Quito

Day 01 of 10

Welcome to Quito! The largest, best preserved colonial city of America - declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. The city is considered the Cultural Capital of South America and is located on the equator in a valley at the foothills of the Pichincha volcano.

Transfer

Depending on arrival time, you can spend your day exploring the old town of Quito and the surrounding area. In the evening, there is a welcome briefing. At this time, we will discuss the details and questions you may have regarding the adventure.

Casa Gangotena

Bolívar, Cuenca, OE6-41, 170401 Quito, Ecuador

+1 844-878-6981·Website

Plaza View Room·Breakfast included

CulinaryArtHistoricRelais & ChâteauxSmall Luxury Hotels

What We Love

Rooftop terrace overlooking Plaza de San Francisco and the colonial city center
Ecuadorian-focused tasting menus drawing on Andean and coastal ingredients
Curated art collection displayed throughout the mansion's public spaces and rooms
Guided walks through Quito's UNESCO-listed historic center departing from the front door

Spa

Restaurant

Rooftop

Bar & Lounge

Room Service

24-Hour Concierge

24-Hour Front Desk

Airport Transfers

Casa Gangotena is a Relais & Châteaux hotel on San Francisco Plaza in Quito's Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The mansion, once home to the Gangotena family and to presidents of the Republican era, was rebuilt in the 1920s. Rooms have high ceilings and Art Deco furniture, and some suites have frescoes. The restaurant serves what it calls cocina mestiza, Ecuadorian cooking with Andean, colonial and contemporary influences. The house wraps around a palm-planted patio with an original fountain, and the rooftop terrace looks over San Francisco Church and Plaza. The MICHELIN Guide gives the hotel one Key.

Plaza View Room

Breakfast included

Eight rooms located along the mansion’s northern facade, these rooms afford stunning views of the Historic Center, including the church and convent of San Francisco and its expansive cobbled square. The rooms are graced with ample amounts of natural light and rich, sophisticated décor.

San Cristobal

Day 02 of 10

The flight carries you out over the Pacific, the continent falling away beneath cloud until there is only ocean, and then — islands. By afternoon you are in the water at La Lobería, a sea lion banking past your mask with the easy indifference of a creature that has never learned to fear you.

Check-outCasa Gangotena

Departure Transfer

✈

Quito

San Cristobal

Transfer

Once arrived, we have a transfer to the hotel in the town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and a short briefing about the next days, before the adventure begins.

Golden Bay Galapagos

Calle Charles Darwin Lote 3, 200150 Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Ecuador

+593 5-252-0069·Website

Guest Room·Full board

Eco-ConsciousBeachfrontIslandIntimate

What We Love

Direct access to Galápagos marine environments for snorkeling and diving from the property
Guided excursions to Isla San Cristóbal's endemic wildlife sites including Punta Pitt and Cerro Brujo
Proximity to the Charles Darwin Research Station visitor points on San Cristóbal

Outdoor Pool

Spa

Restaurant

Rooftop

Bar & Lounge

Room Service

Concierge

24-Hour Front Desk

Airport Transfers

Golden Bay Galapagos sits along the waterfront of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the quiet capital of San Cristóbal — the easternmost and oldest of the Galápagos Islands. It offers a calm, unhurried base for exploring an archipelago where sea lions share the beach and blue-footed boobies are a routine sighting. San Cristóbal is the less-trafficked alternative to Santa Cruz, and Golden Bay leans into that — a low-key property that keeps the focus firmly on the islands themselves rather than resort theatrics.

Guest Room

Full board

The hotel's 21 rooms offer guests the possibility of connecting to an earthly paradise in a magical environment, with high quality standards, within the most famous national park on the planet.

In the afternoon we will head to "La Loberia", which is a home beach for large Galapagos sea lions, we can spot them while snorkeling, as they are very curios and approach to swim next to you underwater.

They may also be lazying over rocks or just lazy dozing in the sand. We also get to see yellow warbler birds, frigate birds, and several species of Darwin’s finches along the beach. In between the rocks we can find marine iguanas, which you can only see in Galapagos. We also have the time to go for a refreshing swim, explore the waters with our snorkel equipment and enjoy the beach.

Location & Mapping

La Lobería·Google Maps →

Open in Google Maps

Galápagos Islands

Day 03 of 10

After two days of landfall and first bearings, the morning asks something different of you. A boat carries you out to Kicker Rock — León Dormido, the Sleeping Lion — where the twin basalt columns rise from open water off San Cristóbal, and what lies beneath the surface becomes the day's whole geography.

