Quick journey Ecuador: Amazon, Andes & Galapagos Islands

<p>This day you will visit the amazon region. The flight is to Coca city and it is in the morning so your guide will transfer you from the hotel to the airport to assist you with the check in. After a 30 min flight you will land at Coca city where someone from the lodge to visit will be waiting for you. After a short ride on a private bus we get to the next part of the journey, a motorized boat ride. The ride will take approximately two to two and half hours on the river. After this ride you will have a short walk and canoe ride. This time crossing a creak and a lake in a paddle canoe that will take you to the Lodge. This journey itself is already part of the adventure in the amazon region. </p><p>At the lodge you will receive a briefing from the administration about the lodge and the activities that you will be doing during your stay in the Amazon region. You will also meet the naturalist guide that will be with you for the following days.</p><p>This evening you will start with one of the night activities offered at the lodge. It can be an evening walk or an evening canoe ride. </p>

<p>Breakfast is served early because there is so much to see and do! There are a number of activities that you might do, including a visit to the parrot clay lick, a trip to a local community, or an excursion to the observation tower to see birds and monkeys. The activities you do will depend on many factors, mostly the weather. If you do not wish to do the morning activity, you are under no obligation to do so. Some guests prefer to remain in the lodge and relax. A delicious lunch is served in the dining room at 13:00. After lunch, guests can take a nap or read a book during the hottest hours of the day. Afternoon activities tend to be more low-key than morning ones. You might go for a canoe ride around the lagoon, take a short trail to hopefully see some of the animals living in the amazon. A gourmet dinner awaits in the dining room as afternoon turns into evening. On your last evening, you will be asked to clear up your bill in case you had any extras, such as drinks or a massage. </p>

<p>Breakfast is served early because there is so much to see and do! There are a number of activities that you might do, including a visit to the parrot clay lick, a trip to a local community, or an excursion to the observation tower to see birds and monkeys. The activities you do will depend on many factors, mostly the weather. If you do not wish to do the morning activity, you are under no obligation to do so. Some guests prefer to remain in the lodge and relax. A delicious lunch is served in the dining room at 13:00. After lunch, guests can take a nap or read a book during the hottest hours of the day. Afternoon activities tend to be more low-key than morning ones. You might go for a canoe ride around the lagoon, take a short trail to hopefully see some of the animals living in the amazon. A gourmet dinner awaits in the dining room as afternoon turns into evening. On your last evening, you will be asked to clear up your bill in case you had any extras, such as drinks or a massage. </p>

<p>Although you must depart the lodge early in order to get to Coca in time for your flight, breakfast will be served before you leave. You’ll go out the way you came: a canoe ride, followed by a short walk, and then a two-hour, two and half hour ride on the motorized canoe to Coca. Once you reach Coca, you will be taken to the airport, checked in and directed to the waiting room for your return flight to Quito. At Quito airport your guide will be waiting for you to take you back to the hotel in Quito and will provide all information about the following day activities.</p><p></p><p>* This is a sample itinerary for the amazon tour. Activities will be organized according to weather conditions, trails capacity and group interests.</p>

<p>We depart in the morning from your hotel towards “Cotopaxi Volcano and National Park”, a volcano of 5.897-m-high (18.870 feet high) considered the highest active volcano in the world. An impressive sight to see if weather conditions are in our favor. During our stay at the National Park we will admire its natural environment, its Flora and Fauna with the explanations of your naturalist guide. We will try to ascend to the refuge located at 4.810 m (15.392 feet high). Because Cotopaxi Volcano is active at the moment the ascension will be granted by the authorities of the National Park. We will also do a hike around Limpiopungo Lake which is located at the feet of the volcano to watch some birds of the Paramo region (Andean Grasslands). In a clear day the view of the volcano reflected on the lake surface is magnificent. We have lunch in the area of the National Park and continue towards Riobamba city. </p>

<p>This day we move from Riobamba city to Alausi town early in the morning to catch the train. We will have a train ride** through the famous “Devils Nose Ride”. This is a section of tracks that because of the difficulty to build it, many workers died in the construction. The name used originally by the locals in this mountain side was “the Condor’s Aerie”. The Devil’s Nose crossing is made by use of switchbacks: the train rumbles ahead past a junction, then backs down the next section, before going forward again. It was the only way to get the lumbering trains down the hill. </p><p>After the ride we will have lunch in Alausi and we will continue to the Inca ruins of Ingapirca. </p><p>Ingapirca is the largest and best preserved archaeological complex in Ecuador. The name Ingapirca means “Wall of the Inca” and its construction combines the coppery brown of adobe used by Cañary culture with the bluish-green andesite stones brought subsequently by the Incas. It was built with millions of stones. These ruins stand out, both for the extraordinary work of masonry in stone blocks that make up its walls, as well as the originality appreciated in the design of its main structure, a tall and bulky elliptical platform known as the “Castle of Ingapirca”.</p><p>We will continue to Cuenca city in the evening and we will check in at the hotel.</p><p></p><p>** Train Operation is subject to change</p>

