Islands and Amazon Adventure

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive Quito

You will be greeted at the airport and transferred to your hotel in the hub of Quito’s charming restaurant district. There are no planned activities, so check into our hotel and enjoy the city.Located 2850m (9348 ft) above sea level, the Ecuadorian capital of Quito enjoys a wonderful spring-like climate, despite the fact that it is only 22 km (14 miles) south of the Equator. Nestled in a valley flanked by mountains, on a clear day several snow-capped volcanoes, including nearby Pichincha, are visible from the city centre. Add to its beautiful location a rich history and well-preserved colonial district, and you begin to understand Quito’s appeal to thousands of tourists every year.In 1978 UNESCO declared Quito a World Heritage site, and any new development in Quito's old town is now strictly controlled. Life in Quito tends to be peaceful, though the drivers are fond of using their car horns! There are approximately 2,000,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area, but the pace is relaxed and the residents hospitable. Since pre-Columbian times, the site of Quito has been inhabited by the Quitus, the Shyris and the Puruhas. The Inca reached this city before the Spaniards, but levelled it to the ground rather than give it up to the Spanish. The present capital was founded by the Spanish on December 6th, 1534. Quito is separated into two basic sections, the old and the new cities. The old city is full of historical buildings and churches. One of the more noteworthy is the Catedral de Quito, located on the Plaza de la Independencia. Built between 1550 and 1562, it was one of the first neoclassical works in Quito. La Compañía de Jésus Church is considered one of the most beautiful in the Americas. The decorations in the Compañía contain approximately one and one-half tons of gold, and construction of the church took 170 years (1605-1775). There are several excellent museums scattered throughout the city. The Casa de la Cultura Ecuadoriana has an interesting display of traditional musical instruments and Ecuadorian traditional dress, a large art collection, and a small natural history museum. For archaeology the best museum to visit is the Museo del Banco Central with its well displayed pottery, gold ornaments, skulls showing deformities and early surgical methods, a mummy and many other objects of interest. The small, rounded hill dominating the old town is El Panecillo or 'the Little Bread Loaf,' a major Quito landmark. From here there are marvellous panoramic views of the entire city and surrounding volcanoes. You can easily take a trolley (streetcar) or a cab between the Old Town and New Town. Quito’s large foreign population and steady stream of travellers have given it a varied and vibrant nightlife, and salsotecas and other dance clubs abound. For a real Ecuadorian experience though, be sure and drop by a peña if you can; these are great places for meeting locals and dancing, as well as enjoying local cooking. Just a couple of hours south of Quito is Parque National Cotopaxi, home to Cotopaxi Volcano (5897 m/19342 ft). the beautiful cone-shaped, snow covered volcano is Ecuador’s second highest peak and the highest active volcano in the world. This is a great spot for a days hiking (up to the refuge on the glacier’s edge) or mountain biking (downhill all the way). True enthusiasts attempt the climb to the summit (overnight excursion). Allow yourself an extra day or two in Quito, before or after your trip, if you want to conquer Cotopaxi.Warning: Please take care when wandering about the city on your own, as pick pockets and purse-snatchers are common, particularly in the Old Town. Be safe and leave your passport, credit cards, traveller’s cheques and cash you don’t need in the hotel’s safety deposit box. Most Quiteños are honest and genuinely helpful and friendly, but be safe and enjoy the city!

Day 2 Cayambe (B)