In the morning, we will take a boat to Kicker Rock, located off the coast of San Cristóbal, also known as the Sleeping Lion (Leon Dormido) because of some resemblance.

This is the remains of a lava cone eroded by the sea, two vertical rocks rising 500 ft (150 m) above the ocean form a small channel that is navigable by small boats.

This Galapagos Island’s natural monument has become a spectacular site due to the many tropic birds, frigate birds and boobies that fill the sky in this area.

Beneath the sea, the crystal waters offer a brilliant show of colorful fish, such as rainbow fish and sharks, like the hammerhead and white tip.

After lunch, we will spend some time on the beach and travel back to the hotel.

Location & Mapping

Kicker Rock·Google Maps →

Open in Google Maps

Overnight atGolden Bay Galapagos

Isabela Island, Galápagos

Day 04 of 10

In the morning, hop to Isabela Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and where the most of the volcanic activity in the Galapagos is reported. The island was formed by six shield volcanoes, Alcedo, Cerra Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra and Wolf; five of them are still active which makes the island one of the most volcanically active places on earth.

Check-outGolden Bay Galapagos

Transfer

✈

San Cristobal

Isabela

Transfer

Iguana Crossing Hotel

22VH+GH, Puerto Villamil, Ecuador

+593 99 948 4819·Website

Guest Room·Full board

Eco-ConsciousBeachfrontIslandIntimate

What We Love

Direct access to the marine iguana habitat along the Puerto Villamil shoreline
Guided Galápagos excursions arranged through the property
Snorkeling and diving in the waters surrounding Isabela Island

Outdoor Pool

Spa

Restaurant

Rooftop

Bar & Lounge

Concierge

Airport Transfers

Iguana Crossing Hotel sits on the waterfront edge of Puerto Villamil, the small port town on Isabela — the largest and least-visited of the inhabited Galápagos Islands. It offers a low-key, island-appropriate base for exploring one of the most ecologically significant archipelagos on earth. Its position directly on the beach, steps from marine iguana colonies and within reach of Isabela's volcanic landscapes, makes it the most convenient launching point for the island's wildlife circuits.

Guest Room

Full board

All rooms have double or matrimonial beds, and are distributed throughout the bottom and top floor of the hotel. Although the rooms vary in size, all of them are very spacious, with an average of 42 square meters (400 square feet) per room. Guests can enjoy an impressive view of the Pacific Ocean or the Sierra Negra Volcano. The majority of the rooms have a spacious balcony with a beautiful view of the Galapagos Sea. All of the rooms have LED televisions to watch movies, a telephone, a mini-bar fridge, a small safe, and air-conditioning.

In the afternoon, we will explore the beautiful coastline on an exclusive trail on our bikes, taking us through an incredible ecosystem with a wide variety of wildlife including flamingos, marine iguanas and giant tortoises.

We start with a visit to the Wall of Tears, a massive wall built with lava rocks. This site dates back to the 1950s, when Isabela was used as a penal colony and prisoners were forced to build the wall to keep them from going mad, because of the isolation they experienced.

As we continue our ride along the coast, we will explore pristine, white sand beaches, mangrove forests and lagoons. This area is filled with a plethora of bird life, including American oyster catchers, herons, flamingos, finches and many other shore birds, as well as the ubiquitous sea lions and marine iguanas.

Before dinner we can enjoy a breathtaking sunset on the beach of Puerto Villamil.

Location & Mapping

Isabela Island·Google Maps →

Open in Google Maps

Lava Tunnels

Day 05 of 10

After yesterday's movement, the island asks for something slower. Beneath the surface, where volcanic rock meets open water, the tunnels that once carried molten stone now carry light differently — filtered, strange, alive with the particular silence of a place that has been forming for longer than anyone has been watching.

Explore the amazing formations of lava created by the last eruptions of the volcanic island along the seashore.

This magical place has historically been filmed by BBC and National Geographic for their documentaries. It is a labyrinth of lava arches comprised of crystal-clear water full of sea turtles, eagle rays, sea lions, sharks and more.

The turtles navigate their own highway from the mangroves to the open sea through “Los Tuneles”. Here, we will have the best snorkeling opportunity with all these beautiful animals, including the curious Galapagos penguins playing around.

Location & Mapping

Isabela Island·Google Maps →

Overnight atIguana Crossing Hotel

Sierra Negara & Tintoreras

Day 06 of 10

The road climbs away from Puerto Villamil into a landscape that barely remembers itself — lava fields giving way to cloud-damp forest, the island still mid-sentence in its own making. Sierra Negra is not ancient; it is active, restless, geologically adolescent, and the trail into it asks for a different kind of attention than yesterday demanded.

