On arrival at Quito's Mariscal Sucre International Airport you are met and transferred to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at your leisure. There will be a Welcome Meeting in the evening at 6 pm where you will meet other members of your group travelling on your cruise to the Galapagos.

Note: Quito is located at 2850 metres above sea level. At this altitude you may possibly experience some of the milder effects of altitude sickness, such as dizziness, insomnia and a shortness of breath. If this is the case we recommend that you avoid any strenuous activity.

This morning you are transferred to the airport for your flight to the Galapagos. On arrival at Baltra Airport in the Galapagos you must pay the US$100 Galapagos National Park Tax. This is best done using cash, as using credit cards is a time-consuming process. You will be met in the arrival hall and transferred to the M.Y. San Jose, which will be anchored nearby. Once settled on board, your cruise will depart for Las Bachas. The sandy, white beaches on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island are a nesting site for the Pacific Green Sea Turtle, and marine iguanas are also common. The rocks provide a great snorkelling experience and are the perfect habitat for the Sally Lightfoot crabs, which are plentiful on the island.

The volcanic rocks of Rabida are covered with Palo Santo trees, Opuntia cacti and low, scrubby bushes. Sea lions abound on the red-sand beach and there is a flamingo lagoon. There are also several species of Darwin Finches to be seen. The shoreline of Puerto Egas on Santiago Island is an ancient lava flow and the beach is a breeding ground for large numbers of marine iguanas. The rocky beach provides a home to many shore birds, including the American Oystercatcher and Ruddy Turnstone. Sugarloaf Mountain serves as a magical backdrop to the area, and a natural bridge leads to the inlets where endemic fur seals are found on the rough lava shores.

Bartolome is a relatively new island in the chain and evidence of its volcanic past can be seen everywhere. The lunar-like landscape is amazing. The Pinnacle Rock is one of the most photographed sites in the Galapagos. Here we can hike to the top of a once-active volcano where there are superb views across to Sullivan Bay on nearby Santiago Island. Later in the day we will visit Sullivan Bay. This area is of particular interest to those keen on geology. Here you will see evidence of a violent volcanic past. Pahoehoe lava, Ropy lava and gigantic Lava tubes are all to be seen here.

Today you will visit Santa Cruz, the second largest island in the Galapagos. The small town of Puerto Ayora is the economic centre of the archipelago and the island is the location of the Charles Darwin Research Station. There will be time to explore the station and observe the tortoise research and breeding programs. You’ll also head up into the highlands for a total change of scenery. The highlands are a lush humid zone containing Miconia bushes, Scalesia and inactive volcanic cones. You can visit a pair of large pit craters called 'Los Gemelos' (here you find the Vermilion Flycatcher) and the largest lava tunnels found in the Galapagos. Santa Cruz has more endemic plants than any other island in the Galapagos. You may also see the Galapagos Tortoises here in their natural habitat.

The town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal is the capital and administrative centre of the Galapagos Islands. There is a good Interpretation Centre here that is well worth a visit. The Centre focuses primarily on the history of the archipelago, from its volcanic origins to the present. We pass through Leon Dormido (Kicker Rock), which is a magnificent rock in the middle of the sea in the shape of a sleeping lion. The rock rises 500 feet straight from the ocean and is divided into two parts by a narrow channel navigable by small vessels. We also visit Cerro Brujo, where hiking, swimming and snorkelling are available. The sandy beach is home to Sally Lightfoot crabs, brown pelicans and Blue-footed boobies.

Today you will cruise to the island of Espanola, the southernmost island of the Galapagos group. Because of its remote location, Espanola has a high proportion of endemic fauna. It is, for example, the breeding site of nearly all of the world's 12,000 pairs of Waved albatrosses. The island is also well known for its colonies of Blue-Footed and Masked Boobies. We also visit the beautiful white-sand beaches at Bahia Gardner, which are great for swimming and relaxing. The rocks off the coast provide excellent snorkelling with reef sharks, turtles and many tropical fish including surgeon and angelfish often seen. The small white-tipped reef sharks can also be spotted resting under the rocks. You will visit Punta Suarez, one of the most attractive locations in the Galapagos, because of the quantity and variety of wildlife.

