Galápagos & Andes Multisport: Ancient… (trip)

Galápagos & Andes Multisport: Ancient Culture & Wondrous Wildlife in Ecuador's Islands & Highlands

  • Airport, Ecuador near Quito, Ecuador
  • Active & Adventure
Ecuador, South America

from $4,798* per person8 DaysDecember
Luxury accommodations Exertion level: 4
Operator: Backroads 24 people max
It doesn't take a PhD to know that whatever comes to the Galápagos is forever changed. But the Andean highland arts and culture, mountainous landscapes and pre-Inca history have a similar effect. And as you rub shoulders with indigenous Otavaleños, commune with condors, hike along a volcanic crater, snorkel the famous waters, encounter blue-footed boobies and giant tortoises, and watch the sun drop into the Pacific from your beachside lodge, you'll realize that Ecuador and its islands have done it again. You're forever changed.

    Hike and bike in the Andes with spectacular views of snowcapped mountains
    Incredible up-close wildlife viewing in the Galápagos with a naturalist guide
    Condor Huasi, a center that reintroduces Andean condors into the wild
    Overnight on rarely visited Floreana Island and meet one of the first families to settle here
    Snorkel and kayak with tropical fish, sea lions and white-tipped reef sharks

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Locations visited/nearby

Ecuador, South America

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Itinerary

Days 1-2 Bike and hike in the Andes with spectacular views of snowcapped mountains   Visit the studio of master weaver Miguel Andrango Fernando Polanco, grandson of an Ecuadorian president, welcomes us at Hacienda Zuleta, a 4,000-acre working farm set amid volcano vistas and pre-Inca ruins.

Day 3 Condor Huasi, a center reintroducing endangered condors into the wild Hop in the saddle of your mountain bike - or horse! - and follow winding dirt roads along the slope of Volcán Imbabura with views of the spectacular Zuleta Valley.

Days 4-5 Incredible up-close wildlife viewing in the Galápagos Islands, an isolated sanctuary for a stunning array of unique plants and animals Naturalist at your side, marvel at blue-footed boobies, giant tortoises, white-tipped reef sharks, fluorescent fish, sea lions and iguanas On rarely visited Floreana Island, one of the first resident families hosts us for dinner Learn about this isle's unsolved mysteries.

Days 6-8 Boat from island to island, stopping to snorkel, kayak, hike and swim  Explore the caldera of Volcán Sierra Negra and officially name a tortoise on Isabela Island Ever seen expert sunbathers? Lava lizards bask on warm rocks, unfazed by the Sally Lightfoot crabs that scurry across them Late afternoon, kick back at our lodges or stroll in laid-back port towns.

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