Express Ecuador
8 Days / 7 Nights - Per person on a double basis - Code EGR027
Day 1 – Tuesday: Transfer from the airport to the hotel.
Accommodation
Day 2 – Wednesday: Breakfast in 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 del 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 3 – Thursday: Breakfast in the hotel. Tour through the Avenida de los Volcanes.
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 4 – 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 5 – Saturday: Breakfast in 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). In the afternoon there is a transfer from the hotel to the airport in Cuenca to take the flight to Quito (not included). Transfer from the airport to the hotel in Quito. Accommodation.
Day 6 – Sunday: Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer from the airport in Quito to take the flight to Galapagos (not included).
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.
Day 7 – Monday: Breakfast in the hotel. Breakfast at the 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 8 - Tuesday:Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer from the hotel in Puerto Ayora to the Aiport in Baltra to take your flight to Guayaquil.
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.
Reception in the airport and City Tour in Guayaquil.
Tour of the main streets and avenues of the city, a visit the Simón Bolívar Park, El Malecón 2000, the docks and the Rotonda, with the statues of Bolivar and San Martin. We will visit the Colonial neighborhood of Las Peñas, where you can admire its wooden architecture and where many of its houses are art galleries, you will appreciate a beautiful panoramic view of Guayaquil and the Guayas River from the Santa Ana Fort.
Later, transfer to the airport.