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Ecuador and Galapagos. Romantic Galapagos and Ecuador Honeymoon

Extend Your Stay

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Otavalo Market and Andean Highlands

Nestled between the snowcapped Imbabura and Cotachachi volcanoes, the town of Otavalo rests in a culturally distinctive area of the Andean Highlands. Staying at one of the beautifully reconstructed 16th century haciendas outside of town, take a guided trip through some of the many local artisan shops as well as the famous market. 


The highlands of Ecuador are dominated by majestic volcanoes and rolling green fields, dotted with small villages which through the generations have developed specialized handicrafts signifying their particular talents. The colorful meetings of locals at the major indigenous markets to sell and barter these goods have become a highlight of most travelers’ visits to this beautiful and diverse country. Join the fun with your local guide as you browse, photograph and find that perfect gift or memento of your highland adventure. Lodging is at a beautiful colonial-era hacienda, refurbished to modern standards while maintaining its historical air. Our active travelers will also enjoy the opportunity to hike to one of the area’s most scenic outlooks, the sparkling crater lake of Cuicocha, tucked into the slopes of Volcan Cotocachi. This 2 day extension has something for everyone, and is sure to remain in your memories long after you return home!


2013 Pricing: From $530 per person, double occupancy, depending on group size.


Note: One day excursions are also available. While Saturday is the biggest day of the Otavalo market, it operates every day of the week, so this extension may be added to any Galapagos voyage itinerary. Please call for single/triple occupancy rates 

Day 1: Otavalo

Departing from your Quito hotel, travel north into the Andean highlands, stopping at small villages to experience local culture and handicrafts along the way. Enjoy lunch at a hosteria with magnificent views of surrounding volcanoes. You will stay at one of the beautifully restored colonial haciendas. Horseback riding, hiking, and mountain biking are just a few of the options available to guests. Overnight at Hacienda Pinsaqui or Hacienda Cusin. 


Day 2 : Otavalo - Quito

After breakfast, visit the world-famous market at Otavalo. These traditional meeting points have been a vital link of the highland Indian cultures since pre-Incan times. This is a magnificent opportunity to photograph native peoples, distinctive clothing, animals, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and pottery that are displayed in colorful arrays. Be prepared to get involved in the excitement of bargaining and buying. This afternoon you will have the opportunity to head out hiking with your guide to Laguna Cuicocha a caldera lake on the flanks of Volcan Cotacachi featuring spectacular views of the surrounding peaks. Return to Quito for an overnight at Casa Aliso. 

Hacienda Pinsaqui

First constructed in 1790, this uniquely restored colonial hacienda is located 5 km north of Otavalo and offers a stunning view of Mt. Imbabura Volcano. Read more about the Hacienda Pinsaqui.


Hacienda Cusin

Founded in 1602, Hacienda Cusin was converted in 1990 into a country inn of beautifully decorated guest rooms, suites and garden cottages, its history preserved and its ambience respected. Read more about the Hacienda Cusin.

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Amazon Extension to the Napo Wildlife Center

Years of close cooperation with the Añangu community has produced Napo Wildlife Center, an innovative project that is as valuable for its comforts as for its conservation and social value. The protected area is home to such species as Jaguar, Giant Otter, Tapir, eleven species of monkeys (including acrobatic Spider and Wooly monkeys, Monk Saki and Golden-mantled Tamarin), and many brilliant bird species. Here the local Añangu community has teamed with international conservationists to create a private reserve of well over 50,000 acres within the Yasuni National Park.


2013 Pricing: From $1045, airfare from Quito to Coca (approx $175) not included. Children under 12: $975


Note: This trip can depart from Quito any day EXCEPT Sunday. There is a 20kg (approximately 44lbs) weight limit for checked baggage as well as carry-on. Additional or excess baggage will be charged directly by the airline

Day 1: Napo Wildlife Center

Transfer to the Quito airport for your brief flight to Coca, an outpost on Ecuador’s Rio Napo in the Oriente, Ecuador’s Amazon basin. A 2 hour motorized canoe ride takes you to Napo Wildlife Center’s private dock where you’ll continue by canoe (1.5 hrs) through a meandering tributary of the Napo to the lodge's private lake deep within the Yasuni National Park. Arriving at the lodge, have a welcome beverage and receive an orientation about the activities to come. Overnight Napo Wildlife Center. 