Begin your tour by heading north to the village of Cayambe, where we stay in a 400-year-old hacienda nestled at the base of Cayambe Volcano. G.A.P Adventures discovered this hacienda years ago and it has become special part of all our trips in the area. If you are feeling energetic, you can travel to the base of the volcano's glacier and hike back down. Rent horses and head off into the hills, or explore the beautiful property surrounding the hacienda, including an indoor swimming pool.The town of Cayambe is famous both for its dairy industry and the snow-capped, extinct volcano of the same name that dominates the town. Ecuador's third highest peak at 5790m/18991 ft, it is the highest point in the world through which the Equator directly passes — at about (4600m/15088 ft) on the south side. Hacienda Guachalá, the estate where we stay has a long and dynamic history. Originally part of an Inca outpost, the farm became an encomienda given to a conquistador. In 1647, D. Francisco de Villacis bought the sheep farm and constructed a wool factory, exporting his product to Europe. A great grandson of Pope Alejandro VI (one of the Borjas), married Maria de Villacis in 1700, and the farm passed into the hands of the Borja Family until 1832, when it was sold once again. In 1892, the farm was bought by Josefina Bonifaz, who changed the wool factory to a dairy farm. Her son Neptali Bonifaz, who eventually became Ecuador's President, divided the inherited land between his sons. Following land reform laws of the 1960s, part of the land was returned to indigenous families. Today only a small fraction of the original land, including the original house and factory buildings, remains in the hands of the Bonifaz family. Part of the family home was refurbished in the early 1990s and converted into a small hotel, the Hacienda Guachalá, where we enjoy the natural beauty of this highland area surrounded by the hacienda’s colourful history.

Day 3 Otavalo, Quito (B)

We continue on to Otavalo to spend the day exploring the largest handicrafts market in South America before returning to Quito by the evening. Villagers from the surrounding countryside come here every week to sell handmade goods as well as livestock, fruits and vegetables. Otavalo is justly famous both for its friendly people and its Saturday market. The market dates back to pre-Inca times when jungle products were transported from the eastern lowlands and traded for highland goods. Today's market has two different functions: the local market for buying and selling animals, food and other essentials, and the crafts market for the tourists and other interested people. There are three main market plazas in town, with the overflow spilling out onto the streets linking them. The Plaza de Ponchos is where you will find most handicraft items. You will find colourful woollen goods such as ponchos, gloves, hats, blankets, scarves and sweaters, as well as fine tapestries and a variety of embroidered blouses and shirts, shawls, string bags, and rope sandals. This market gets underway at dawn and continues until early afternoon. Remember, bargaining is expected for every purchase! If you're good you should be able to get at least 20% off of the starting price. The food market sells produce and household goods for the locals, and there is an animal market beginning in the predawn hours on the outskirts of town. Although these are not designed for visitors, they are cultural experiences to see and are definitely worth a visit.One of the most obvious signs of the Otavaleños' cultural integrity is their traditional dress. This is not just put on especially for the tourists at the Saturday market, but is worn throughout their daily life.

Day 4 Quito (B)

Enjoy a guided half day tour of Quito with its colonial architecture and its many shops and cafés. There is also plenty of free time to wander around and enjoy the city on your own.

Day 5 La Selva Lodge (B, L, D)

Transfer to the airport with a local representative for the morning flight to the Amazon Rainforest, a 45 minute trip. It is ten minutes from the airport to the banks of the Napo River and 3-4 hours by motorized dugout canoe down river to the entrance of La Selva Lodge. La Selva has been in successful operation for about sixteen years, and it is one of the most highly respected (if not the best) jungle lodge in South America; the World Congress on Tourism and Environment awarded it their “Ecotourism Award.” At the lodge you will find that the owners of La Selva have built upon their years of experience in the jungle lodge business to provide you with comfortable accommodation in cabins of native design that both blend in with the surrounding rainforest and provide comforts you would expect of a first class hotel. Rooms have modern bathrooms with hot running water, screened rooms with a view of the rainforest, bottled drinking water free of charge and excellent, international cuisine that incorporates the delicious tropical fruits of the region.

