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Luxury holidays in Ecuador

Ecuador travel packages

Snorkel beside sea lions in the Galápagos and watch condors over an Andean volcano. We join the islands and the mainland in one trip, and confirm every boat and lodge in writing.

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Swim with sea lions in Ecuador's Galápagos

For most travellers, Ecuador means the Galápagos, and the islands live up to it. Sea lions swim alongside you, marine iguanas sun themselves on black lava, and blue-footed boobies dance a few metres away. Charles Darwin's visit in 1835 helped shape his theory of evolution, and small ships still follow a route between islands set by the national park.

The mainland is just as rewarding. Quito's colonial Old Town is built on Inca foundations, and its restaurants make the most of highland produce and coastal seafood. In the Mashpi cloud forest, a gondola glides through the canopy among birds and butterflies. Cotopaxi rises snow-capped above wild horses and lagoons, and Cuenca keeps its blue domes and Panama hat workshops.

Filter Ecuador and Galápagos trips

Ecuador

Quito to Guayaquil along the Andes

8 days · 7 nights

Quito → Cotopaxi → Baños → Riobamba → Cuenca → Guayaquil

Begin in Quito and travel south along the Avenue of the Volcanoes with your own driver and guide, from Cotopaxi and the Quilotoa crater to the waterfalls of Baños and the high slopes of Chimborazo. The second half takes in the Inca site of Ingapirca, colonial Cuenca and the lakes of Cajas before a long descent to Guayaquil.

Price on enquirySee the journey: Quito to Guayaquil along the Andes

Ecuador

Santa Cruz and Isabela in the Galápagos

6 days · 5 nights

Puerto Ayora → Isabela → Puerto Ayora

Land on Baltra and spend your first night on Santa Cruz after meeting giant tortoises in the highlands. Cross by speedboat to Isabela for two nights of snorkelling, wetlands and a long walk to the Sierra Negra crater, then return to Santa Cruz for a free day and a boat trip to one of the uninhabited islands.

Price on enquirySee the journey: Santa Cruz and Isabela in the Galápagos

Ecuador

Galápagos south and centre, small group

9 days · 8 nights

Guayaquil → San Cristóbal → Española → Floreana → Santa Cruz → Bartolomé Island → North Seymour → San Cristóbal

You fly from Guayaquil to San Cristóbal and board your small yacht for Kicker Rock, Cerro Brujo and the booby colonies at Punta Pitt. The route then runs south to Española and Floreana, back to Santa Cruz for giant tortoises, and on to Bartolomé's Pinnacle Rock. South Plaza and North Seymour bring land iguanas and frigatebirds before you head home.

Price on enquirySee the journey: Galápagos south and centre, small group

Ecuador

The Galápagos, Cusco and Machu Picchu

12 days · 11 nights

Guayaquil → Baltra → Santa Cruz → Bartolomé Island → Genovesa → Cusco → Sacred Valley → Machu Picchu

You fly from Guayaquil to Baltra and spend four nights cruising the northern Galápagos, with shore walks, snorkelling and kayaking twice a day. Then you cross to Peru for Cusco, the Sacred Valley and its villages, and Machu Picchu by train or on foot. A morning back at the ruins and a farewell dinner in Cusco round off the journey.

Price on enquirySee the journey: The Galápagos, Cusco and Machu Picchu

Ecuador

The Galápagos north and west by yacht

9 days · 8 nights

Guayaquil → San Cristóbal → Genovesa Island → Santa Cruz → Fernandina → Isabela Island → Rábida → Puerto Ayora

From Guayaquil you fly to San Cristóbal and board your small yacht for a sail past Kicker Rock. You head north to Genovesa's seabird cliffs, then west to Fernandina's marine iguana colony and Isabela's raised seabed, crossing the Equator along the way. Rábida's red sands, Santa Cruz's giant tortoises and a farewell dinner close the voyage.

Price on enquirySee the journey: The Galápagos north and west by yacht

Discover Ecuador's volcanoes and villages

Each of these can be added to your mainland days, before or after the islands.

  • Craft villages around Cuenca

    Visit the markets of Chordeleg and Gualaceo to meet silversmiths and weavers, then the guitar makers of San Bartolomé.

  • Ride a sky bike in the cloud forest

    Pedal a two-person bike along a cable high in the cloud forest canopy, with birds and orchids all around.

  • Stand on the Equator

    Put one foot in each hemisphere at La Mitad del Mundo, just north of Quito, and learn how the line was measured.

  • Walk a highland rose farm

    Ecuador's roses are prized for their colour and scent. Tour a working hacienda near Otavalo and see how the flowers are grown and cut.

  • Hike Quito's volcano

    Ride the cable car up Pichincha above the capital, then hike higher with a guide for views of the snowy peaks.

  • Behind the scenes at La Compañía

    See quiet corners of Quito's gilded Jesuit church on a private visit beyond the usual route.

  • Fly the Avenue of the Volcanoes

    A helicopter flight over the Andean valleys and the snow-capped peaks of Cotopaxi and its neighbours, with a guide naming each one.

  • Snorkel old shipwrecks

    Dive or snorkel over wrecks off the coast near Guayaquil, with stories of the trading ships and pirates of the past.

