Ecuador and Galapagos Islands Expedition February 11 – 25, 2021 Dear Travelers, Of all the programs I have designed this year, the Ecuador Galapagos Islands Expedition is the best, especially if we take into account the diversity offered by the second smallest country in South America: Ecuador. Ecuador is one of the few countries which formed the Gran Colombia, as envisioned by Liberator Simon Bolivar. As I host this unique tour, I will share with you the history of Ecuador and the vision of Simon Bolivar and the theory of evolution as described by Charles Darwin. -Carlos Fida Tour Host: Carlos Fida Carlos is a native of Argentina, where he taught at the Military Academy and the University of Patagonia. He is an expert in Latin American history. He has lectured to special interest groups while traveling and showing the wonders of South America to thousands of travelers. He is one of the foremost specialists in travel to Latin America. He was the recipient of several awards by Travel and Leisure Magazine and the South American Travel Association. TOUR DESCRIPTION DAY BY DAY Feb. 11th Transfer in Quito – Hotel Patio Andaluz Feb. 12th Colonial city tour in Quito & Middle of the World Monument visit – Hacienda Pinsaqui Feb. 13th Otavalo Indian Market & Cotacachi village visit– Hotel Patio Andaluz Feb. 14th Mindo Cloud Forest tour – Septimo Paraiso Lodge Feb. 15th Cloud Forest tour – Return to Quito – Hotel Mercure Feb.16th Cotopaxi National Park visit – Hacienda Abraspungo Feb. 17th Andean Train ride & Ingapirca Inca Ruins visit – Hotel Santa Lucia Feb. 18th Colonial city tour in Cuenca – Hotel Santa Lucia Feb. 19th Cajas National Park – Transfer Guayaquil Feb. 20th Flight to Baltra Island in Galapagos Santa Cruz – Highlands of Santa Cruz - Hotel Ikala Feb. 21st Day tour to South Plazas Island –Hotel Ikala Feb. 22nd Tortuga Bay Beach visit & Charles Darwin Station visit – Hotel Ikala Feb. 23rd Day tour to North Seymour Island –Hotel Ikala Feb. 24th Flight back to Quito – Overnight at the airport hotel Feb. 25th Transfer to airport flight home Day-by-Day Itinerary February 11th – Transfer in Quito Upon arrival in Ecuador, our bilingual guide will welcome us and escort us to a colonial turn of the century hotel in Quito. Accomodation: Hotel Patio Andaluz February 12th – Colonial city tour in Quito & Middle of the World visit Today we visit “Quito” one the most beautiful and colonial cities in South America, declared by UNESCO a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1978. We will explore the colonial area of the city where our hotel is located. Our walking part of the tour takes us to Independence Square, surrounded by the presidential palace, the city hall, and the Cathedral. We visit La Compañía church dating back to 1605, with its breathtaking gilded altars, the finest example of baroque art in South America. It has become an incalculable art treasure in all of the Americas. We continue and visit the San Francisco church built in 1535 followed by the Tianguez art & crafts gallery. We leave downtown driving up to the Panecillo hill and enjoy an amazing view of Quito from above. The hill is crowned by the only winged-Virgin Mary statue in South America. This is a great spot to take pictures above Quito. After visiting the colonial center of Quito, we drive to the Middle of the World Monument, which is located 16 miles north of Ecuador’s capital. Here, we visit the Intiñan museum, at latitude 0° 0´0” and experience the interesting physics experiment that happens at latitude zero, where we will have the opportunity to stand with one foot on both hemispheres. Chocolate lovers be prepared to visit the Kantu chocolate showroom, where we learn the whole process of artisanal chocolate production, from beans to tablet. We finish our excursion and drive to Otavalo where we spend the night in a colonial hacienda. Accommodation: Hacienda Pinsaqui (Breakfast) February 13th – Otavalo Indian Market & Cotacachi village Today we explore one of the biggest and most colorful indigenous markets in Latin America. The Otavalo market is famous around the world for its colorful tapestries, hand-knitted wool sweaters, native paintings, wood carvings, silver jewelry, and much more, at bargain prices. The people of the area of Otavalo are known as skilled crafts artisans and great musicians. We also visit the village of Cotacachi, known for its hand-crafted leather works. This small village is a popular place to retire for US citizens, a location not far from Quito. Return to our hotel in Quito. Accommodation: Hotel Patio Andaluz (Breakfast) February 14th – Mindo Cloud Forest Today’s adventure takes us to Mindo for a canopy ride on a zip line. A professional guide will secure equipment for this experience in the rainforest offering a different perspective (zip lining price is not included). Also, we will visit a butterfly farm with many exotic