Ecuador and Galapagos. Galapagos Family Adventure

Southern Islands - Day 1-2: Quito

Start your Galapagos adventure with a guided, half-day tour of the World Heritage Site of Quito, visiting busy plazas, ornate churches and rich museums. Take the afternoon and evening to explore on your own terms, stopping off at the fascinating shops, pubs and restaurants. Overnights are at the charming boutique hotel of Casa Aliso, located in the fashionable La Floresta neighborhood (or similar).

Accommodations: Casa Aliso

Southern Islands - Day 3-5: The Galpagos: San Cristobal

A two-hour flight brings you to the vibrant waters and lands of the Galapagos. After meeting your naturalist guide, settling in on the M/Y Eric, Flamingo or Letty and enjoying a welcome lunch aboard the vessel, it’s time to travel, by bus, to the interior of San Cristobal and visit the tortoises of La Galapaguera Cerro Colorado and take a guided hike through the forest (watch for the San Cristobal mockingbird and terrestrial tortoises). The next day brings you to Cerro Brujo, a powdery-white sand beach, and to Punta Pitt, a tuff formation that serves as a nesting site, for a range of activities that include snorkeling, kayaking and bird watching (point those binoculars up to see many species of boobies, petrels and gulls!). Overnights are aboard the comfortable M/Y Eric, Flamingo or Letty in a spacious, air-conditioned cabin.

Accommodations: Eric/Flamingo/Letty

Southern Islands - Day 5-6: Espanola/Floreana

The next two days bring you to the islands of Espanola and Floreana for ground and water explorations of four diverse areas. In Punta Suarez, home to the Galapagos’ highest rate of endemic species, visit lazy sea lions, see the bizarre mating rituals of the Waved albatross and Blue-footed boobie and witness the dramatic blowholes along the shoreline. Explore the colorful ocean life at Gardner Bay, either by kayak or by snorkel and fins. A hike on Punta Cormorant brings you to a beautiful beach, brackish lagoon and to the pinkest flamingos in the world. And, finally, at Post Office Bay, visit the famed 18th-century post barrel, originally left here by English whalers, and leave a postcard or pick up mail destined for your home area. Overnights are aboard the comfortable M/Y Eric, Flamingo or Letty in a spacious, air-conditioned cabin.

Accommodations: Eric/Flamingo/Letty

Southern Islands - Day 7-8: Isabela/Santa Cruz/Bartolome

A short drive and horseback ride, crossing a lava field, craters and fumaroles, takes you to the Sierra Negra Volcano, the oldest and largest volcano on Isabela, and to the Wall of Tears (El Muro de las Lagrimas), a wall made of lava rock that was built by prisoners of the WW2-era penal colony. Navigating by Zodiac, visit Black Turtle Cove on Santa Cruz and its series of lush mangroves, watching for turtles, sharks and rays. On the young island of Bartolome, climb stairs that lead to the summit of a once-active volcano, stopping to look at lava bombs and splatter and cinder cones. Cool off with a snorkel (or boat ride) amongst schools of tropical fish and colonies of penguins. Overnights are aboard the comfortable M/Y Eric, Flamingo or Letty in a spacious, air-conditioned cabin.

Accommodations: Eric/Flamingo/Letty

Southern Islands - Day 9-10: South Plaza/Santa Cruz/Quito

Take a full day to explore South Plaza and the highlands of Santa Cruz: take a trail through a forest of Prickly Pear, passing land iguanas who feast on the delicious cactus leaves; encounter a colony of sea lions and see the scars of the dominant bulls, battling for beach territory; visit a tortoise reserve to encounter giant reptiles in their natural habitats; and visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to observe tortoise corrals and new hatchlings and meet scientists. Back on the boat, enjoy a farewell cocktail with the captain and one final night aboard the vessel before taking an afternoon flight back to Quito. Overnights are aboard the comfortable M/Y Eric, Flamingo or Letty in a spacious, air-conditioned cabin and at Casa Aliso, a charming boutique hotel (or similar).

Accommodations: Casa Aliso, Eric/Flamingo/Letty