After driving up from Puerto Villamil to the trail head, we will prepare our backpacks for the hike into a young forest ecosystem, a world of recent geological history. Our destination is the rim of Sierra Negra Crater, an active volcano which last erupted in October 2005.

Upon arrival, we take in breathtaking views and explore the circumference of the massive, lava-filled crater, a caldera that is over six miles across at its widest point. If we feel energetic enough, we can continue our hike to Volcan Chico, a secondary crater that has a wild landscape of puffing fumaroles and colorful lava formations; great examples of the dramatic geological events that have formed the Galapagos Islands over millennia.

In the afternoon we will visit Tintoreras Islet, located at a short distance from Puerto Villamil and home to a great variety of wildlife. Its turquoise, crystalline waters are inhabited by white-tipped reef sharks, Galapagos Penguins, marine turtles and sea lions. One of its beaches, surrounded by mangroves, is one of the few sites where marine iguanas can reproduce successfully.

Location & Mapping

Sierra Negra·Google Maps →

Open in Google Maps

Overnight atIguana Crossing Hotel

Travel to Galápagos Islands

Day 07 of 10

Check-outIguana Crossing Hotel

Transfer

Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel

Barrio Punta Estrada, Puerto Ayora, Ecuador

+1 844-391-4613·Website

Guest Room·Full board

Family FriendlyEco-ConsciousBeachfrontIslandSmall Luxury Hotels

What We Love

Galapagos island-hopping excursions departing directly from the hotel's private dock
Snorkeling and diving with sea lions, marine iguanas, and Galapagos penguins
Naturalist-guided land and water tours throughout the archipelago
Sea kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding in the waters off Punta Estrada
Resident naturalist guides on staff for curated wildlife interpretation

Outdoor Pool

Spa

Fitness Center

Restaurant

Bar & Lounge

Pool Bar

Room Service

24-Hour Concierge

24-Hour Front Desk

Airport Transfers

Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel sits on a private beach in the Punta Estrada neighborhood of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island — the closest thing to a proper resort base in the Galapagos. It operates as a genuine expedition hub, with its own dock and daily departures into the archipelago. Unlike liveaboard cruises, Finch Bay allows guests to return each evening to a fixed, comfortable base — a meaningful distinction for families or those who prefer land-based exploration without sacrificing access.

Guest Room

Full board

The accommodations offer comfortable interior and exterior spaces that unite guests with the hotel’s natural, peaceful setting. Top Ecuadorian designer Julio Vinueza chose a neutral palette for the Finch’s accommodations, adding black-out curtains, crisp bed linens, and air-conditioning for a good night’s rest.

The hotel’s 6 suites all offer direct ocean views and private balconies with hammocks and furnishings designed to provide private space for appreciating the privileged backdrop, while the 21 rooms afford shared porches or balconies with their own hammocks.

Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to learn more about many of the endemic species seen in the wild, as well as the ongoing conservation and management efforts on the Galapagos Islands.

In the afternoon, we will head to the 'El Chato' reserve in the highlands of Santa Cruz, home to the famous Galapagos tortoises.

Hiking through El Chato's beautiful landscape with these lumbering giants is an unforgettable experience! We will also see other highland wildlife such as pintail ducks, egrets, flycatchers, finches and frigatebirds, which gather to wash the salt off their feathers at a fresh water lake.

Afterwards, return to Puerto Ayora to spend the evening in Galapagos' most populous town.

Location & Mapping

Charles Darwin Research Station·Google Maps →

Open in Google Maps

Tortuga Bay

Day 08 of 10

The morning belongs to Tortuga Bay — white sand, crystalline shallows, and the particular quality of Pacific light on water that makes the surface look lit from below. After yesterday's arrivals and orientations, the day asks nothing of you but to stand in the surf and let it instruct you.

In the morning, you will enjoy a magnificent surfing lesson in one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, Tortuga Bay with its natural and crystalline waters. There is time for snorkeling as well.

Location & Mapping

Tortuga Bay·Google Maps →

Open in Google Maps

Overnight atFinch Bay Galapagos Hotel

Return to Quito

Day 09 of 10

The Galápagos releases you slowly — a last breakfast, a last glance at the sea lions, then the water taxi crossing Academy Bay one final time. By evening, Quito's colonial center closes around you, the Plaza de San Francisco lit against the Andean dark.