Your destination today is the island of Floreana. You will go ashore at Punta Cormorant where the sand is made up of fine olivine crystals, a glassy volcanic mineral, giving the beach its olive-green colour. Here you can see sea lions. Today you will have one of the best opportunities to see the pink flamingos wading in the lagoons, as well as a variety of other birds including pintails, stilts, and other wading birds. Devil's Crown is an old eroded volcanic cone and a popular roosting site for seabirds such as boobies, pelicans, and frigates. Red-billed tropicbirds nest in rocky crevices. The centre of the cone is an outstanding snorkelling spot full of sea lions and colourful fish. Floreana is also home to Post Office Bay, where 18th Century whalers used a barrel as an unofficial mail drop. The custom continues to this day with Galapagos visitors!

Today you will take an early morning excursion to Caleta Tortuga Negra (Black Turtle Cove), a mangrove swap on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island. In the smaller areas of the cove we paddle the dinghy for a wonderfully quiet journey through this beautiful and unique area. This is often an excellent place to see large schools of Green Sea Turtles, Galapagos Sharks, Golden Rays, Yellow Warbler, Lava Herons and a variety of other birds. It is not uncommon to see the Green Sea Turtles mating. As you will be leaving the boat this morning, please remember, if you have enjoyed the services provided by your guide and crew a tip will be very much appreciated by them. As a guideline we recommend each passenger consider US$15 per day for the crew and US$7-10 per day for your guide. Envelopes will be placed in your cabin on this last day for this purpose. On arrival at Quito airport you will be transferred to our hotel. There will be a briefing this night on the second stage of your trip.

Quito is not only the capital of Ecuador, but it also has one of the most impressive and well-preserved ‘old town’ areas in South America. In the morning we embark on a walking tour around the charming and evocative ‘Centro Historico’. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, there is much to discover, meandering through the narrow, cobblestone streets and exploring the lively Plaza Grande and Plaza San Francisco. The city is filled with Baroque art and architecture, as exemplified by magnificent churches, monasteries and public buildings. We visit the beautiful Church of the Society of Jesus (La Compania de Jesus). With its ornate facade and intricately decorated and gold-gilded interior, this is undoubtedly Ecuador’s most impressive church. Exploring further afield we head for one of the many viewpoints over the city. ‘El Panecillo’ (The Little Bread Loaf) offers sensational views of the city’s white houses and surrounding volcanoes. The 30-metre high statue of ‘La Virgen de Quito’ sits atop this small hill and can be seen from all over the city. The rest of the day is free to make your own discoveries. You may consider arranging an optional trip north of the city to visit ‘La Mitad del Mundo’ – a monument commemorating the equator line. Your tour leader can advise you on how to arrange tour to get there. The evening is free for us to dine out at one of the many great eating spots in Quito (optional).

After breakfast we travel by road to our lodge in the jungle. It is a day of contrasts, ascending first to 4060 metres before commencing our descent to the Amazon Basin. We break our journey at Papallacta where we have the opportunity to enjoy the hot thermal baths. We then continue descending through an amazing array of scenery and climatic changes: the change from thin-aired mountain scenery to thick, jungle vegetation is quite dramatic. We arrive at our jungle lodge in time for dinner.

Cotococha Lodge is strategically located in the upper Amazon basin on the shores of the great Napo River. Our programs in the jungle are flexible, and together with your native guide you can choose the excursions which attract you the most. Navigate by original dugout canoe across the River Napo to the animal rescue centre, visit local communities and learn about their culture and traditions, pan for gold at the river shore and practise the blowpipe. Other activities include jungle hikes through primary and secondary rainforest accompanied by your native guide who shares his knowledge of the flora and fauna encountered.

We leave our jungle lodge and climb steeply back into the Andes, travelling through stunning scenery of towering mountain peaks and deep gorges. Along the way we take a short hike to one of Ecuador’s most beautiful waterfalls, “El Pailon del Diablo”. We arrive in the late afternoon at Banos, a small Andean town back-dropped by the magnificent Tungurahua Volcano.

The choice of activities today is entirely up to you. You can decide to take it easy in the laid back atmosphere of Banos, or for those feeling more energetic, you can enjoy some of the many adventurous activities on offer. You can choose from biking, white water rafting, horse-back riding or hiking in the surrounding countryside.

Leaving Banos behind us, we return to Quito, visiting the Cotopaxi Volcano along the way. At 5897 metres, the volcano is the highest, active snow-capped volcano in the world. Those feeling energetic can climb to the refuge (4800m), after which there it is a relatively easy walk to the snow-line and the glacier. The air will be thin but the views are superb on a clear day!

Our Ecuadorian adventure ends today after breakfast.