<p>In the morning after breakfast we will have a city tour through one of the most beautiful cities of Ecuador. Named Cultural World Heritage in 1999 by the UNESCO, Cuenca possesses an amazing architecture and a great preserved colonial city. In the tour we will first have a panoramic view of the city from “El Turi” view point before going to the center of the city and start visiting this colonial site. We will then visit a Panama hat factory and will learn about this handmade hats originally from Ecuador but that became famous in Panama during the construction of the Canal. After this we will visit the colonial part of the city: Plaza Calderón, The Cathedral, The Plaza of “las Flores“ and depending of the day of tour, if it’s Tuesday we will see the traditional “Cholas Cuencanas” performing spiritual rituals called “cleaning” to help people get rid of the bad energies affecting their health. (Chola Cuencana is the name given to the indigenous woman in this part of the country)</p><p>We will have lunch in the Old part of the city and we will continue to Guayaquil City. This will be a journey moving from the over 4000 m (12000 ft) to almost the see level. We will appreciate the change in vegetation and weather, going from the cold areas of the Paramos (Andean grassland) in Cajas National Park, just outside of Cuenca, to a region where Cacao and Banana are cultivated in the coast region.</p><p>Arrival to Guayaquil in the night and check in.</p>

<p>Today we transfer you to the airport in Guayaquil to take your flight to the Galapagos Islands. Your guide will assist you on the proses of check in for the Galapagos Islands. You will have to go through the Galapagos counter where your bags will be check with x-rays (it is not possible to bring certain products to the islands). After this you will continue to the Airline check in. Arriving to the Galapagos Islands you will have to go through security at the airport and pay the entrance fee. You can get the stamp of the Galapagos Islands on your passport. Outside, your local guide will be waiting for you to take you across the Itabaca Chanel to Santa Cruz Island, we head up to the “Ranchos” in the highlands for a delicious lunch. We will visit a tortoise Reserve were you will experience the emblematic giant tortoises in their natural habitat. After this visit your will be transfer to the hotel for Check in. The rest of the afternoon is on your own to discover a little bit of Puerto Ayora. The capital of the Galapagos Islands.</p>

<p>Navigation tours at Galapagos Islands. The living museum of evolution, The Galapagos Islands is the place where Charles Drawing was inspired to write the theory of evolution of the species from natural selection and was declared by UNESCO a World Natural Heritage Site in 1978 and a World Biosphere Reserve in 1985. </p><p>A variety of Wildlife can be found on the Islands, and almost all of it endemic. The Islands appeared from lava eruption that came from the ocean floor; more than 2000 craters have continuously changed the terrain of the region. Today, the archipelago includes 13 large islands, 6 minor islands and more than 40 islets. </p><p>We will take a yacht tour to one of the inhabited neighboring islands: North Seymour, Bartolome, Santa Fe or South Plaza. Each Island has its unique natural habitat and wildlife. Snorkeling off the boat is a highlight of the trip. (The Island to visit will be confirm the day of booking the tour according to availability). Arrival at Santa Cruz in the afternoon.</p>

<p>Navigation tours at Galapagos Islands. The living museum of evolution, The Galapagos Islands is the place where Charles Drawing was inspired to write the theory of evolution of the species from natural selection and was declared by UNESCO a World Natural Heritage Site in 1978 and a World Biosphere Reserve in 1985. </p><p>A variety of Wildlife can be found on the Islands, and almost all of it endemic. The Islands appeared from lava eruption that came from the ocean floor; more than 2000 craters have continuously changed the terrain of the region. Today, the archipelago includes 13 large islands, 6 minor islands and more than 40 islets. </p><p>We will take a yacht tour to one of the inhabited neighboring islands: North Seymour, Bartolome, Santa Fe or South Plaza. Each Island has its unique natural habitat and wildlife. Snorkeling off the boat is a highlight of the trip. (The Island to visit will be confirm the day of booking the tour according to availability). Arrival at Santa Cruz in the afternoon.</p>

<p>After breakfast the guide will be waiting for you to take you to las Grietas for some snorkeling and swimming. Las Grietas is a natural canyon with a little entrance of water from the ocean. IT has a good amount of fihs that are possible to watch while swimming and snorkeling. After this activity you will return to Puerto Ayora for lunch.</p><p>After lunch you will visit Tortuga Bay. This is one of the most famous locations in Puerto Ayora. To get to Tortuga Bay there is a walk of around 1 hours each way. Here we will walk through a giant cacti forest to arrive to a beach where marine iguanas have their nests. Return to the hotel in the afternoon.</p><p></p><p>* It is possible that the guide will modify the activity according to operational reasons or if the guide found that the site to visit is overcrowded.</p>

<p>This day is the transfer out to the airport in Baltra Island and to the Ecuadorian continent. Your guide will be waiting for you in Quito Airport to take you back to the hotel. end of the trip.</p>