Two-week honeymoon in Ecuador & the Galapagos

Quito Airport - Quito

Day 1: Arrive in Quito

You'll be welcomed at the airport for a private transfer to your hotel in the city centre. Relax and settle in after your journey, and enjoy an evening at leisure.

Quito

Day 2: History, art... & chocolate

After breakfast this morning, meet your personal guide for a tour of Quito’s well-preserved historic centre. Admire the wonders of this UNESCO World Heritage Site as you meander through the lively Plaza de la Independencia, taking in the architecture and atmosphere.

Later, visit the house of the famous painter Guayasamìn for a unique experience combining art with high-quality chocolate. You'll have the chance to see the artist's private collection and then savour a chocolate-tasting experience with drinks pairing. 

The rest of the evening is yours to spend together: head out and explore the city some more or simply relax at your hotel.

Quito - Cuicocha Lake - Otavalo

Day 3: Into the mountains

It’s time to leave the city after breakfast and head into the surrounding mountains. You’ll be travelling by private car with an English-speaking local guide.

We begin by passing through a region famous for cultivating Ecuadorian roses, where beautiful landscapes are backed by the summits of the northern Andes. Along the way we visit the lovely Cuicocha Lake, a crater lake surrounded by lush vegetation where orchids thrive. Next stop is the lively indigenous market of Otavalo, the most famous Ecuadorian handicraft market in the Andes. Here, you'll meet the indigenous Otavaleños wearing espadrilles, brown felt hats and traditional blue ponchos. They are Ecauador's most prosperous indigenous people and are formidable traders. The market is busy with locals and visitors, and is one of the country's must-sees.

Then it's time to settle in at your new hotel and relax for the evening.

Otavalo - Cayambe - Cotopaxi

Day 4: Roses & the Equator

After breakfast, your morning will be (literally) filled with roses. Spend a couple of hours among the blooms at a local hacienda that produces one of Ecuador's most famous crops. The roses here come in all shades and types, and you'll learn all about their cultivation. Later, we make a stop at Quitsato, where a giant sundial marks the line of the Equator. Your guide will tell you all about this special place, explaining its importance to Ecuador’s past civilizations. Continue towards Cotopaxi Volcano and check in at your new hotel for another relaxed evening. 

Cotopaxi - Papallacta

Day 5: Horse riding through volcanoes

The landscape around the Cotopaxi Volcano is stunning and after today's breakfast, you’ll embark on a horse-riding excursion into the surrounding mountains. Meet your horse, then run through a riding and safety briefing, before setting off across the dormant slopes of the Rumiñahui Volcano. The trail takes us through breathtaking Andean landscapes, weaving through the foothills of over a dozen volcanoes. Later, visit the local thermal baths to soak away any aches and pains and relax, before settling in for the night at your new hotel, just steps away from the thermal baths.  

Quito - Coca - Yasuni National Park

Day 6: Journey into the Amazon

Today we’ll have a complete change of scenery. Enjoy breakfast at your hotel, then begin the journey with a private road transfer to Quito, followed by a domestic flight to Coca. Our destination is the Yasuni National Park, deep in the Amazon. Your local guide will welcome you and take you on a three-hour journey upriver and over a wide lagoon to your remote jungle eco-lodge, with a picnic lunch along the way. Settle into your new surroundings with a welcome drink at the lodge. This is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, alive with a fantastic array of plant, bird and animal life. 

Settle in to your new surroundings, then enjoy a romantic dinner for two in the heart of the rainforest.

Yasuni National Park

Day 7: Rainforest wildlife

Rise late and enjoy an indulgent breakfast, then choose from the wealth of activities at the lodge, all included with your stay here, along with delicious meals. Today you might like to paddle downstream and to an observation tower. Climb to the treetops and look out through the canopy, busy with birdlife. Head back to the lodge for lunch, then take a stroll along the Chorongo Trail, named after the woolly monkeys that inhabit the area. Any walk in the rainforest is an accumulation of surprises. Your local guide may show you medicinal plants with surprising properties, animals with strange habits, huge ancient trees or tiny orchids.

Later, enjoy dinner as you relax back at the lodge with the sounds of the forest all around you. 

Yasuni National Park

Day 8: Kichwa culture on the river

After breakfast, take a boat and hike excursion to the southern reaches of the national park. Along the way, you may see species endemic to this part of the park, such as golden-mantled tamarins, spider monkeys, blue and yellow macaws and, if you're lucky, white-lipped or collared peccaries.

Later, visit the Sani Island community and experience Kichwa culture. Try traditional drinks, share lunch with the locals and discover the different projects they have developed.

Head back to your lodge for dinner and another evening secluded in the depths of the Amazon. 

Yasuni National Park - Coca - Quito

Day 9: Back to the city

After one last breakfast in the rainforest, begin your journey back to the modern world of cities and aeroplanes.

Start with a short canoe trip along the river, stopping to admire the wildlife along the way, including at a parrot pecking clay wall, where hundreds of macaws gather to stock up on minerals and salt. We then transfer to a larger boat for the three- to four-hour journey back along the river to Coca. From there, take a 40-minute domestic flight to Quito. Your driver will collect you for the private transfer to your hotel, where you'll enjoy a relaxing massage after your journey.  

Quito - Baltra - Bachas Beach

Day 10: Galapagos adventures

After today's breakfast, there's an exciting day ahead as you fly to the Galapagos Islands. After a flight of around 2.5 hours, you'll arrive on Baltra Island and take a transfer to the harbour to board your private catamaran. Settle into your cabin, meet the team and enjoy lunch on board.

In the afternoon, visit a beautiful white sand beach on a nearby island, and look out for pink flamingoes and sea turtles. Dinner will be served on board and later you'll fall asleep to the gentle sway of the ocean. 

Genovesa Island - Darwin Bay - El Barranco

Day 11: Birdlife on volcanic islands

After breakfast afloat, this morning you'll visit Genovesa Island, a favorite for birdwatchers. As you follow the island trail, look out for the red footed-booby, masked boobies, wandering tattlers, lava gulls, whimbrels, yellow-crowned and black-crowned lava herons, yellow warblers and more.

After lunch back on board, embark on another walking trail of the island, this time leading through some striking volcanic terrain. 

This evening, you'll unwind to the motion of the waves as you dine then relax on the catamaran. 

South Plazas Island - Santa Fe Island

Day 12: Varied & wonderful wildlife

After breakfast today, you'll visit two more incredible islands to witness the variety of the Galapagos' amazing endemic wildlife and landscapes.

See giant tortoises, iguanas basking in the sun, fur seals and more striking birdlife.

Lunch and dinner will both be served on board. 

San Cristobal - Punta Pitt - Kicker Rock

Day 13: Snorkelling with island views

After breakfast onboard, today, you'll head for dry land to enjoy the sights of San Cristobal Island on a walking tour. Look out for endemic lava lizards as you hike to Punta Pitt, a lookout point with sweeping views of land and sea.

After lunch, sail around to Kicker Rock, known as the Sleeping Lion. Here you'll join a small group trip into the channel for a snorkelling experience. Swim among a kaleidoscope of tropical fish and look out for sea turtles. 

In the evening, head back to your boat for dinner and one last night on this sparkling sea.

Galapaguera - San Cristobal Airport

Day 14: Homeward bound

After breakfast, there could be time for one last excursion this morning, depending on the time of your flight.

Then it's time to transfer to the airport for your domestic flight back to the mainland and your onward journey.