the National Park. This alone can guarantee a major success in the expedition.

For island visits, two types of landings are planned:
Dry landing: guests step from the dinghy directly onto rocks or a dock.
Wet landing: as the dinghy edges onto a sandy beach, guests step into knee-deep water and wade ashore.