Ecuador & the Galápagos

Old Quito: a day lived like a local

A whole day devoted to the traditions, cuisine, beliefs and way of life of old Quito — the first city UNESCO ever inscribed as World Heritage, back in 1978.

The day is designed to be lived the way Quiteños live it: shops and markets, a meeting with local healers, an unhurried walk through streets lined with artisans’ workshops — and a lunch of Ecuadorian dishes at Casa Gangotena.

Otavalo

After breakfast, the drive to Otavalo, a town famous for an indigenous market that predates the Incas. The market is a bright, festive affair. The Otavaleños welcome visitors in traditional dress, and none of it is staged for tourists: men in short white trousers, woven sandals, reversible ponchos and long ponytails; women in embroidered blouses, long black skirts, shawls and beaded necklaces.

Bargaining here follows its own rhythm — slow and undemonstrative. The Otavaleños still weave on traditional looms, and demand for their work is such that they have opened shops across Ecuador and deal directly with galleries in the United States and Europe. Otavalo is the ancient cultural heart where the traditions, myths and legends of historic Ecuador live on.

Mashpi Lodge: the cloud forest

At eight in the morning you leave the capital for Mashpi Lodge, 110 kilometres from Quito. The lodge sits on a plateau at 900 metres on the western slopes of the Andes, in the heart of a 1,300-hectare reserve in the Chocó — a zone of humid tropical and cloud forest with extraordinary biodiversity: around 500 bird species, thousands of insects, countless trees, lianas, ferns and orchids, monkeys, puma and ocelot. The ecosystem is still little studied and keeps many secrets.

On the way: a stop at the Pululahua crater, where people live and farm the fertile soil of an extinct volcano; the Tulipe ruins left by the pre-Inca Yumbo civilisation; Ecuadorian snacks and freshly brewed coffee prepared by local families. You reach the lodge around 12:30.

After lunch, a first two-hour expedition into the reserve: a waterfall, stream crossings and the story of the Chocó’s natural wealth. Before dinner, another hour-long walk to meet the animals that stir at dusk. In the evening, a refined dinner.

Mashpi: the observation tower and the Sky Bike

The morning begins with birdwatching from the lodge terrace — the birds here are countless. At 8:30, an expedition to the observation tower with its astonishing view over the cloud-forest canopy, and a ride on the Sky Bike above the trees, waterfalls and river — around 20 minutes in the air.

After lunch, the Mashpi research centre, home to giant butterflies and a variety of birds.

Eden and Sombrero Chino

After breakfast, a panga ride to the islet of Eden off the coast of Santa Cruz. Blue-footed boobies dive for fish, reef sharks patrol the water and frigatebirds wheel overhead. Snorkel, or take a glass-bottom boat.

Tiny Sombrero Chino takes its name from its Chinese-hat silhouette. Formed relatively recently, the island offers excellent wildlife watching; its bay is perfect for swimming and snorkelling among reef sharks and Galápagos penguins.

Bartolomé Island and Sullivan Bay

First, the climb up the stairway to the very top of the island. The view from the summit is unquestionably worth the effort. Then a boat ride around the picturesque rocks, followed by time on the beach: swimming, snorkelling or the glass-bottom boat.

After lunch, pangas take you to Sullivan Bay on the east coast of Santiago Island. The bay is carpeted with brilliant white coral sand and is ideal for swimming. The trail here runs straight across lava that flowed less than a hundred years ago — a vivid lesson in how the Galápagos were born.

Santa Cruz · Finch Bay

After the intensity of the cruise, a few days on Santa Cruz at the Finch Bay hotel. Continue exploring the Galápagos from here, or simply relax and stroll around Puerto Ayora, the island’s capital. This is the beach time everyone dreams of after such an eye-opening journey.

Manzanillo tortoise reserve

Today, the Manzanillo tortoise reserve. It lies on a natural corridor along which the tortoises migrate each year — to the humid highlands in the garúa season of fine drizzle from June to September, or down to the warmer lowlands in the rainy season. Tortoises can be seen year-round, grazing on native vegetation or resting in ponds tinted red by the grass.

The area teems with life: Darwin’s finches, mockingbirds and flycatchers, ducks, herons and gallinules.

North Seymour

North Seymour was lifted from the ocean floor by seismic activity, which gives the island its low, flat profile. Cliffs only a few metres high form the coastline, swallow-tailed gulls perch on the ledges, and a tiny forest of silver-grey palo santo trees stands leafless until the rains.

The island teems with life. You may have to give way on the trail to passing sea lions or marine iguanas; blue-footed boobies nest beside the path and pairs perform their courtship dance. Further on, the rocky shore is strewn with white sand while flocks of pelicans plunge into the water after fish. The trail loops the island to the largest colony of magnificent frigatebirds in the Galápagos: males with two-metre wingspans inflate their scarlet throat pouches on the low bushes. This is a walking excursion over uneven, rocky ground with a dry landing.

Santa Cruz → Quito — departure

After breakfast, transfer to Baltra airport and the flight back to the mainland, from where you fly home or continue your journey through South America.