Galapagos Islands Family Adventure

Meet your Andean Discovery guide and transfer to your hotel.

Quito, Ecuador, is a spectacular city positioned just a few miles shy of the equator in a narrow valley surrounded by volcanoes. At 9,350 feet above sea level, it is the second highest capital city in Latin America and maintains a pleasant spring-like climate all year round. Quito is also the cultural epicenter of Ecuador, with a plethora of museums, expansive outdoor parks, and colorful festivals and fairs. Upon evening arrival into Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport, you will be met by Andean Discovery staff and transferred to your hotel.

Meals: On your own

Standard Lodging: NH Hotel Quito

Superior Lodging: Swissotel Quito

Meet up with your guide this morning and travel by private vehicle to the famous cloud forests of Mindo. Watch the scenery transform as you descend the high slopes of the Andes into the lush green forests below, keeping an eye out for waterfalls and cascades along the way. Located in one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, Mindo is home to over 300 different species of tropical birds–including toucans, quetzals, owls, hummingbirds and countless other plant and animal species. Catch a birds-eye-view of it all during a thrilling canopy zip-line tour, a series of 10 platforms and lines spanning over two miles across the upper levels of the forest. After lunch, enjoy the tastiest of Ecuadorian customs by visiting a chocolate factory and speaking with a cacao producer. We explore every aspect of the supply chain from bean to bar, and sample some of the world’s best chocolate along the way. This afternoon, travel to zero degrees latitude and visit the equator line solar museum. Stand with one foot in each hemisphere and test out the effect of gravity on the equator through a series of interactive experiments. For example, is it possible balance an egg on the equator? Return to your hotel in Quito.

Meals: B, L

Standard Lodging: NH Hotel Quito

Superior Lodging: Swissotel Quito

Observe giant Galapagos tortoises and lava tubes in the highlands and take a dip in Las Grietas volcanic swim hole.

This morning you will be transferred to the airport in time for your mid- morning flight to Baltra Island, Galapagos. Upon arrival in the Galapagos, you will meet your Naturalist Guide and travel to Santa Cruz Island. This afternoon explore the highlands. As you ascend, you will travel through several different vegetation zones and witness the landscape become increasingly lush and green by the minute. Here you’ll have the opportunity to view the islands’ most famous reptile: giant Galapagos tortoises in their wild habitat. It’s a real treat to see an endangered species roving in this lush environment! The vegetation of the area includes the Scalesia forest (an endemic giant daisy tree). Birds such as the vermilion flycatcher will delight everyone with its scarlet feathers against an emerald green forest. Look for Darwin’s finches (most of them from the tree-finch group), particularly the famous Woodpecker Finch. Explore an amazing network of lava tubes, underground tunnels formed by hot liquid rock. The outer part of the tunnels hardened and cooled even as the interior lava continued to flow. Eventually, the flowing interior lava emptied out, leaving hollow cave- like structures. Later this afternoon, enjoy a short trek to Las Grietas, a famous volcanic swimming hole where you can jump off rocks and swim through pristine waters.

This morning we hike 45 minutes through a dry coastal forest and white sand beach to Tortuga Bay, a secluded cove surrounded by mangrove forests. Keep your eyes out for shore birds like Whimbrels, Ruddy Turnstones, Great Blue Herons and endemic Lava Gulls. This afternoon enjoy a guided visit of the Charles Darwin Research Station, where you will learn about current scientific research on the islands and the Station’s mission to ensure the conservation of the environment and biodiversity in the Galapagos Archipelago. The Station is also a tortoise breeding and rearing center. Observe how tortoises of different subspecies are prepared for reintroduction to their natural habitats.

Meals: B, L

Standard Lodging: Hotel La Isla

Superior Lodging: Angermeyer Waterfront Inn

This morning head east on an excursion to Garrapatero, a pristine beach surrounded by endemic mangroves where it is possible to observe brown pelicans, flamingos, lava lizards, and lava gulls. Keep your eyes out for the poison apple tree, the only native toxic plant in the Galapagos. On the way, stop at a local family-run organic farm to savor some fresh Galapagos coffee and sugar cane juice, and learn about their sustainable practices. After lunch, board a speedboat for the two-hour journey to Isabela Island (or inter- island flights for additional cost). Isabela Island is the largest island in the Galapagos archipelago, over 80 miles from north to south, and the most biologically diverse. It was formed by the joining of six different volcanoes – five of which are still active today – making it one of the most volcanically active places on earth, and the perfect place to continue your Galapagos adventure. Check in at your hotel and finish the day with a refreshing swim in turquoise waters as the sun sets on the horizon.

Meals: B, L

Standard Lodging: Cormorant Beach House

Superior Lodging: Iguana Crossing

Explore one of the world’s largest volcano craters at Sierra Negra and snorkel at Concha de la Perla.

Meals: B, L

Standard Lodging: Cormorant Beach House

Superior Lodging: Iguana Crossing

After breakfast, board a dingy with your guide and travel across the bay to Tintoreras Island, a resting place for white-tip reef sharks. En route you may see Galapagos Penguins, which seem comically out of place so close to the equator. Once ashore, a short hike reveals the largest colonies of marine iguanas in the Galapagos, sea lions, Sally Lightfoot Crabs, and Blue-footed Boobies. Return to the bay for a snorkel—look for sea lions, rays, and many different species of tropical fish. This afternoon hop on a mountain bike (or walk) to explore Los Humedales, a series of coastal pools, lagoons, and endemic mangroves that boast an abundance of birds and native plants. Keep your eyes out for herons, Black-necked Stilts, and Galapagos pintails, and be careful to watch for Marine Iguanas crossing the road. Then make your way to the Wall of Tears, the remains of an old penal colony, and learn about the human history of the Galapagos.

Options & Add-ons: Optional dinner at the home of a local fisherman.

Early rise and departure by boat for Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island (or inter-island flights for additional cost). From here, you will be transferred to the Baltra Island airport in time for your return flight to Quito (or Guayaquil). Upon arrival, you will be met by your Andean Discovery guide and driver and transferred to your hotel.

Meals: B

Standard Lodging: Rincon de Puembo

Superior Lodging: EB Hotel Quito