Days 2 - 4: Napo Wildlife Center

Your naturalist guide accompanies you on a variety of adventures in this remote reserve, exploring the rivers, lagoons and forests surrounding the lodge. Napo Wildlife Center occupies an 82 square mile portion of Yasuni National Park. With 2 nearby parrot licks and a canopy tower, you have myriad opportunities to view some of the 550 species of birds, 11 primate species, and the stars of the reserve, giant river otters. Overnight Napo Wildlife Center.

Day 5: Quito

Early rising today to paddle or hike back to the Rio Napo and return to Coca for your flight to Quito. Upon arrival, remain at the airport for international departures or transfer to Casa Aliso.

Note: Round trip air Quito-Coca is $175 per person. Due to international air schedules, we have not included the cost of transfers and Quito hotel day 5. If you wish to overnight, please inquire for private airport-hotel transfers and accommodation. Prices are based on set days of transfer to / from the Coca airport.

Napo Wildlife Center

The Napo Wildlife Center [NWC] is a renowned, award-winning Amazon rainforest lodge in Ecuador. It is located adjacent to 82 sq miles of Yasunì National Park and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the largest tract of protected tropical rain forest in Ecuador. Read more about the Napo Wildlife Center.

See all of our Ecuadorian Amazon Accommodations

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Machu Picchu

Discover the best of Peru as you travel to the high Andes and the magnificent ancient citadel of Machu Picchu, the most important and impressive archaeological monument in South America. Accompanied by guides specialized in archaeology, history and Andean culture, visit monumental Inca stone temples, and the fascinating towns and Quechua Indian markets of Cusco and the Urubamba Valley. Guides meet you at every transfer point and assist with check-in to assure the most informed and in-depth experience in Peru.


2013 pricing: From $2085, based on group size. Flight to Peru and from Lima to Cusco not included.

Day 1: Arrival in Lima

Arrive in Lima. Airport assistance and overnight at the Costa del Sol Ramada Airport Hotel just a short 2-minute walk outside customs.

Day 2: Cusco Walking Tour

Assistance with early morning check-in for one hour flight to Cusco. Airport reception and transfer to your hotel. Afternoon half-day guided orientation of ancient Inca temples, Spanish churches and the surrounding ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Qenko, Puca Pucara and Tambo Machay. Our guide will also direct you to shops, museums, markets and restaurants where you can shop, dine and explore on your own. Overnight at the Casa Andina Private Collection.

Note: Optional upgrade at an additional cost to luxury Orient Express Monasterio Hotel, a restored 400 year old former monastery available for additional cost.


Day 3: Urubamba Valley

On our full day guided adventure through the Sacred Valley of the Incas you visit the village of Pisac and the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo. Depending on the season and your interests we stop to chat with farmers, artisans and visit Quechua villages where highland Indians tend their fields and sell handcrafts in outdoor markets. Overnight in the serene Urubamba Valley at the Hotel Sol y Luna. 

Day 4: Machu Picchu

Transfer to catch the morning train to Machu Picchu. After assisting with your hotel check in, our guide accompanies us on a private tour throughout the principal temples and important sectors of Machu Picchu leaving you free to photograph and explore on your own time. Includes first-class reserved train tickets, bus tickets up and down the mountain, lunch and one-time entrance fee. Overnight at the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. 

Note: We highly recommend the KM104 hike into Machu Picchu on this day. This 4-6 hour trek hikes the last day of the famed Inca Trail, allowing you to see the spectacular ruins of Winay Wayna and enter Machu Picchu through the Intipunku or “Gate of the Sun.” The cost for this trek is $300 per person and includes your trekking permit.


Day 5: Cusco

You have time this morning to return to Machu Picchu on the early shuttle bus (transport and entrance fee included). Enjoy contemplating, exploring and photographing the most impressive archaeological monument in South America on your own time wandering through the mysterious maze of streets and stone buildings in this magnificent citadel. Hike up the towering Wayna Picchu peak, or back up the Inca Trail to the Intipunku, Gate of the Sun entrance. Or, simply explore the trails and lush orchid gardens of the Machu Picchu Pueblo. Late-afternoon return on the Pullman train to a station in the Urubamba Valley where we transfer to a private vehicle back to Cusco arriving by evening to our hotel. Overnight at the Casa Andina Private Collection. 