Day 6-7 La Selva Lodge (2B, 2L, 2D)

See the canopy of the rainforest from a tower, 43 m in height (141 ft), and choose from dozens of walks of varying lengths and difficulty; several routes can only be accessed by canoe. Choose from a variety of activities: wake up early for some bird watching or stay up late and go out on a boat to view caimans by flashlight. Learn about the environment and wildlife from your naturalist guide, who accompanies you to ensure you get the most out of your excursions. The opportunities for birding, botany, hiking, herpetology, canoeing, photography, entomology, fishing, relaxing and swimming at La Selva Lodge are boundless. You decide which paths to explore and which adventure to experience, according to your own ability and interests. In the 16th century, Spanish conqueror Francisco de Orellana ventured from Quito into the eastern jungle, in search of El Dorado, a mythical stash of Inca gold hidden away in the jungle. While he didn't find gold, he did discover Ecuador's Rio Napo, which along with Peru’s Marañón, combines to create the mighty Amazon. He followed the Napo into the Amazon mainstream and travelled all the way through the dense jungle to the Atlantic Ocean on Brazil’s coast. Consider the variety of mammals living in Ecuador's Amazon: armadillos, honey bears, sloth, 60 varieties of bats, tapirs, peccaries, jaguar, monkeys, manatees and much more. Birds are the richest group of Amazon vertebrates, at approximately 1000 species. Visitors will see hummingbirds, toucans, macaws and tanagers on land, and darters, herons and gulls on water. If fortunate, you may catch a glimpse of the prehistoric looking Hoatzin, with its brightly coloured feathers and sharp talons. Over 500 species of trees per acre have been recorded in the jungles of the upper Amazon. If this doesn’t seem particularly astonishing, consider that this is ten times greater than either Europe or North America, and you will begin to appreciate the significance of the conservation of this area and others like it. The rainforest is also the traditional home of many indigenous communities, whose traditional homelands and way of life are threatened by the encroachment of 20th century industries like mining, petroleum exploitation and large-scale cash-crop farming. Among the most representative are the Siona-Secoya, Cofan, Huaorani, Shuar, Ashuar and Quichua.

Day 8 Quito (B)

Return to Quito and transfer to hotel. The evening is at leisure.

Day 9 Baltra / North Seymour (L,D)

Early flight to Baltra, in the Galapagos Islands. Upon arrival we are met by our naturalist guide who will assist with the transfer to our boat, the G.A.P Adventurer V. Later, visit the Island of North Seymour, home to abundant animal life including sea lions, marine iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls, magnificent frigate birds and blue-footed boobies.Seymour Island is probably the most exciting island photographically. Bird life abounds, and close to the trail you will find many nesting pairs and young chicks. Seymour is also home to the Galapagos’s largest colony of Magnificent Frigate Birds. Their mating ritual is an ostentatious display: males expand the red sack at the base of their throat and perch atop a bush with wings fully extended, flapping furiously. Interested females circle overhead, and if so inclined, may join the male on terra firma.The Galapagos Islands are located about 1000 km (620 miles) off the Pacific coast of South America. The archipelago is comprised of 13 major islands and scores of islets that served as a living laboratory for Charles Darwin, the renowned evolution theorist.Long before Darwin arrived in the Galapagos, seafarers knew these isolated islands as home to some of the strangest and most wonderful wildlife imaginable, including birds that could swim but no longer fly, aquatic iguanas, dragon-like lizards left over from prehistoric times, and the giant Galapagos tortoises for which the islands were named.Covering nearly 5000 square km (3100 square miles), the Galapagos Islands are now a National Park. The Galapagos National Park is the institution that controls the preservation of this environment, assisted by the Charles Darwin Research Station. Inaugurated in 1964 and based in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, the Charles Darwin Research Station is the one place where visitors can easily see the famous Galapagos Tortoises, which may live up to two hundred years. This is also the training centre for naturalist guides who accompany all visitors landing at more than 40 approved sites on the islands, and members of the international scientific community often come to study at the station. The National Park charges a visitor fee of $100 USD, payable on arrival, which funds Park maintenance and supervision in the Galapagos, as well as ecological study, conservation and infrastructure development in Ecuador's other National Parks. Entry fees and the funds they generate for the National Park System are among measures taken by the Ecuadorian government to protect its natural heritage.

