By combining the beauty of Quito with the incredible diversity of the Galapagos and the breathtaking wonders of the Amazon Rainforest, we’ve ended up with an amazing bio-diverse adventure that incorporates three fantastically unique and equally exciting destinations all within a fun-filled 12 day trip.

On this adventure, which combines two action-packed trips, you will tour through the best of Quito (a UNESCO World Heritage City), followed by an exciting trip to a delightful eco-lodge nestled in the lush Amazon Rainforest. Before heading out to the Amazon, you will first head out on a thrilling 5 day/4 night ship-based exploration of the amazing Galapagos Islands.

In the Galapagos, you’ll be able to take exciting shore excursions to a variety of islands with expert on-board naturalists, allowing you to get up and close with the unique birds and animals that call these islands home. As you cruise from island to island, you’ll enjoy all the comforts and dining of a modern First/Deluxe Class expedition ship.

In Quito, you’ll tour through the best of this wonderful city, the surrounding countryside, and you’ll have a chance to experience the thrill of standing on the equator.

In the Amazon you’ll spend four incredible days exploring the rainforest and rivers and relaxing at the comfortable jungle eco-lodge. With the benefit of the expert native guides, you will encounter hundreds of bird, plant and animal species, as well as learn about the critical role that the rainforest plays on our planet.

All in all, this action packed trip is one of our favorite ways to experience the pure beauty and vast uniqueness of the wonderful country of Ecuador.

Please note that we also offer a shore-based program with overnights in a hotel and daily yacht excursions throughout the islands (see website for details). In addition, we offer a number of longer cruises in the Galapagos (4 & 7 days), and have access to a large inventory of other cruise ships with a variety of departure dates. Please contact us at customerservice@headoutadventure.com or (888) Trip Find/(888) 874-7346 for details and pricing.

Brief Itinerary:

Day 1: Quito
Day 2: Fly Quito to Galapagos. Start voyage (B, L, D)
Day 3, 4, 5: Galapagos voyage. (B, L, D)
Day 6: Morning voyage. Afternoon return to Quito. (B)
Day 7: Tour of Quito (B)
Day 8: Fly Quito to the Amazon Rainforest (D)
Day 9: Amazon Rainforest (B, L, D)
Day 10: Amazon Rainforest (B, L, D)
Day 11: Fly Amazon to Quito. (B)
Day 12: Trip Ends. Transfer to the airport. (B)


Detailed Itinerary:

B: Breakfast | L: Lunch | D: Dinner

Day 1:
QUITO, ECUADOR

Arriving in Quito, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. The evening is yours to relax and enjoy the city. Overnight in Quito.


Day 2:
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS (B, L, D)

Getting an early start, we’ll be transferred to the Quito airport for your flight to the Galapagos. Arriving in the Galapagos, you will be met at the airport and transferred to the ship. In the evening, as the ship leaves the docks, you will be given an introduction to the Galapagos and the wonderful itinerary that awaits us over the several days.


Days 3, 4, & 5:
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS (B, L, D)

For the next few days you will explore, with expert on-board naturalists, the unique and diverse archipelago of the Galapagos, an ecosystem beyond comparison. Between three and five million years ago, underwater volcanoes surfaced from the bottom of the ocean forming thirteen major islands, six lesser islands, and about forty two islets; all six hundred miles west of Ecuador and the South American continent. Wind and water currents from both Northern and Southern hemispheres carried foreign fauna to this young archipelago and over time it became a unique sanctuary of life. These befitting conditions, as observed and made famous by Charles Darwin, allowed animals to develop characteristics uniquely adapted to this new environment.

Day 6:
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS – QUITO (B)

In the morning, after breakfast and an early cruise, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Quito. Arriving in Quito, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel in Quito. Your evening is free to explore.