species. Accommodation: Septimo Paraiso Lodge (Breakfast & Dinner) February 15th – Cloud Forest tour – return to Quito Today we explore the area of Mindo to discover the cloud forest, a beautiful area between the Andes and the Pacific Coast. Here the clouds and trees blend in a tapestry of mystery and magic. It is home to hundreds of species of plants, birds and other animals. Mindo is an area with a high number of birds. It is the perfect place for bird watching! Early in the morning we will enjoy a bird watching tour and spot different species of hummingbirds, toucans and other exotic birds. This is a half a day hike for those interested. Drive back to Quito for overnight. Accommodation: Hotel Mercure (Breakfast & Lunch) February 16th - Cotopaxi National Park visit Our Cotopaxi adventure will start while driving out of Quito to the south, where we can admire the Cotopaxi volcano. At 19,347 ft. high, it is one of the highest active volcanos on earth. Upon arrival to the park we visit the Information Center where we learn about the last Cotopaxi eruption and about the flora and fauna of this beautiful national park. We continue to the Limpiopungo Lake and admire the Andean moorlands filled with amazing wildlife. After the tour we arrive in Riobamba to overnight. Accommodation: Hacienda Abraspungo (Breakfast) February 17th – Ingapirca Inca Ruins After an early breakfast we continue our journey south, passing by a picturesque Indians area in the highlands of Ecuador. We make a stop to admire the oldest Catholic chapel in the country. After lunch, we arrive at the Ingapirca Inca Ruins, the most important religious and political complex of the Inca ruins in Ecuador. Atahualpa, the last of the Inca Emperors was born in Quito. We continue our journey to the beautiful city of Cuenca, Ecuador’s third largest city. Free time to wander through this charming city in southern Ecuador. Accommodation: Hotel Victoria (Breakfast) February 18th – Colonial city tour in Cuenca Discover one of the most beautiful colonial cities in Latin America: Cuenca. The city is located at 1,700 feet above sea level, in a valley surrounded by four rivers and mountains in a very colorful countryside. Cuenca is famous for its art and history. We will visit the beautiful marble cathedral, its cobblestone streets, graceful wrought-iron balconies, flowered plazas and museums. The Panama hat worn in the 50’s by famous personalities in Hollywood were made in Cuenca even though they are called Panama Hats. Accommodation: Hotel Santa Lucia (Breakfast) February 19th – Cajas National Park – Transfer to Guayaquil This is a special day. Our excursion and hikes take us through the Cajas National Park, one of the highest national parks in Ecuador at 11,483 ft. with more than 232 glacier lakes, geological formations and caves that complement the landscapes. We will be guided through the dried-up marshes that were once rivers and observe large Polylepis forest. Arrive in Guayaquil for overnight. Accommodation: Grand Hotel Guayaquil (Breakfast) February 20th – Flight to Baltra Island in the Galapagos – Highlands of Santa Cruz Island After an early breakfast we drive to the airport for our flight to the mysterious Galapagos Islands. Our flight takes approximately two and a half hours. We arrive in Baltra, in the Galapagos and are welcomed by our guide who will take us to visit the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. We visit one of the private farms and tortoise reserves located in the hills where giant tortoises endemic to Galapagos wander around the farm freely. Looking at the gigantic tortoises move slowly and grazing in the fields is an amazing and unique experience. The mountains of Galapagos allow us to admire different species of birds, such as tree and ground finches made famous by Charles Darwin, vermillion flycatchers, paint-billed crakes, yellow warblers, and cattle egrets. Also, we can find the endemic, mystic Scalesia tree. Accommodation: Hotel Ikala (Breakfast & Lunch) (You are going love this hotel! Hotel Ikala is protected from the strong Galápagos sun by beautiful trees and gardens that surround it, giving the space an atmosphere of natural freshness. The hotel has a fantastic pool with a bar area, and a beautiful terrace located on top of the main building where you can find a restaurant and a rest area. The terrace offers an incredible view of Puerto Ayora.) February 21st – Day tour to South Plazas Island Early morning pickup at the hotel. Navigate and disembark in the channel of South Plaza Island, the turquoise waters contrast beautifully with the white sand and black lava of the shoreline. Beyond, a red carpet of scarlet sesuvium succulents serves as groundcover for a grove of luminescent green prickly-pear cactus. During the short hike you can spot yellow-grey land iguanas sitting beneath the cactus, waiting patiently for prickly- pears to fall on the ground.