QUITO
Arrive Quito, the capital of Ecuador, nestled between two snow-capped peaks in a geographic setting that few cities can match. You will be met at the airport and transferred to the PATIO ANDALUZ, a luxurious colonial boutique hotel in the heart of the city’s historical centre. www.hotelpatioandaluz.com

Welcome drink in the hotel’s private pub this evening to meet your fellow travellers before dinner at a colourful local restaurant.

QUITO & THE EQUATORIAL MONUMENT
Morning scenic tour of Quito’s colonial quarter, a treasury of art and architecture - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our tour starts from our hotel on Independence Plaza, flanked by the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Municipal Building and the Archbishop’s Palace. Visit the temple of La Compania de Jesus, with its awesome gilded interior and the Monastery of San Francisco, one of the great religious buildings of the New World. Its Baroque interior is influenced by Moorish style, with the Winged Virgin of Quito as its main altar.

After lunch, we continue to the Equatorial Monument, on latitude 0º, where you can stand with a foot in each hemisphere. We also visit the Ethnographic Museum inside the monument.
Return to your hotel.

QUITO –OTAVALO
Today we set off to discover the Imbabura Province, with its beautiful landscapes, artisans, handicrafts, Indian culture, colonial haciendas and great gastronomy. First stop is Calderon, a small town where bread dough figureines are made in many shapes and sizes. Travel through valleys with dairy farms and rose plantations. Free time for lunch at Cuicocha Lake with afternoon visits to San Antonio de Ibarra, an Indian town famous for its exquisite woodcarvings and Cuicocha, an entire town dedicated to selling fine leather products.

Dinner and overnight at LA MIRAGE, A Relais & Chateau hotel, perched on an Andean Hillside on the grounds of a 200 year old hacienda. colonial haciendas. Wander through the lush manicured gardens, home to peacocks and hummingbirds. Enjoy a gourmet dinner in the hotel’s fine restaurant. www.mirage.com.ec

OTAVALO
Today we visit the market of Otavalo, piled high with ponchos, woollen goods, tapestries, the original “Panama” hat, Indian jewellery and handicrafts. Free for lunch which you can eat at one of several restaurants in the market square. Afternoon visit to Peguche, where beautiful textiles are still woven on shuttle looms. Dinner at the hacienda.

OTAVALO - QUITO
After breakfast, visit the town of Cotacachi, an entire town dedicated to fine leather products. Continue to Cuicocha Lake for a short hike around the lake. After a lunch at the lake, we return to Quito. Overnight at the PATIO ANDALUZ. (The order of visits may be changed during this excursion to Imbabura province.)

QUITO - AMAZON JUNGLE
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Coca for the start of your Amazon adventure at SACHA LODGE. On arrival at Coca, enjoy a light lunch before boarding our covered motor boat for an exhilirating ride on the Napo River. Upon arrival to Sacha Lodge's 2000-hectare private reserve, we take a walk along a raised boardwalk through dense flooded palm forest where several species of monkeys are often sighted. The path leads to Pilchicocha lake, where dugout canoes (and even paddlers) await to carry us to the lodge.

Arrive at Sacha Lodge by canoe around 4:00 pm. Once rubber boots have been handed out and you have settled into your rooms, you can enjoy a swim in the lake. www.sachalodge.com

AMAZON JUNGLE
A typical day at Sacha begins at sunrise or earlier to take advantage of the cool morning hours. We will be split up into small groups of about six persons, with each group having its own naturalist guide. Each group may decide on its own wake up and breakfast time as well as the difficulty and duration of their morning outings.

The afternoon programme usually begins at about 15h00 and often continues until evening. Our progress through the jungle is unhurried to allow the guides to show the many fascinating aspects of this pristine environment. Another favourite activity is paddling dugout canoes along lakes and creeks, where the luxurient growth is home to many species of animals and birds. During free time at the lodge, you could either swim in the lake or try your hand at Piranha fishing. We all meet up at dinner time for drinks and to exchange stories

AMAZON JUNGLE
Today you could take a walk along a choice of different trails, including a canopy walk, with spectacular views of the rainforest canopy and the brilliantly coloured birds, which can be viewed through high powered telescopes. During our walks, native guides will explain the uses of the many different species of medicinal plants used by the local inhabitants for hundreds of years. You will have a good chance of seeing troops of squirrel, capuchin and howler monkeys. For the adventurous, the day’s excitement does not need to end with dinner. A canoe ride through flooded forest trails at night to the accompaniment of a symphony of frogs and insects is an awesome experience.

AMAZON JUNGLE - QUITO
After breakfast we return to Coca for our return flight to Quito. Overnight at the hotel PATIO ANDALUZ.

QUITO - COTOPAXI
Today’s adventure starts with an exciting journey aboard the CHIVA EXPRESS, a brightly coloured one coach train. A highlight of the trip is to “ride the roof” with panoramic views of the stunning Andean region of Ecuador. A short stop is made at a hacienda for a mid-morning snack. The Chiva Express ride ends at the station of Tambillo where our bus will pick us up to take us to the Cotopaxi National Park, an attractive ecological sanctuary of 88,920 acres with the typical vegetation of the Andean moorlands or paramo. After lunch and an introductory briefing, we continue to the Limpiopungo Lagoon to observe a variety of birds, the flora and occasionally, wild horses. On clear days, the Cotopaxi Volcano, the highest in Ecuador, is an awesome backdrop. Return to Quito by bus. Free for dinner this evening.