Day 7:
QUITO (B)

In the morning you will be met by your guide and we’ll head out on a five hour tour of the Ecuadorian capital city of Quito. Declared a World Heritage City by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), Quito is undoubtedly among the most attractive Latin American cities. Although it lays on the equator, the city is located high in the Andes, resulting in weather that is warm and comfortable during the day and cool at night. The morning tour will focus on the best of Quito and its rich cultural legacy, ornate facades, and dazzling gilded altars. You will visit Independence Square, the Archbishop’s palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and Panecillo Hill for a panoramic view of the city.

After lunch you will visit the famous Equatorial Monument where we’ll have the chance to see a quintessential colonial model village located at the Equatorial Line, marked by geographers as latitude 000’00”. Here you can stand in two hemispheres at the same time. Following a visit to the equator, we’ll go to a delightful local museum which focuses on Ecuador’s varied ethnic groups from the Galapagos to the Amazon. Overnight in Quito.


Day 8:
QUITO & THE AMAZON RAINFOREST (D)

Leaving the cool, high altitude city of Quito in the morning, you will fly from the wonderful city of Quito, located high in snow-capped mountains, and down 8,500 feet (2,600 meters) the eastern slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes to Coca in the lush Amazon Rainforest.

The 45-minute flight takes you over the Andes Mountains’ majestic snow-covered peaks and down over 8500 feet (2600 meters) into the Amazon Region. The flight destination is the port town of Puerto Francisco de Orellana, locally known as Coca, where you will be met by a guide and taken to the town docks. Here, a covered motorized canoe will be awaiting you for a 2.5 hour, 50 mile (80-kilometer) trip down the sediment-rich waters of the Napo, the largest river in Ecuadorian Amazonia. During the ride it is easy to spot handsome shore birds such as herons, kingfishers, spoonbills and ospreys between the scattered native huts as you travel steadily away from civilization.

Upon arrival at the lodge’s 5000-acre (2000-hectare) private reserve, you will take your first walk along a raised boardwalk through dense flooded palm forest where several species of monkeys are often sighted. The path leads to Pilchicocha lake, a black water paradise where you’d least expect to find any sign of people, but dugout canoes (and even paddlers!) await to carry you even farther. As you cross the lake, the cries of tropical birds lead you to your final destination, which magically materializes out of the jungle at the last possible moment.

Accommodations:
The lodge has been carefully designed to offer comfort to the traveler yet preserve the environment and rainforest ambience. Each of the cabins, with high thatched roofs and private shaded terraces, is constructed with traditional materials and nestles well concealed in the lush surroundings. In their rooms, visitors may overlook the jungle from hammocks and often report seeing wild fauna such as anacondas or capybara (the largest rodents in the world) while resting between activities! Electricity is provided by a distant, nearly inaudible generator, and the private bathrooms provide hot showers. All cabins are screened against insects, and contain ceiling fans above two comfortable double beds. Guests may use free time to enjoy a raised lookout above the main bar and lounge, which offers a scenic view of Pilchicocha Lake and excellent opportunities to observe birds. Meals are prepared to please the international traveler, and vegetarians are more than welcome. During one meal you will even enjoy a barbecue at the outdoor bar and dining area right on the edge of the lake!
Overnight at a comfortable jungle eco-lodge.


Day 9 - 10:
AMAZON RAINFOREST (B, L, D)

For the next two days you’ll experience the beauty and diversity of the Amazon Rainforest on side-by-side excursions with bilingual native guides. These guides are known and respected for their expert knowledge and ancestral love of the rainforest. A typical day begins after an early breakfast of mouth watering native fruits and foods, followed by:

Activities:
Lodge guests will be divided into small groups, each of which will be led by a native guide with expert knowledge of the rainforest’s medicinal and other useful plants, and a bilingual naturalist guide educated in the biology and ecology of the area. A typical day begins at sunrise or earlier, in order to take advantage of the cool morning hours when the rainforest’s animals are most active. Each group may decide on its own wake-up and breakfast time, as well as the difficulty and duration of their morning outings. In the afternoon, visits begin between 3:00 and 4:00 and often continue into the evening, when the nocturnal insect and frog chorus begins. Activities are spread out over a wide area and allow visitors to explore several distinct but equally fascinating habitats. Several trails lead through pristine terra firme forest, where 150 foot kapok trees tower above and roots form huge buttresses to give trees support. Others follow strategically raised boardwalks in seasonally flooded forests, where walking on the ground would be nearly impossible during most of the year due to groundwater. One trail many choose to follow even leads across fallen tree trunks and a steel cable zip-line through rich swampland!

