Independent Galapagos at the Finch Bay Resort

Welcome to Quito, where your hotel is available for mid-afternoon check-in.

Your included private city tour showcases the rich legacy left by the Incas and the Spaniards. See Independence Square, dominated by its formidable cathedral, San Francisco Plaza Church, and the Basilica with its marvellous stained-glass windows. (B)

Fly to Baltra in the Galápagos. Upon arrival, board a yacht bound for North Seymour, an island teeming with life. You might have to give way to a passing sea lion, marine iguana, or blue-footed boobies that nest here. As you walk along the shore, see large flocks of pelicans in a dive-bomb feeding-frenzy, and one of the Galápagos' largest nesting sites of the magnificent frigatebird. In the bushes you can see the males up close with their puffed-up scarlet throat sacs.

Return to the yacht and continue to the Finch Bay Hotel. (B/L/D)

Transfer to the lush highlands of Santa Cruz to a farming area called El Manzanillo on the edge of the Giant Tortoise Reserve. Here, tortoises can be seen grazing year-round, along with woodpecker finches, mockingbirds, and flycatchers. After lunch, visit a local farm, where coffee, sugar cane, and cocoa beans are grown, harvested, and prepared.

Return to the hotel and perhaps spend time on the private beach. (B/L/D)

This morning, travel to Punta Carrion on Santa Cruz Island for some time to snorkel. The shallow reefs and mangroves make this an ideal site to snorkel with plenty of reef fish as well as occasional sea lions and sharks.

Next, sail to South Plaza Island, a small island full of fascinating wildlife, both along its shore and along its dramatic, wind-swept cliffs. Here you will see large, yellow land iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls, masked and blue-footed boobies, sea lions, and much more during your guided walk.

Return to the hotel this afternoon. (B/L/D)

Today's adventure takes you to wildlife-rich Divine Bay on Santa Cruz Island. Marine iguanas, herons, noddy terns, blue-footed boobies, and tropicbirds are commonly seen here. You may explore by boat or, if you're feeling adventurous, you can take to the sea by kayak. Keep an eye out for sea turtles, rays, and reef sharks as you cruise the tranquil waters.

Return to the hotel for lunch, followed by an afternoon visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station, established to help conserve the Galápagos' natural habitats and protect the area's famous giant tortoises. (B/L/D)

Depart the hotel this morning for the airport in Baltra. Then, fly to Guayaquil on Ecuador's Pacific coast and transfer to the hotel for your final night in Ecuador. (B)

Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning. (B)