Day 1 - Welcome to Quito

Upon arrival, after clearing customs, meet your guide at the arrival hall holding a sign board with your name on it. Your guide escorts you to your awaiting private vehicle and transfers you to your hotel where you receive check-in procedures assistance.

Quito, nestled at the foot of the 15,696-foot Pichincha Volcano, is known for its eternally spring-like climate and for the beauty of its well-preserved colonial center. Initially settled by the Quitu tribe in the first millennium, Quito was eventually integrated into the Inca Empire before being destroyed and re-founded in 1534 by Spaniard Conquistador Sebastián de Benalcázar. For nearly three centuries, the arts and intellectual societies flourished under Spanish colonial rule, evident in the historic center’s splendidly restored colonial buildings and churches lining narrow and cobbled streets. In 1809, Quito established the first self-governing junta in the colonies and the liberator Simón Bolívar led the country as part of the Republic of Greater Colombia until 1830 when the Republic of Ecuador announced its independence. Due to the city’s preservation of its blended past, UNESCO declared it the world’s first Heritage Site in 1978.  The city is beautifully sitting in an Andean valley at 9,186 feet above sea level, making it the 2nd highest capital city in the world.

Overnight: Illa Experience

Meal Plan:

Day 2 - Enjoy a Chocolate Tasting Experience

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, afterwards at a pre-coordinated time, meet your private guide at the hotel reception area to start your tour.

Drive north to the Mitad del Mundo (the Middle of the World) to straddle both hemispheres at the same time. Visit the Ethnographic Museum (featuring a display of outfits sported by Ecuador’s various indigenous groups) or the Inti Ñan Museum. Located at the true equator, this museum displays examples of pre-Columbian life in Ecuador and offers demonstrations of the unique geography, astrology, and natural sciences of the region around the equator.

An afternoon sightseeing tour shows off some of the reasons why Ecuador’s capital earned its honor as the first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Marvel at San Francisco Church and its museum of religious art, La Compañía and the seven tons of gold gilding on its glittering walls, and the bustling Independence Plaza, flanked by the Presidential Palace and Quito Cathedral. Rich in art treasures, fine woodcarvings, and flowering balconies, the historical center is the lifeblood of Quito.

Return to the city to enjoy lunch in Quito’s colonial area.

After lunch, enjoy a chocolate tasting experience to discover the Ecuadorian chocolate history and its unique flavors. Ecuadorian cacao has been acknowledged as the world’s best, due to its aroma, consistency, and flavor. And no matter where anyone tries to grow this kind of cacao, it is only in Ecuador that it obtains its characteristics thanks to the unique weather conditions, perfect for its cultivation. In fact, it is so good that it has been the world’s most exported kind, and nowadays countries such as Switzerland, Italy, and Mexico still import Ecuador’s up-stream beans to make the world’s finest chocolate!

Overnight: Illa Experience

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 3 - Visit the Pinnacle Rock

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, afterwards at a pre-coordinated time, meet your private guide at the hotel reception area for your transfer to Quito´s airport to board your domestic flight to Galapagos.

Check-in at Quito international airport. The flight time from Quito to Guayaquil is 40 minutes. There is also a 40-minute transit at Guayaquil Airport. Flight time from Guayaquil to the Islands is 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Assistance will be provided upon your arrival at Baltra by an M/T Camila representative after passing through immigration and baggage claim. When ready, you will be transferred to the yacht. You will then be shown to your cabin where you will have some time to settle in before the welcome briefing and lunch.

PM: Bartolome Island
Bartholomew is another smaller island that derives from Santiago Island. It is home to the famous Pinnacle Rock and is named after James Sullivan, a friend of Charles Darwin who was also aboard the HMS Beagle. Of all the islands, this is the most photographed and is also featured in the 2003 movie “Master and Commander”.

Pinnacle Rock is a volcanic cone formed by magma expelled by an underwater volcano. The sea cooled the hot lava and as it exploded from contact, the pieces formed together this huge rock of many, many layers of basalt. The huge rock also has a beach where a small population of green sea turtles will nest. Galapagos penguins gather here, swimming can offer beautiful sights of colorful schools of fish and curious sea lions.

Overnight: M/T Camila

Meal Plan: B, L, D

Day 4 - Rabida Island and Egas Port

AM: Rabida Island
One of the most colorful and volcanically varied islands in the archipelago as well as a great snorkeling site.

We will start on Rabida’s famous maroon sandy beach and after an easy hike will arrive at a stunning lookout to enjoy the amazing landscapes on the way, we might find some land birds, such as Darwin´s finches, Galápagos Hawks, and Brown Pelicans.

PM: Egas Port, Santiago Island
Egas port is also known as James Bay. It is home to quick-footed Galapagos lava lizards, Galapagos fur seals along the grottos and tide pools, and is a great snorkeling site.

Overnight: M/T Camila

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 5 - Meet the Red-Footed Boobies

AM: Darwin Bay, Genovesa Island
Genovesa Island is a horse-shoe-shaped island was formed by the eruption of a shield volcano with large slopes formed by gradual lava flows. It is known as “Bird Island” due to the wide variety of birds that can be seen. The only reptile on the entire island is the marine iguana and it is one of the very few places red-footed boobies gather in one large mass.

Darwin Bay is the result of the shield volcano where one of the sides of the caldera collapsed after years of erosion. It is one of the places in the Galapagos where red-footed boobies can be guaranteed to be seen. Over 200,000 red-footed boobies are estimated to be living in the trees and bushes of Genovesa.

PM: El barranco, Genovesa Island
Better known as Prince Phillip’s Steps, a steep and rocky path leads up to a cliff with a marvelous view. There is also a Palo Santa forest that is home to nesting red-footed boobies and other birds

Overnight: M/T Camila

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 6 - Enjoy the Beauty of Mosquera Islet

AM: Mosquera Islet
This islet is located between the islands of Baltra and North Seymour. It is a reef of rocks and coral (the result of an uprising) and a great white sand beach. Its narrowest width reaches about 160 meters and has an estimated length of 600 meters. In most of the perimeter, there is a base of lava rocks, as evidence of the lava uprising, except on the southwest side where the landing occurs.

This island has one of the largest populations of sea lions. You can also observe several species of shorebirds. There have been occasional reports at this site of Orcas (Orcinus orca) feeding on sea lions.

PM: Highlands, Santa Cruz Island
The Highlands of Santa Cruz is a very interesting site due to the rich wildlife, hills, ferns, volcanoes, and lava tubes present. Exploring the lava tubes is a surreal and unique experience. Here you can see all the different agricultural zones that are present in the Galapagos in one place. The variety of birds makes this a bird watcher's delight.

Overnight: M/T Camila

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 7 - Visit North Seymour Island

AM: North Seymour Island
The island was named after English nobleman Lord Hugh Seymour. Formed by uplifted submarine lava, the island is home to a huge colony of about 2,500 land iguanas and large populations of sea lions, blue-After this final visit, you will be transferred to the Baltra airport in time for your flight back to the mainland. If flying to Quito, your flight will most likely include a stop at Guayaquil airport before heading to Quito.

Important:
Itineraries and activities are subject to change without prior notice depending on weather conditions, water currents, and sea conditions.
The wildlife described above is not guaranteed to be seen during your visit. Please remember to respect your distance between any and all wildlife.
Please stay on marked trails and heed the directions of your Naturalist Guide.

Once in the airport, meet your guide who assists you with the check-in procedures for your international departure flight. (one-hour assistance).

Overnight:

Meal Plan: B