From the Rainforest to the Galapagos
Hosted by our VP Beth Karlicek

We’ll greet you warmly and chauffeur you to our luxury boutique hotel, Casa Gangotena, in the center of town.

After breakfast, we’re off on a scenic journey with a stop at the Equator, the Middle of the World. By midday and lunchtime, we’ll be at our spectacular lodge in the midst of the Mashpi Rainforest Reserve. Our spacious, terrific guestrooms await. We’ve included all activities at Mashpi with expert naturalists. You choose the activity. On this first afternoon, you may wish to join an orientation to the reserve’s vast flora and fauna. After dinner, a guided 45-minute Luminous Trail walk introduces the sounds of night in the rainforest.  Meals B+L+D  

Wake up to captivating views from your well-appointed guestroom. Join our naturalists on the lodge’s viewing platform. With more than 400 species of birds at Mashpi, this early hour is the perfect time to spot them with our handy binoculars. After breakfast, we’ll begin to explore the wilderness. A variety of walking or hiking options are always provided for a full range of preferences. Perhaps a hike to a spectacular waterfall and a plunge under its cascading water. Or the Reserve’s gondola over the forest canopy may be in order. Here are some activities that are offered throughout the day: Dragonfly Adventure: Exclusive to Mashpi, this open-air cable car takes you through the forest canopy for nearly 2.5 miles. Your guide can even pause your gondola to linger in a spot you might wish. Strangler Fig Trail: A guided 90-minute hike will introduce you to some of the remarkable plant species that thrive in the Reserve. The Observation Tower: One of the best ways to experience the beauty of Mashpi and its wildlife is from atop its 85-foot-high Observation Tower. Sky Bike Adventure: Mashpi’s unique Sky Bikes allow you to ride across a sturdy steel cable to experience the thrilling beauty of the forest. Meals B+L+D  

There is so much to see and do in our private reserve including a Wellness Center with an open-air hot tub, extensive spa menu and outdoor yoga deck. More included nature activities will fill our day: Hummingbird Garden: A 3-mile walk brings you to a remote enclave to observe up to 19 species of hummingbirds. Magnolia Waterfall:  Named for a newly discovered species of magnolia, descend to the Laguna River and a beautiful waterfall. Life Center and Butterfly Farm:  Mashpi’s Life Center offers the perfect vantage point from which to observe the region’s rich biodiversity, while the Butterfly Farm introduces more than 200 identified species. It’s enchanting. Meals  B+L+D  

We depart Mashpi after breakfast and head to the beguiling highland town of Otavalo for its celebrated market. It’s always colorful with visitors, local residents and indigenous peoples who come from mountain villages to sell, barter and shop. Dressed in gorgeous Andean textiles, they sell an astounding range of products - produce, rugs, jewelry, clothing, carvings, paintings, musical instruments, leather goods and pottery. After a hearty lunch at a local hacienda, we visit Parque Condor, a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center dedicated to Andean birds of prey, including the iconic Andean condor. Perched on a hillside with stunning views of Imbabura Volcano, we’ll also observe eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons while learning about efforts to protect Ecuador’s endangered avian wildlife. We return to Quito along the stunning and aptly named Avenue of Volcanoes, including the very active cone-shaped Cotopaxi, before arriving once again at the elegant Casa Gongotena.  Meals B+L  

Just outside our hotel is the splendid 16th Church and Convent of San Francisco that blends spectacular Baroque elements with a Moorish architectural style. We’ll also visit the Museo Casa del Alabado, a hidden 17th-century gem offering the history and art of Ecuador’s earliest cultures. We’ll also spend time with today’s resident artists at Loachamin Gallery’s collection of contemporary sculptures and painting. We’ll even sample Ecuador’s exquisite chocolate at a renowned shop. Tonight, we’ll gather in our hotel’s elegant dining room for dinner hosted by Francisco “Pancho” Dousdebes, an expert naturalist who has studied the Galapagos Islands for 40 years. Pancho will illuminate the islands and their discovery by Charles Darwin before we fly to them in the morning.  Meals: B+L+D  

We’ll be chauffeured to the airport after breakfast for our flight to Baltra Island in the center of the archipelago. We’ll then cross Itabaca Channel by ferry to Santa Cruz Island and sit down to lunch. Afterward, we travel into the highlands to observe giant tortoises in their natural habitat before boarding our Galapagos vessel, the 24-cabin La Pinta. You’ll have time to settle in to your Upper Deck outside stateroom before joining fellow passengers for dinner. This evening’s briefing with our expert shipboard naturalists offers an entertaining and informative introduction to our voyage.  Meals B+L+D  

Today we’ll explore the diversity of two uninhabited isles. In the morning, a guided expedition by panga boats takes us along Eden Islet to observe Nazca and Blue Footed Boobies diving into the sea, reef sharks and frigatebirds. This is a great place to use our provided snorkeling gear or glass bottom boat. After lunch, a guided walk on Chinese Hat Islet offers a chance to see marine iguanas, Galapagos hawks, sea lions and Galapagos penguins. There’s terrific snorkeling here amongst white-tipped reef sharks and penguins, or we can explore these waters by sea kayak, glass-bottom boat or panga.  Meals B+L+D  

Join our naturalists this morning for a walk to the summit of Bartolomé Island. Wooden stairs and boardwalks protect the fragile environment, including small lava lizards and a species of cactus found only in the Galapagos. At the top, we’ll enjoy one of the most memorable vistas of your stay. Before returning to ship for lunch, there’s time to relax on the beach, snorkel or ride the glass-bottom boat. Later, we’ll step ashore at Sullivan Bay on Santiago Island. From an eruption a century ago, the sinuous Pahoehoe lava formations look almost like still-flowing molten lava. This is a great place to encounter the volcanic origins of the Galapagos; its lovely coral sand beach is ideal for swimming and snorkeling.  Meals B+L+D  

Genovesa Island is renowned for its intensive birdlife including frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, swallow-tailed and lava gulls, and yellow-crowned herons. This morning, we’ll step ashore at Darwin Bay. An easy trail winds along a tidal lagoon, offering myriad opportunities to observe and learn about the island’s waterfowl. Later, we can walk further to a look-out point or swim or snorkel in the gorgeous bay. This afternoon, we’ll explore Prince Philip’s Steps – named for his visit to the island in 1964. As we approach the lava cliffs in panga boats, you’ll see animals using the crevices for shelter with red-billed tropicbirds flying overhead. It’s quite a display. We’ll land at the base of the ‘stairs’ that lead to the top of the cliffs and down to the other side of this small island. Along the way, you’ll encounter large colonies of Nazca boobies, frigatebirds, storm petrels and the elusive short-eared owl.  Meals B+L+D  

After breakfast, we’ll disembark at Baltra Island for our return flight to Quito for connections onward. We’ve arranged for executive lounge access before flight times. Meals B