Andes and Galapagos
11 Days / 10 Nights - Per person on a double basis - Code EGR024
Day 1: Monday: Transfer Airport / Hotel in Quito.
Accommodation.
Day 2: Tuesday: Breakfast in the hotel. Tour to the Mercado de Otavalo (Otavalo Market).
Departure from Quito via Panamericana Norte until we arrive at Cayambe, where the passengers will have the chance to taste the delicious ""Bizcochos de Cayambe"", a type of biscuit or bread, made in clay ovens (accompanied by cheese of leaf or dulce de leche). After a brief stop in ""Miralago"", to admire a wonderful view of Lake San Pablo, we continue until we reach Otavalo where the native people of the area, ""Otavalos"", elaborate their fabrics.
Those who so wish can choose to stay in this area and our bus will pick them up on the return from Cotacachi (they will not be able to visit Cotacachi) or continue with the route to Cotacachi, well known for clothing and leather handicrafts. On the way to Cotacachi, we will visit a Workshop of Andean Instruments ""Ñanda Mañachi"" located in Peguche.
Once in Cotacachi, you will have enough time to visit the village, leather goods stores and have time for lunch (lunch not included). Return to Quito, picking up the passengers who stayed in Otavalo (place and hour of pick up established by the guide of Andes NomadsEcuador).
** The bus will wait for a time of 10 minutes in Otavalo to pick up the passengers who stayed at that stop, after which it will return to Quito with those who are on board.
Day 3: Wednesday: Breakfast at the hotel. Quito City Explorer (Historic Quito) + Mitad del Mundo
We start to the north of the city with a tourist route along the most important shopping areas, where most of Quito's hotels are located. Then we will go to the Historical Center to visit the Basilica del Voto Nacional Church, where we will make a brief stop and give information about the church, then we go to the Plaza de Independencia, where we will take a pedestrian walk and you can see the Cathedral, the Government Palace, the Archbishop's Palace and the Church of La Compañía, renowned for its impressive gold ornaments and altars, we will continue to the Church of San Francisco built in the seventeenth century. (Church entrances are not included). We will then go 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 in the pink area of the city to have lunch (not included), and then continue north, we will arrive at the Mitad el Mundo (Includes entrance) where you can see the monument that divides the Northern Hemisphere with the Southern Hemisphere of the planet. It was built in the 18th century where the French scientific expedition defined the exact position of the Equator line dividing the world. With extra cost you can enjoy the experiments that prove the location of this privileged place in the middle of the world.
Day 4: Thursday: Breakfast at the Hotel. Tour through the Avenida de los Volcanes (Avenue of the Volcanoes).
Departure from Quito where an interesting tour of the Ecuadorian sierra is carried out, admiring beautiful landscapes of the so-called Avenida de los Volcanes, ideal for photography, and a brief visit to the Cotopaxi National Park. Arrival to the city of Riobamba and lodging in a typical hacienda.
* If the Cotopaxi National Park is not operational due to volcanic activity we will visit the Quilotoa volcano and the incomparable turquoise lagoon found in its crater.
* Does not include entrance to Cotopaxi National Park.
Day 5: Friday: The next day, after breakfast, we will travel by bus from Riobamba to Alausí.
Train trip from Alausí station to Nariz del Diablo (Sibambe), a unique engineering work embedded in the Andes (the train ride takes about 2 hours). Continuation by land to Cuenca, visiting the Ingapirca ruins en route (not including entrance), arrival and lodging in Cuenca.
** Train operation is subject to change without notice
Day 6: Saturday: Breakfast at the Hotel. City Tour in Cuenca.
City tour through the city and we will visit the Calderón Park, Nueva Cathedral and Vieja Cathedral, parque de las flores Park, Museum of Modern Art, (includes entrances). Barranco of the Tomebamba and Turi rivers (panoramic view).
Day 7: Sunday: Breakfast at the Hotel.
Transfer by land Cuenca / Guayaquil. We leave early in the morning from Cuenca to the Cajas National Park characterized by its lagoons of glacial origin and high mountain vegetation; here we will carry out a hike through this beautiful place to observe some of its lagoons and a primary forest. We will also visit the zone of 3 crosses that constitutes the continental divide of the waters; we will take a walk to observe this curious place. From this point we will begin a spectacular descent until reaching the Ecuadorian coast, in the course we will observe an Andean mountainous landscape at the beginning and then observe a totally different vegetation in the Ecuadorian Coast with large plantations of banana and cacao. Arrival to Guayaquil. Accommodation.
Day 8: Monday: Breakfast at the Hotel. Transfer Hotel / Airport in Guayaquil, flight (not included) to Galapagos.
Reception at the Baltra Airport and transfer by free shuttle bus to the dock of the Itabaca Channel to cross by public service ferry to Santa Cruz Island where a transport will be waiting for you to transfer you to Puerto Ayora, location where the hotels are on this island. On the way, you will have the opportunity to see the lava tunnels and a reserve of giant tortoises. Visit to the Charles Darwin Scientific Station, where you can learn more about the Galapagos Islands, the species that inhabit it, its formation and evolution, conservation programs and observe some giant tortoises in captivity. (Transfer operates daily at 12:45 p.m.).
Accommodation
Día 9: Martes: Breakfast at the hotel. Yacht trip to one of the following islands
Bartolomé & Sullivan Bay, Seymour & Bachas, Plazas & Punta Carrión, Santa Fe or similar.
Return to Puerto Ayora. Accommodation
** Operation of tours in Galapagos are subject to availability of room and in exchange of itineraries, departure days, etc. Due to climatic, operational and logistical conditions. Andes Nomads Guarantees the number of excursions and visits to be done, but not the itinerary or specific place of visit.
Day 10: Wednesday: Breakfast at the hotel.
Desayuno en el hotel. In the morning (8:00 am) tour to Playa Tortuga Bay, at the end of a walk of approximately 40 minutes we will arrive at this beach, one of the most beautiful in Galapagos, with white sands and green mangroves. In ""Playa Mansa"" we can swim and enjoy a morning at the beach. Free time for lunch. In the afternoon (2:00 pm) yacht tour by the bay to see ""La Lobería"" which gets its name due to the sea lions that are located here. Snorkeling is available here. Continuing with the tour we go to the ""Canal del Amor"", a place where nature lets us admire its beauty. At the end of this channel, a few meters away, we find a viewpoint where you can see white-finned sharks; After a short walk we can observe marine iguanas in the so-called ""Playa de los Perros"". Punta Estrada will also be visited. Return to the dock. Accommodation
* Note: The boat used in this excursion is a motor boat with capacity for 16 passengers
Day 11: Thursday: Breakfast at the hotel.
Our guide will pick you up at the hotel to transfer you to the Itabaca Canal, where you will have to cross by public service ferry to Baltra Island to take the buses from the different airlines which will take you to the airport. On the route to the airport, you will visit a coffee farm, which is part of a social responsibility program, based on the cultivation of organic coffee, which contributes to the conservation of plant species and soil, as a model of sustainable tourism.