Favorite activity of guests is to paddle dugout canoes along tannin-rich black-water creeks and lakes, where luxuriant lianas, bromeliads and palm trees thrive. And wherever an outing may lead the possibilities of spotting animals, from the tiny pygmy marmoset to the feared ocelot or puma are endless.

For adventurous souls, the day does not necessarily end with dinner. Night walks and canoe trips, with the aid of flashlights, often reveal creatures seldom seen during daylight.

The Observation Tower
One of the Lodge’s highlights is the 135-foot (43-meter) observation tower. Situated on a hill and constructed around a giant kapok tree for stability, this tower allows guests to climb into and above the rainforest canopy for a magnificent view of the surrounding area. Be it shortly after sunrise or before sunset, from the tower’s ample platform it is possible to observe toucans, parrots, and dozens of other colorful bird species in the treetops. With some luck, noisy howler monkeys, foraging squirrel monkeys or the gentle three-toed sloth may also be seen, especially with the aid of a powerful telescope provided by your guides.

In recent years the Lodge has become a favorite destination of both professional and amateur ornithologists. Over 500 species of birds have been registered in the area, and from the tower platform the bird specialist guides have on several occasions reported seeing over 80 species in a single morning!

The tower may be reached on foot via a half-hour walk through terra firme forest, which is an easy way to get there at or before sunrise. However, no one can miss out on at least a one-way trip to or from the tower along Orchid Creek, Pilchicocha Lake’s natural black water runoff to the Napo River. In a dugout canoe guests may follow this winding stream through untamed palm forest for about an hour, a trip that many choose to repeat.

The Canopy Walk
A recent addition to the lodge’s activities is the 940-foot (300-meter) long canopy walkway. At approximately 94 feet (30 meters) above the ground, imagine exploring the rainforest up in the treetops! This hanging walkway is fixed to the ground with metal towers for stability, and offers an unbelievable opportunity to spot dozens of animals and epiphytes that are seldom seen from the ground.

The Butterfly House
The Lodge is home to one of the largest butterfly farms in Ecuador. Designed as a live exhibition conservatory, the Butterfly House is now successfully breeding nearly 40 local butterfly species! Guests will be shown how these beautiful insects are bred and raised, and later be free to wander through “the flying room”, where hundreds of colorful butterflies including spectacular blue morphs flutter from flower to flower.

The Yasuni Parrot Lick
At a short distance from the Lodge is Ecuador’s most accessible parrot lick, an exposed clay bank where brightly colored parrots of several different species gather in the early morning. In ideal conditions (sunny and dry), the parrots will often perch on and eat the exposed clay. This act as a sort of “antacid” for them: Parrots eat a variety of toxic and acid fruits, and the clay draws these toxins out of their bodies. On an ideal morning hundreds of parrots can be seen gathering around this bank between 7:00 and 8:00 for a spectacular show of sound and color. The lick is located on the edge of Yasuni National Park, which may be reached from the lodge by a one half-hour motorized canoe trip down the Napo River. Early morning visits to the site are possible, but this activity is strictly weather permitting… The parrots won’t be there in the rain.
Overnight at a comfortable jungle eco-lodge.


Day 11:
AMAZON RAINFOREST & QUITO (B)

In the morning you will return to the airport in El Coca for your flight back to Quito. Upon arriving in Quito, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.
Overnight in Quito.


Day 12:
TRIP ENDS (B)

Your trip ends. Transfer to the airport or, even better, continue with another one of our great adventures such as a trip to the Northern Highlands, Mindo Natural Reserve or Machu Picchu in Peru.