Itinerary Details
MT Sobek: Ecuador Galapagos Volcanoes & Islands Land-Based Multi-Adventure
Day 1 Arrive in Quito
1-hour private transfer
Welcome to Quito, Ecuador's beautiful capital high in the Andes. An MT Sobek representative will meet you outside customs and transfer you to your comfortable hotel in the lively La Floresta neighborhood, just minutes from the city's historic center. Settle in after your flight and enjoy the hotel's pool and spa, or step out to begin exploring Quito at your own pace. Dinner is on your own tonight, giving you time to relax before meeting your guide and fellow travelers the next morning.
Accommodation: Swissôtel Quito
Day 2 Follow Trails in Cotopaxi National Park
3-hour private van transfer
2 hours walking with optional extensions
After meeting your fellow adventurers and guide, head out on a full-day trip to Cotopaxi National Park. This 82,520-acre ecological sanctuary protects Cotopaxi volcano, one of Ecuador's most iconic mountains. With its perfectly conical shape and extensive ice cap, the 19,324-foot peak is easily identifiable, and it ranks among the highest active volcanoes on the planet. Hike around the park's stunning Limpiopungo Lake, taking in exquisite views of Cotopaxi and nearby Rumiñahui as you keep an eye out for Andean foxes, pintail ducks, and majestic Andean condors. Enjoy lunch at a nearby restaurant, savoring volcano views, before returning to Quito in the afternoon. Later, gather for an evening briefing about the upcoming Galapagos portion of your adventure, followed by a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodation: Swissôtel Quito
(B, L, D)
Day 3 Fly to the Galapagos Islands & Kayak Villamil Bay
3-hour flight transfer
Kayaking, snorkeling, and swimming
Leave the Andes behind this morning as you fly west to the Galapagos Islands. After landing on Baltra, connect by local flight to Isabela, the archipelago's largest and wildest island. Formed by six volcanoes and home to nearly 60 percent of the Galapagos' flora and fauna, Isabela feels wonderfully remote from the start, with lava landscapes, sheltered bays, and remarkable wildlife waiting just beyond your hotel. This afternoon, kayak Villamil Bay, within walking distance of the hotel. Small islets dot the clear coastal waters, where sea lions, blue-footed boobies, and Galapagos penguins are often seen. You may also spend time snorkeling with sea turtles, reef sharks, and other marine life before returning to your boutique beachfront hotel.
Accommodation: Albemarle Galapagos Beachfront Hotel
(B, L, D)
Day 4 Snorkel at Los Tuneles & See Giant Tortoises
2-hour speedboat transfer
2 miles hiking; snorkeling
Set out on a motorboat ride to Los Tuneles, a marine paradise where ancient lava flows met the surf to form natural arches, tubes, and bridges. Spend your morning snorkeling among an incredible array of marine life, including parrotfish, green sea turtles, rays, and white-tipped reef sharks. This is an unforgettable opportunity to discover the diversity of the islands' underwater world. After lunch, return to your hotel to prepare for your afternoon activity: a hike along the wetlands of Puerto Villamil and a visit to the giant tortoise breeding center, where you'll learn about Galapagos National Park's successful efforts to raise tortoises in captivity for later release into the wild. Return to town via the wetlands, scoping out flamingos, herons, and shorebirds as you go.
Accommodation: Albemarle Galapagos Beachfront Hotel
(B, L, D)
Day 5 Hike Sierra Negra Volcano
2-hour private vehicle transfer
5 to 7 hours/10 miles hiking with 900' of elevation gain and loss
Today you'll hike one of the most active volcanoes in the Galapagos: Sierra Negra, a surreal landscape of steaming fumaroles and otherworldly lava fields. Trek two hours up a gradual incline to the edge of its massive crater, enjoying spectacular views of the Pacific and the surrounding archipelago as you go. Keep an eye out for endemic Galapagos hawks and vermilion flycatchers as you continue along the crater to the adjoining Volcan Chico. Here you'll get a close-up look at active steam vents and uniquely shaped lava formations while taking in panoramic Galapagos vistas. Afterward, transfer back to Puerto Villamil. The rest of the day is yours to swim at the beach, snorkel in a sheltered cove with tropical fish and sea lions (and the occasional penguin), or enjoy a walk on the nearby two-mile coral-sand beach, which starts in town.
(B, L, D)
Day 6 Hike & Kayak on Santa Cruz Island
20-minute flight transfer, 1-hour private vehicle transfer
2 hours hiking; kayaking
An early swim or nature walk rounds out your time on Isabela before your transfer to Puerto Villamil airport for the short flight to Baltra. From here, continue to Santa Cruz Island and into the lush highlands, stopping at Los Gemelos, two massive sinkholes surrounded by cloud forest filled with ferns, mosses, and lichens. Look for endemic birds such as Darwin's finches and flycatchers, as well as highland flora not found in the lowlands. Continue to El Chato Reserve, where giant tortoises roam among freshwater ponds and grassy highland meadows. Explore a lava tunnel and enjoy lunch in the highlands before driving to Puerto Ayora, the largest settlement in the Galapagos. This afternoon includes a kayaking experience at Divine Bay, a wildlife-rich cove where calm turquoise water, black basalt cliffs, mangroves, and small islets set the scene for sightings of sea lions, sea turtles, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, pelicans, herons, and lava gulls.
Accommodation: Angermeyer Waterfront Inn
(B, L, D)
Day 7 See Frigatebirds & Snorkel at North Seymour Island
1.5-hour private van transfers; 1.5-hour speedboat transfers
2 hours/1 mile walking; snorkeling
Transfer to the Itabaca Channel and step aboard a local speedboat for a 30-minute journey in calm waters to North Seymour Island, a small isle north of Baltra that teems with wildlife. It's one of the best spots in the Galapagos to watch male frigatebirds perform their elaborate red-pouch mating rituals, alongside blue-footed boobies, sea lions, land and marine iguanas, and the archipelago's two endemic gull species. After exploring the island on foot, snorkel its surrounding clear waters in search of tropical fish, sea turtles, and reef sharks. Lunch onboard your speedboat before heading to Bachas Beach for a swim and more wildlife viewing. Enjoy a special farewell dinner this evening.
Accommodation: Angermeyer Waterfront Inn
(B, L, D)
Day 8 Depart from Santa Cruz & Return to Quito
45-minute private vehicle transfer & 2-hour flight transfer
After breakfast, bid farewell to the Galapagos as you transfer to Baltra airport for your flight back to Quito. An MT Sobek representative will be awaiting your arrival at Quito's Mariscal Sucre International Airport, ready to assist you to your nearby hotel. Enjoy lunch and dinner on your own, rest up, and prepare for your trip home or wherever your next adventure takes you.
Accommodation: Wyndham Quito Airport
(B)
Day 9 Depart from Quito
Savor your final breakfast at the hotel before taking the complimentary airport shuttle to the airport in time for your outbound flight. You can also choose to stay on in Quito or join us for one of our MT Sobek extensions in Ecuador or Peru!
Accommodation: Wyndham Quito Airport
(B)
