Destinations / Galápagos Islands & Quito, Ecuador

Galápagos Islands & Quito, Ecuador

1 itinerary · 0 open departures · 0 missions

The Galápagos Islands are a remote volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, about 1,000 km off the coast of Ecuador, and one of the world's most extraordinary natural destinations. Made famous by Charles Darwin's observations that shaped the theory of evolution, the islands are renowned for their unique and fearless wildlife — giant tortoises, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and Galápagos penguins. Travellers come to snorkel, dive, hike, and kayak across pristine ecosystems while Quito, Ecuador's high-altitude capital nestled in the Andes, serves as the main gateway — a UNESCO World Heritage city celebrated for its beautifully preserved colonial old town, vibrant food scene, and access to cloud forest and volcano adventures.

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Itineraries

-45%

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We estimate you can save 45% over G Adventures's tour.

Save £1,060 (45% off)

£2,350 retail with G Adventures → £1,290 self-launched

Galápagos Islands & Quito, Ecuador · 7 days

Copycat

Self-Launched Galápagos: Southern & Central Islands by Land & Local Boat

A self-launched version of the seven-day Estrella del Mar cruise: instead of four nights aboard a chartered yacht with a group, you base yourself in cheap hostels and guesthouses on San Cristóbal, Isabela and Santa Cruz and use the inter-island public speedboats (roughly £25-30 per leg), local day-tour boats, and shared taxi trucks to reach the same wildlife sites — Punta Pitt, Kicker Rock, Cerro Brujo, Bahía Gardner, Punta Suárez, Post Office Bay, Punta Cormorant, Corona del Diablo and North Seymour. The trade-off is that some far-southern sites (Española's Punta Suárez and Gardner Bay, Floreana's Post Office Bay) require joining a licensed day-boat excursion from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (arranged locally, ~£90-120), and all landings still carry a Galápagos National Park naturalist guide by law. Budget: the mandatory $100 park fee and $20 Transit Control Card are paid in cash at Quito airport and are included below. Costs are rough estimates, not quotes.

adventurewildlifebackpacker

Travel Crew

~£1,290

Missions

Nobody's posted a Mission for Galápagos Islands & Quito, Ecuador yet — which, frankly, is an opportunity.

Wait, what's a Mission?It's not a scheduled trip with dates and a minimum group size like a Departure — it's a goal. Learn to dive, do a Muay Thai camp, live somewhere for a month and work on something, chase one very specific experience. Post it, and other people chasing the same thing find you.

Be the first to post one: "Eat the strangest thing on the menu every single day for a week and document the regret."

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