Day 6: Lima and departure

Transfer to Cusco airport for flight to Lima. Airport reception and transfer in to Casa Andina Miraflores Park Hotel to use as a day room until your evening flight. Optional half-day tours of colonial Lima or a special farewell dinner are available upon request for additional cost. 

Hotel Sol y Luna

Nestled in the sacred Urumbamba Valley, the Hotel Sol y Luna combines comfort with a rustic Andean ambience. Read more about the Hotel Sol y Luna.


Machu Picchu Pueblo

The Machu Picchu Pueblo is the ideal base of exploration for the ruins of Machu Picchu. Surrounded by 12 acres of cloud forest on the banks of the Urubamba River, the hotel's spectacular scenery is matched by an incredible rich flora and fauna. Read more about the Machu Picchu Pueblo

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Bellavista Cloud Forest

Explore the lush surroundings of Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge, a haven for exotic birds and verdant forests, located within a lovely 2 hour drive from Quito. Whether you prefer to bushwhack through the Valley of the Mist, hike upstream to the Hidden Falls, or simply relax with a cup of coffee on the deck admiring the view from the top of the Tandayapa Valley, Bellavista will take your breath away with its stunning beauty. Known throughout the world for its vast range of avian life, this region boasts 400+ species, including toucans, colorful cock-of-the-rock, giant antipitta and more. Bellavista itself has recorded over 20 species of hummingbirds alone! For botanical enthusiasts, hundreds of orchid and bromeliad specimens will keep you occupied. Spend a full day or extend your time with an overnight in the comfortable lodge. Your gracious local guides will insure hours of discovery and delight in the emerald forest.


2013 pricing: From $550 per person, based on double occupancy and group size. 


Note: One day excursions are also available, as well as larger group departures. Please call for information.

Day 1: Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge

Rise early this morning for the next great adventure! Just a few hours distance on the northwestern slopes of the Pichincha Volcano, the cloud forests of Mindo are one of the most diverse and accessible endemic bird areas in the world. Traveling from the high sierra towards the coast you pass through a range of landscapes enroute to your destination, the Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve. This area boasts over 400 recorded species of birds, and the list continues to grow! The Plate-Billed Toucan, Tanager-finch, Giant Antpitta, and White-faced Nunbird are all found here, and many other species found no where else on earth. Enjoy guided bird outings and general nature walks through the verdant forest along sparkling streams and waterfalls. Bellavista’s 55 hectare reserve holds a profusion of bromeliads and orchids, and since Bellavista is located on the equator flowers are in bloom year round. Resident mammals include the endangered Spectacled Bear and the puma (rarely seen but protected by the reserve), Andean coati and tayra, to name but a few. Overnight Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge.

Note: The one day adventure includes transportation to and from Quito (departing at 6:30 am and returning at 6:00pm), guided hike, lunch, and time to explore the trails on your own.

Note: For serious birders, ask our program director about the new eco-route which departs from Quito, climbs the Occidental bypass and follows the Alambi River to the Tandayapa Valley, traversing through the Yanacocha reserve and many different ecological zones.

Day 2: Bellavista - Quito

Rise early for the best birding opportunities! Join your guide for a walk to discover hidden waterfalls and stunning wild orchids. There are over 10km of trails in networks ranging from easy stroll to true bushwhacking adventure! Keep your eyes peeled for exotic birds in the canopy overhead. Or simply relax on the Bellavista deck with a cup of coffee, watching the hundreds of brilliant “feathered jewels” hummingbirds which visit the feeders. Bellavista has recorded over 20 species at their feeders, but the valley contains more than 40 species – a world record. Following lunch at the lodge, return to Quito for overnight at Casa Aliso. 


Note: Additional nights available at Bellavista.  Please inquire
Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge
A bird lovers dream, less than 1 hour 45 minutes from the heart of Quito city, Bellavista is a private reserve of 700 hectares, at the top of the famed Tandayapa Valley, near Mindo, in an area that has won the highest 24 hour bird count in 2006, 2007, and 2008 in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count for the Americas.
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