Day 10 Rabida (B, L, D)

We make our way to Rabida Island where our boat lands on Rabida’s red beach (also called Jervis), from which a short trail leads to a salt water lagoon, often home to wading flamingos. Another trail goes past the lagoon to the interior, where the revered palo santo trees grow. When burned, the branches of this tree give off a pleasing aroma and ward off mosquitoes. Back on the beach among low-lying bushes nest the prehistoric-looking pelicans. This is the best area for close viewing of these nesting birds, and it's a rare treat to watch parent pelicans return with gullets full of fish for the squawking youngsters.

Day 11 Bartolomé (B, L, D)

This morning we set sail for Bartolomé Island. On this visit we have the opportunity to learn about the geological history of Bartolomé, as our naturalist explains its dramatic volcanic features, including unusual splatter cones. Sometimes it is possible to spot rare Galapagos penguins, of which only 800 pairs exist.Bartolomé Island (also called Bartholomew) has 2 main areas of interest. A hike to the summit of the island provides a clearer perspective of the islands' not-too-distant volcanic origins, and the panoramic view is one of the best among the islands. From here are visible the double-sided beach of Bartolomé directly below, the volcanic tower rising out of the water next to it, and Santiago in the distance. After the summit hike, stop at the beach to relax in semi-tropical tranquility. There is great snorkelling among the submerged volcanic rock and around the base of the tower. A short hike to the beach on the opposite side is worth the minimal effort. It is not unusual to see sharks in these shallow waters, and marine turtles nest here from January through March.

Day 12 Santa Cruz/Quito (B)

The morning finds us in the town of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island. Enjoy a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station to see and learn about giant tortoises and Darwin's famed studies and explorations.Santa Cruz is the most populated island within the archipelago, and Puerto Ayora is its main town. The Charles Darwin Research Station is a 10 minute walk from the centre of the town. Here, an exhibition centre displays photos of recent volcanic eruptions, charts outlining geological formations and drawings of the evolutionary development of endemic species. A corral houses adult Galapagos Tortoises, and a nursery cares for young tortoises until they are about three years old, when their shells have hardened enough to resist attack from feral dogs.We transfer to Baltra Island for our return flight to Quito. Upon arrival, transfer to our hotel and enjoy one last night on the town.

Day 13 Depart Quito (B)

Depart Quito at any time.

Trip Details

Accommodation	Comfort hotels (5 nts), Hacienda (1 nt), Twin-share cabins on board our motorized, Air conditioned yacht (3 nts), Twin-share accommodation at the jungle lodge (3 nts).
Brochure Notes	1. G.A.P Adventures requires your passport number and date of birth before your departure. Please make sure you give this information to your travel agent at the time of booking.2. Arrival details needed at time of booking.3. Note that suites on the boat have a double bed.
Combination	This trip combines a 4-day jungle stay with our 6-day Galapagos EV06G tour.
Departure	Departs twice per month
DepEnd	Mon-Sat
Group Size	Max 4 (20 in the Galapagos)
Included Highlights	Tour of Otavalo market, 3 nights in the Galapagos Islands, Amazon Jungle Excursion (3 nts), City tour of Quito, Arrival transfer and continental breakfast daily.
Local Payment	USD250Galapagos Park Fee USD100 - payable on arrival in the IslandsGalapagos Transit Control Card - USD10 - payable on arrival in the Islands
Meals Included	All meals while in the Galapagos and in the jungle lodge. Continental breakfast daily.
Recommendation	Looking for a more rugged experience? Consider our Highlights of Ecuador EF06G trip.
StartFinish	ex Quito
Testimonial	"Everything was very well organised - our guide was excellent. Tried another operator last year but we are back with G.A.P Adventures - speaks for its self!" - Edward Woods travelled on Islands and Amazon Adventure
Transport	Motorized air-conditioned yacht, Local flight, Canoe (motorized and paddle), Van, Hiking, Zodiacs.
Brochure Intro	Get to know Ecuador in style on this 13 day adventure, complete with comfortable hotels and private transportation. Explore some of the best Ecuador has to offer, from volcanoes and indigenous markets to the Amazon jungle and the famed Galapagos Islands.

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