QUITO - GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, BALTRA - SOUTH PLAZAS
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Galapagos.
Arrive Baltra where you will be met by your naturalist guide. Board our privately chartered first class motor yacht the REINA SILVIA, one of the finest vessels of her size in the Galapagos www.reinasilvia.com
After settling into your cabin, we have lunch and then cruise to the small island of South Plazas, an ideal introduction to the Galapagos with its abundance of wildlife. It is home to a large colony of sea lions. We will also encounter land Iguanas, a sub species only found in the Galapagos. Along the cliffs we can watch the diving, feeding and breeding activities of a variety of birds such as the swallow tailed gull, red billed tropic bird, boobies and many more.

TOWER (GENOVESA) ISLAND / DARWIN BAY BEACH / PRINCE PHILIP'S STEPS
During the night, we cross the Equator, to anchor in Darwin Bay, formed by a submerged caldera of an extinct volcano. Along the trail we will observe colonies of frigate birds, red footed boobies and swallow tailed gulls, the only nocturnal hunting gulls in the world.

We sometimes see short-eared owls, which hunt the thousands of storm petrels along the cliff edge. Lava gulls, pintailed ducks, herons, whimbrels and other birds feed on the shores of the tidal lagoon. A dinghy ride along the walls of the crater reveals the variety of birds and animals that find shelter in the crevices and on the ledges of the lava. There will be daily opportunities for swimming and snorkelling.

FERNANDINA / PUNTA ESPINOSA - ISABELA / TAGUS COVE
We visit Fernandina, the most western island of the Galapagos. The scenery is impressive as we go ashore in a mangrove-lined bay to explore small inlets. On the west coast of Isabela, lies Tagus Cove, once a favoured anchorage for pirates and whalers. From our dingy we can closely observe a great variety of sea birds. A path leads to a salt lake with magnificent views of our yacht at anchor.

SANTIAGO (SAN SALVADOR OR JAMES) - BARTOLOME ISLAND
Today’s first destination is James Bay, on Santiago Island. We walk along the shore to the famous fur seal grotto, the best place to observe these elegant animals.
In the afternoon, arriving at Bartolome Island, we climb through moon landscape to the lookout point with the impressive view of Pinnacle Rock, perhaps the most photographed scenery in the islands.

SANTA CRUZ / PUERTO AYORA / ESTACIONE CHARLES DARWIN / HIGHLANDS
Morning visit to North Seymour, famous for its sea bird breeding colonies. See blue-footed boobies and frigate birds. The rocky coast is a favourite sunbathing site of marine iguanas and sea lions.
Our next stop is the island of Santa Cruz, one of only four inhabited islands, where we take a bus to the Highlands to look for tortoises. After lunch on a farm in the Highlands, visit the Charles Darwin Station to learn more about the conservation efforts in the islands and to see the giant tortoise breeding project.

FLOREANA / PUNTA CORMORANT / CHAMPION ISLAND / POST OFFICE BAY
At Punta Cormorant on the island of Floreana, we land on a green olivine sand beach, where we may observe green turtles on the beach and sting rays in the shallow water. In the lagoon we see flamingoes sifting the sediment of the salty water in a constant search for food. Our dinghies take us to Champion Island and/or Devil’s Crown – a snorkelling paradise with its crystal clear waters.

After lunch we visit Post Office Bay, where we find the wooden barrel, used by whalers, yachtsmen and tourists as a post office. The treat tonight will be a BBQ dinner on the Black Beach.

ESPANOLA (HOOD) / GARDNER BAY / PUNTA SUAREZ
Morning visit to Gardner Bay on the southernmost island of Espanola, where we anchor in a protected bay with a white sandy beach populated by numerous basking sea lions and curious mocking birds.

Punta Suarez, on the western coast of the island, is one of the most attractive places in the Galapagos. Sea lions, marine iguanas and many bird colonies are found next to the trail. A colony of red coloured marine iguanas sunbathe on the rocks.

The operator reserves the right to change the cruise itinerary without warning due to weather conditions, National Park regulations or any unforeseeable circumstances.

GALAPAGOS / QUITO
Today we return to the harbour of Baltra, from where we bid the Islands farewell and fly back to Quito, where we return to the PATIO ANDALUZ hotel. This evening, after meeting for drinks in the hotel’s pub, we set off for our special farewell dinner tonight at the elegant La Belle Epoque Restaurant

USD 9370.00 per single
(only 2 single cabins aboard the Reina Silvia)

USD 10,370.00 per single in twin cabin

SUPPLEMENT FOR OWNER'S SUITE ABOARD THE REINA SILVIA
USD 2,800 for double or single occupancy

Cost of domestic flights subject to change without notice.
Price subject to possible increase in fuel levy aboard the Reina Silvia

PLEASE NOTE THAT PRICES ARE BASED ON 14 PASSENGERS TRAVELLING TOGETHER. LOWER NUMBERS MAY BE SUBJECT TO AN INCREASE IN PRICE.