Ecuador Galápagos Luxury Travel at a Glance
Ecuador is a small country (slightly larger than Arizona) with extraordinary geographic compression: the Amazon basin in the east, the Andean highlands in the center, the coastal lowlands to the west, and the Galápagos 620 miles offshore in the Pacific. Quito, the capital, sits at 9,350 feet in the Andes — the second-highest capital city in the world. Its historic center (Old Town) is UNESCO-listed.
The Galápagos requires a small-ship expedition structure to be experienced properly. Liveaboard vessels of 8–20 passengers access visitor sites across multiple islands in ways that day trips from Santa Cruz cannot replicate. The National Park Service controls access strictly — visitor numbers are limited, and all movement within protected areas is with certified naturalist guides.
Travel Offerings
- Expedition Cruising
- Naturalist & Wildlife Expeditions
- Small Group Travel
- Custom Private Travel
- Amazon Basin Expeditions
- Birding & Nature Travel
Travel Guide
- U.S. citizens need a valid passport; no visa required for up to 90 days.
- Currency is USD (Ecuador uses the dollar as official currency).
- Quito's Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO) is the primary gateway.
- Galápagos National Park entrance fee ($200/person for most nationalities) is paid upon arrival at Baltra or San Cristóbal airports.
- Altitude in Quito (9,350 feet) requires acclimatization — plan a rest day before exertion.
- All Galápagos visitors must be accompanied by certified naturalist guides.
- Galápagos — Isabela Island: the largest island, with giant tortoises in the wild near Puerto Villamil, marine iguanas on the beaches, and the Sierra Negra volcano (the second-largest volcanic caldera in the world) accessible by hike.
- Fernandina Island: the newest and most volcanically active, with flightless cormorant colonies and the highest density of marine iguanas anywhere in the archipelago.
- Española Island: the only place on earth to observe the waved albatross (nesting January–August). Gardner Bay for snorkeling with sea lions.
- Quito's Old Town: the Church of La Compañía de Jesús (200 pounds of gold in the interior) and the Plaza Grande. Day trip to the Equator monument and Pululahua volcanic crater above Quito.
Ecuador decriminalized same-sex relationships in 1997 and the Constitutional Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2019. Quito has a small but visible LGBTQ+ community. Ecuador is a moderately conservative Catholic society — LGBTQ+ travelers are not at risk, but public displays of affection may draw attention outside urban centers.
The expedition environment in the Galápagos is professionally managed and internationally staffed.
The Galápagos: two seasons, neither bad. Cool/dry season (June–November): cooler water temperatures (65–72°F), excellent for penguins, sea lions, and whale sharks (July–September). Warm/wet season (December–May): calmer seas, warmer water (72–80°F), baby sea lions and marine iguanas hatching.
Quito: the dry season (June–September) is most stable
7-Day Itinerary
Quito & Galápagos — 7 Days
Day 1 — Arrive Quito
Fly into UIO. Quito's altitude (9,350 feet) demands a full acclimatization day. Afternoon walk in La Mariscal neighborhood. Early dinner and rest.
Day 2 — Quito Old Town
Old Town: Plaza Grande, the Presidential Palace exterior, Cathedral Metropolitana, and the Church of La Compañía — the gilded Baroque interior took 163 years to complete. The Basílica del Voto Nacional for the gargoyle-studded towers and city view.
Day 3 — Fly to Galápagos / Board Vessel
Morning flight to Baltra or San Cristóbal (1.5 hours). Pay entrance fee. Transfer to expedition vessel. First wet landing: snorkel with sea lions or a shoreline walk to the tortoise breeding center.
Day 4 — Inner Islands
Santa Cruz's highland tortoise reserve (free-roaming giant tortoises). Las Grietas (a water-filled geological fissure for swimming). Late afternoon snorkel at Turtle Cove.
Day 5 — Fernandina or Isabela
Fernandina (Punta Espinoza) for flightless cormorant nesting colonies and marine iguana concentrations. Isabela's Tagus Cove for penguin sightings and the Darwin Lake walk. Snorkel with penguins and marine turtles in the afternoon.
Day 6 — Española Island
Gardner Bay for sea lion beach encounter and snorkel. Punta Suarez: the waved albatross colony and the blowhole — a 75-foot water spout driven by Pacific swells through a lava fissure. The walk through the nesting colonies requires care and patience; the albatrosses land and take off around you.
Day 7 — Return Quito / Depart
Morning disembark. Flight back to Quito. Connect home.
