Most people going to Ecuador have to choose between the mainland and the islands. This route does not make you choose. You start in Quito, spend a morning at the Otavalo market, cross the equator, drop into the Amazon to stay with a Quichua community, then come back up through the waterfalls at Baños, the vicuña country below Chimborazo and the Inca walls at Ingapirca, and finish the mainland in Cuenca and Guayaquil. Then you fly out to the Galápagos for four nights on land, on Santa Cruz and Isabela, walking the lava and snorkelling from the shore rather than looking at it from a cabin window. It runs on set dates with a small group, no more than sixteen of you, and it is guaranteed to go from two travellers, so you can book it on your own.
Ecuador & Galápagos Grand Tour: Amazon, Andes & Islands
Twelve set departures through 2027, flights from London included
Highlights
Your Itinerary
Day 1: London to Quito
Fly from London to Quito, where your guide meets you and takes you to the hotel for dinner. Quito sits at 2,850 metres, so the first evening is deliberately a quiet one.
Day 2: Quito, then north to Otavalo
A morning in the UNESCO old town: Independence Square, the gold leaf interior of La Compañía, San Francisco, and a tasting of the sweets Quito has made for generations. Lunch downtown, then the drive north to the Otavalo market, the biggest indigenous market in the Andes. You stay on the shore of Lake San Pablo.
Day 3: The equator line and into the Amazon
Stand on the real equator at Quitsato, below Cayambe, then take the road over the Guacamayos ridge and down into the Amazon basin, with lunch and river trout at Baeza. At Cotundo a Quichua community shows you the cacao harvest, and you make and taste the chocolate yourself. Night at a jungle lodge.
Day 4: Amazon, the waterfall road and Riobamba
A morning walk in the forest and a swim in the river, then west towards the Andes. A balsa wood workshop at Puyo, the Pastaza canyon, the Avenue of Waterfalls and the Pailón del Diablo, then time on foot in Baños before you carry on to Riobamba with Chimborazo ahead of you.
Day 5: Chimborazo, Ingapirca and Cuenca
The Balbanera church at Lake Colta first, then the Chimborazo reserve, where the vicuña herds were brought back from near extinction. On to the Inca fortress of Ingapirca and lunch with a Cañari family, and into Cuenca in the evening.
Day 6: Cuenca, then down to Guayaquil
A full morning in Cuenca: the flower market, the French Route, the Turi viewpoint, a Panama hat workshop and the Museum of Aboriginal Cultures. After lunch you cross Cajas National Park, where the páramo is scattered with hundreds of glacial lakes, and come down off the Andes to the Pacific plain and into Guayaquil, with a panoramic tour of the city on arrival.
Day 7: Guayaquil to the Galápagos, Santa Cruz
The flight out to Baltra, then the crossing to Santa Cruz. You spend the day in the highlands at the Los Gemelos craters and a giant tortoise reserve, with lunch at a ranch, and finish at the Charles Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora.
Day 8: Santa Cruz to Isabela
Two hours by boat to Isabela, the largest and youngest of the islands. The tortoise breeding centre, the Humedales wetlands and the flamingo lagoon, then snorkelling at Concha y Perla, where sea lions usually join you. Night in Puerto Villamil.
Day 9: The Tintoreras, and back to Santa Cruz
A morning at the Tintoreras islet: a walk across the lava where white-tipped reef sharks rest in the channels, and an hour of snorkelling. After lunch you take the boat back to Santa Cruz.
Day 10: A free day on Santa Cruz
The day is yours. Tortuga Bay is an easy walk from town, or you can add a shared day boat to North Seymour, Bartolomé, South Plaza or Santa Fe at a supplement, which we will book for you before you travel.
Day 11: The Galápagos back to Guayaquil
The transfer to Baltra and the flight back to the mainland, arriving in Guayaquil in the afternoon with the evening free.
Day 12: Guayaquil to London
A free morning, then your transfer to the airport for the flight home.
What's Included
- Return flights from London, with an ATOL certificate for every booking
- Return Galápagos flights from the mainland, and the transfers at both ends
- Eleven nights in the hotels listed, or similar, in double rooms
- Breakfast every day, plus the lunches and dinners shown in the day by day
- An English-speaking guide throughout, on the mainland and in the islands
- Private transfers and private land transport for the group
- All entrance fees and visits in the itinerary
- Galápagos day excursions on boats carrying no more than sixteen
- The INGALA transit card and the Isabela port tax
What's Not Included
- The Galápagos National Park fee, USD 200 per adult and USD 100 per child under 12, paid on arrival in the islands
- Drinks, personal spending and tips for guides and drivers
- Travel insurance, which we strongly advise you arrange as soon as you book
- The single supplement, around GBP 400, if you would rather have your own room
- Optional island day tours such as Bartolomé or North Seymour, and hotel upgrades in the islands
Frequently Asked Questions
No, and that is deliberate. You stay in hotels on Santa Cruz and Isabela and go out on day boats, so you sleep on land, you can walk into town in the evening, and it costs a good deal less than a cabin. The trade-off is that you see fewer of the outer islands than a cruise would reach.
Twelve dates across 2027
Tell us roughly when you would like to travel and who is coming, and we will come back with the dates that still have space and a price for your party.
Departure Dates
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Departure Dates
No commitment, we respond within 24 hours
Real reviews
What our customers say
From travellers who visited Ecuador with us
Spent twelve days in mainland Ecuador and was blown away by the diversity. The cloud forest at Mindo had incredible birdwatching, we spotted toucans and hummingbirds within the first hour. The indigenous market at Otavalo was colourful and authentic, and the Amazon lodge near Tena gave us a taste of the jungle. Good food throughout, especially the llapingachos. Solid four stars, the roads can be a bit hair-raising.
Alastair F.
Ecuador packs an extraordinary amount into a small country. We started in Quito, the old town is a UNESCO gem, then took the train to the Avenue of Volcanoes. Cotopaxi on a clear day is unforgettable. The highlight was Baños: zip-lining over canyons, the swing at the edge of the world, and soaking in thermal baths afterwards. Fabian's planning was meticulous.
Barbara & John L.
Ecuador is a hidden gem. We trekked to Cotopaxi, explored the Amazon and spent time in gorgeous Cuenca. The variety in such a small country is remarkable. Highly recommend Travelfab.
Tom & Lisa B.
More holidays in Ecuador
Ecuador & Galápagos Journey: Quito & Santa Cruz
Haciendas of Ecuador: Otavalo, Papallacta & Cotopaxi
Ecuador Amazon & Andes: Quito, Otavalo & the Jungle
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