Check-outFinch Bay Galapagos Hotel

Departure Transfer

After our final breakfast on the Galapagos Island and the last photos taken of sea lions, we have a transfer to Baltra's airport in time to catch the flight back to the mainland. On arrival, you are transferred to your accommodation in Quito.

✈

Baltra Airport (Santa Cruz)

Quito

Transfer

Casa Gangotena

Bolívar, Cuenca, OE6-41, 170401 Quito, Ecuador

+1 844-878-6981·Website

Plaza View Room·Breakfast included

CulinaryArtHistoricRelais & ChâteauxSmall Luxury Hotels

What We Love

Rooftop terrace overlooking Plaza de San Francisco and the colonial city center
Ecuadorian-focused tasting menus drawing on Andean and coastal ingredients
Curated art collection displayed throughout the mansion's public spaces and rooms
Guided walks through Quito's UNESCO-listed historic center departing from the front door

Spa

Restaurant

Rooftop

Bar & Lounge

Room Service

24-Hour Concierge

24-Hour Front Desk

Airport Transfers

Casa Gangotena is a Relais & Châteaux hotel on San Francisco Plaza in Quito's Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The mansion, once home to the Gangotena family and to presidents of the Republican era, was rebuilt in the 1920s. Rooms have high ceilings and Art Deco furniture, and some suites have frescoes. The restaurant serves what it calls cocina mestiza, Ecuadorian cooking with Andean, colonial and contemporary influences. The house wraps around a palm-planted patio with an original fountain, and the rooftop terrace looks over San Francisco Church and Plaza. The MICHELIN Guide gives the hotel one Key.

Plaza View Room

Breakfast included

Eight rooms located along the mansion’s northern facade, these rooms afford stunning views of the Historic Center, including the church and convent of San Francisco and its expansive cobbled square. The rooms are graced with ample amounts of natural light and rich, sophisticated décor.

Departure

Day 10 of 10

Plaza de San Francisco is quieter at this hour, the colonial stonework still cool in the early light. Breakfast, then the slow release of a place you've carried all ten days. Quito will keep its altitude long after you've left it.

Check-outCasa Gangotena

Departure Transfer

Day	Route	Times
Day 2	Quito → San Cristobal	—
Day 4	San Cristobal → Isabela	—
Day 9	Baltra Airport (Santa Cruz) → Quito	—

Day	Property	Location	Nights
Day 1	Casa Gangotena Plaza View Room	Quito, Ecuador Bolívar	1 Night
Day 2	Golden Bay Galapagos Guest Room	Galápagos Islands, Ecuador Calle Charles Darwin Lote 3	2 Nights
Day 4	Iguana Crossing Hotel Guest Room	Isabela Island, Galápagos, Ecuador 22VH+GH	3 Nights
Day 7	Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel Guest Room	Galápagos Islands, Ecuador Barrio Punta Estrada	2 Nights
Day 9	Casa Gangotena Plaza View Room	Quito, Ecuador Bolívar	1 Night

Day	Route
Day 1	Mariscal Sucre Quito International Airport → Casa Gangotena
Day 2	Casa Gangotena → Mariscal Sucre Quito International Airport
Day 2	San Cristobal → Golden Bay Galapagos
Day 4	Golden Bay Galapagos → San Cristobal
Day 4	Isabela → Iguana Crossing Hotel
Day 7	Iguana Crossing Hotel → Santa Cruz Island
Day 9	Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel → Baltra Airport (Santa Cruz)
Day 9	Quito → Casa Gangotena
Day 10	Casa Gangotena → Mariscal Sucre Quito International Airport

Quito

Galápagos Islands

Isabela Island, Galápagos

Galápagos Islands

Quito

Between a sea lion colony on San Cristóbal and the lava tunnels off Isabela, ten days through the Galápagos with your feet on solid ground each night.

Quito

Quito

Casa Gangotena

Plaza View Room

Galápagos Islands

San Cristobal

Golden Bay Galapagos

Guest Room

Snorkel La Loberia

Galápagos Islands

Snorkel At Kicker Rock

Isabela Island, Galápagos

Isabela Island, Galápagos

Iguana Crossing Hotel

Guest Room

Biking Isabela

Lava Tunnels

Snorkel Lava Tunnels

Sierra Negara & Tintoreras

Hike Sierra Negra & Kayak Tintoreras

Galápagos Islands

Travel to Galápagos Islands

Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel

Guest Room

Hike With Giant Tortoises

Tortuga Bay

Tortuga Bay Surfing Lesson

Quito

Return to Quito

Casa Gangotena

Plaza View Room

Departure

Investment

Everything in this journey

To plan separately