Choose islands, Andes or cloud forest

Each area is a short flight or drive from Quito, so combining them is easy.

  • Quito

    A colonial capital high in the Andes, with gilded churches and plazas in one of the best-kept old towns in the Americas.

  • Cotopaxi and the Andes

    A snow-capped volcano south of Quito, with high grasslands, wild horses and haciendas along the route known as the Avenue of the Volcanoes.

  • Guayaquil

    Ecuador's largest city on the Guayas River, with a long riverside walk and the most direct flights out to the Galápagos.

  • Santa Cruz and the centre

    Puerto Ayora, giant tortoises in the highlands and short sailings to Bartolomé and Rábida, the heart of most island itineraries.

  • Isabela and Fernandina

    The young western islands, where Urbina Bay and Punta Espinoza bring you close to marine iguanas, flightless cormorants and penguins.

  • Genovesa and San Cristóbal

    Genovesa's bird colonies of red-footed boobies and frigatebirds, and San Cristóbal's beaches where sea lions sleep on the sand.

Cruise the Galápagos or tour the Andes

Sail on a river and ocean cruise or an expedition cruise, or explore on a private or small group tour.

  • Small group tours

    Travel Quito, Cotopaxi and the cloud forest with a few others and a guide throughout.

  • Cruises

    Sail between Galápagos islands on a small yacht or expedition ship, with naturalist-led landings.

Visit the Galápagos in any month

The islands work all year, with a warm season and a cool season, while the Andes are driest mid year.

  • JanuaryGood

    Warm season begins in the Galápagos, with calm seas and green islands.

  • FebruaryGood

    Warm water for snorkelling, and green turtles nest on Galápagos beaches.

  • MarchGood

    The warmest month in the islands, with afternoon showers.

  • AprilGood

    Calm seas in the Galápagos, the Andes still in their wetter season.

  • MayGood

    Blue-footed boobies court in the islands as the seasons turn.

  • JuneBest

    Dry days in Quito and the Andes, cooler water rich in marine life.

  • JulyBest

    Clear skies over Cotopaxi, whales and dolphins around the islands.

  • AugustBest

    Dry in the highlands, cool and lively seas in the Galápagos.

  • SeptemberGood

    The coolest water of the year, with sea lion pups on the beaches.

  • OctoberGood

    Fur seals and nesting seabirds, rains returning to the Andes.

  • NovemberGood

    Sea lion pups play in the shallows, seas begin to calm.

  • DecemberGood

    Warm season returns and giant tortoises nest on Santa Cruz.

Fly into Quito or Guayaquil

Both cities have daily flights on to the Galápagos.

  • Sydney (one stop): about 21 h
  • Melbourne (one stop): about 22 h
  • Brisbane (one stop): about 22 h
  • Perth (one stop): about 30 h
  • Los Angeles (one stop): about 10 h
  • London (one stop): about 15 h
  • Dubai (one stop): about 22 h

Add Peru or Colombia to Ecuador

Machu Picchu and Cartagena both sit a short flight away.

  • Peru

    Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley and Lake Titicaca.

  • Colombia

    Cartagena's old town, coffee country and Bogotá.

Answer your Galápagos questions

What do I need to enter Ecuador and the Galápagos?
It depends on your passport. Australian passport holders, for example, can stay in Ecuador for up to 90 days without a visa. For the Galápagos, every visitor completes the Transit Control Card at least 24 hours before flying to the islands, and needs an outbound flight and travel insurance. Check your own government's travel advice before you book, as rules change.
Which season suits the Galápagos best for wildlife?
The warm season early in the year brings calm seas, clear water and easy snorkelling. The cool season mid year has rougher seas but richer marine life, with blue-footed boobies and waved albatross busy courting.
Should we see the Galápagos by yacht or from a lodge?
A yacht reaches outer islands such as Genovesa and Española, moving overnight so each morning starts somewhere new. A lodge on Santa Cruz or Isabela suits travellers who prefer a fixed bed and dislike sea travel, with day boats to nearby islands.
How many days do we need for Quito and the Galápagos?
Give the islands at least five nights on board, plus two nights in Quito before and one after to allow for flight connections. Add the Mashpi cloud forest or Cotopaxi and 12 days is a good length.
Does Quito's altitude need planning?
Quito sits at about 2,850 metres, so take the first day gently and drink plenty of water. Some travellers fly in through Guayaquil on the coast and see the Galápagos first, leaving the highlands until the end.
Do we need a wetsuit to snorkel in the Galápagos?
In the cool season the water drops to around 20 degrees, so a shorty or full wetsuit makes snorkelling far more comfortable. Most yachts supply wetsuits and snorkel gear, though a mask of your own fits better.
Can we celebrate our honeymoon on a Galápagos yacht?
Yes. Small yachts in the islands carry 16 guests or fewer, and some have cabins with private balconies. Your travel expert lets the crew know, so there might be dinner on deck or a quiet beach landing for the two of you.

Tell us about your trip to Ecuador

Tell us when you want to go, for how long and who is travelling. Your travel expert replies in writing with a trip shaped around you.

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