Self-Launched Ecuador: Volcanoes, Amazon & Galápagos (15 Days)

Fly into Mariscal Sucre airport (2,850m — take it easy on day one and drink plenty of water). Ride the Aeroservicios bus or an official taxi (~$8–10 / £6–8) into the historic centre and check into a hostel in the Centro Histórico or the livelier La Mariscal district. Spend the afternoon wandering the whitewashed colonial streets, Plaza Grande and the Basílica del Voto Nacional, then book your onward bus to Cotopaxi and your Papallacta tickets at a local agency.

🚌Airport bus/taxi to city centre (~£7)

🛏Hostel or family guesthouse in Quito centro, private or dorm room (£12–18)

• →Plaza Grande & colonial old town walk
• →Basílica del Voto Nacional rooftop
• →Book onward buses and Galápagos flight at a local agency

Take a public bus from Quito's Terminal Quitumbe or Sur towards Machachi/Latacunga (~$2–3, 1.5–2 hrs) and base yourself in a guesthouse in the Cotopaxi corridor. On the way, stop at the Intiñán Museum on the equator line (~$5, or combine with a shared taxi from Quito). Book tomorrow's transport into the national park with your host — most guesthouses arrange a shared 4x4 pickup to the car park at ~4,500m.

🚌Local bus Quito–Machachi (~£2.5); shared taxi to Intiñán (~£4)

🛏Rustic mountain guesthouse or hostel near Machachi (~£15)

• →Intiñán Equator Museum
• →Equator photo stop at Mitad del Mundo area
• →Arrange park transport with guesthouse

Early start for Cotopaxi National Park. Pay the park entrance (~$10) and join a shared 4x4 or book a group day tour through your guesthouse/hostel (~$35–50) to reach the José Rivas refuge at 4,800m — the hike from the car park to the refuge takes 45–60 min at altitude. Continue to the Limpiopungo Lagoon for easier flat walking and wildlife spotting (caracaras, Andean gulls), and visit the small Inca site of Pucara del Salitre. Book a cooking class or pampa mesa lunch with a local family back in Machachi (~$20).

🚌Shared 4x4 into park (~£15–20 split)

🛏Mountain guesthouse near Machachi (~£15)

• →Cotopaxi refuge hike (4,500–4,800m)
• →Limpiopungo Lagoon loop
• →Pucara del Salitre Inca ruins
• →Local cooking class / community lunch

Bus south via Latacunga/Ambato to Baños (~4–5 hrs, $6–8). Baños sits at 1,800m in the shadow of the active Tungurahua volcano — check conditions but the town is a well-established traveller hub. Settle into a hostel with a rooftop, take a free orientation wander, sample melcocha (hand-pulled taffy) at a street-side shop, and soak in the municipal hot springs (~$4).

🚌Bus Latacunga/Ambato–Baños (~£6)

🛏Hostel in Baños centre (~£12–15)

• →Baños orientation walk
• →Melcocha (taffy) demonstration
• →Municipal thermal baths (~£3)

Pick your own adventure. Option A: rent a mountain bike (~$10) and ride the Ruta de las Cascadas from La Suiza back into town. Option B: hike up to Casa del Árbol (the swing at the end of the world) and Torre Al Cielo for Tungurahua views — free or a couple of dollars. In the afternoon take a local bus or shared taxi to the Pailón del Diablo waterfall (~$5 entry) and walk the jungle trails to the base. Evening horseback riding is on offer too (~$25).

🚌Local bus to Río Verde (~£1 each way)

🛏Hostel in Baños centre (~£12–15)

• →Ruta de las Cascadas mountain biking
• →Casa del Árbol & Torre Al Cielo hike
• →Pailón del Diablo waterfall
• →Optional horseback riding

Bus from Baños to Tena (~3 hrs, $5–6) — a proper Amazon gateway town. Book a 2-night jungle lodge package in the Napo basin (many family-run lodges in Misahuallí/Tena/Yutzupino offer 2N/3D packages with meals, guide, canoe transfers and tubing for $150–220 per person). Travel by motorised canoe down the Napo River to the lodge, then take an afternoon jungle walk and visit a local Kichwa family to learn about cassava farming and daily river life.

🚌Bus Baños–Tena (~£5); canoe transfer included in lodge package

🛏Amazon jungle lodge, shared cabin or hammock room (~£22/night incl. meals)

• →Bus to Tena
• →Motorised canoe to jungle lodge
• →Guided jungle walk
• →Visit a local Kichwa family

Wake to howler monkeys and birdsong. Float down a jungle river on inner tubes with your lodge guide, then visit a caiman lagoon at dusk and take a night walk to spot insects, frogs and tarantulas. Chocolate demonstration with a local cacao-growing family in the afternoon. Keep everything in dry bags — the humidity is relentless.

🚌Walking and canoe

🛏Amazon jungle lodge (~£22/night incl. meals)

• →River tubing
• →Caiman lagoon visit
• →Night jungle walk
• →Chocolate/cacao experience

Canoe and bus back to Tena, then catch the direct bus towards Quito and hop off at Papallacta on the high páramo (3,300m, cold and misty). Drop your bag at a day-use locker and soak in the Termas Papallacta hot springs (~$15–20 for the public pools) — budget a couple of hours. Continue on a local bus back into Quito (~$2, 2 hrs) and overnight in the city.

🚌Bus Tena–Papallacta–Quito (~£7 total)

🛏Hostel in Quito (~£14)

• →Termas Papallacta hot springs
• →High-altitude páramo scenery

Fly Quito to Baltra or San Cristóbal (~£180–260 one-way — book early, prices swing wildly; LATAM and Avianca both fly). Pay the $20 Transit Control Card at the airport and the $200 Galápagos National Park fee on arrival in cash. From Baltra take the free shuttle, ferry and bus to Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz), then the public ferry to Isabela (~$30, 2 hrs, often rough). Settle into Puerto Villamil, walk the beach and watch marine iguanas and flamingos at the lagoon.

🚌Domestic flight (~£210); Baltra transfers + ferry (~£25); Isabela ferry (~£25)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Puerto Villamil (~£18–22)

• →Flight to Galápagos
• →Transit Control Card & park fee
• →Public ferry to Isabela
• →Flamingo lagoon & beach walk

Join a locally-operated boat tour to Los Túneles (~$90–110 through any Puerto Villamil agency, includes wetsuit, mask and lunch) — a lava-tunnel channel where you snorkel with sea turtles, golden rays, white-tipped reef sharks and seahorses. Cross to the other side of the channel for a short walk to blue-footed booby colonies. Afternoons are free for the beach or a bike ride to the Wall of Tears.

🚌Boat included in tour

🛏Guesthouse in Puerto Villamil (~£18–22)

• →Los Túneles snorkelling boat tour
• →Blue-footed booby walk
• →Optional: Wall of Tears bike ride

Choose your day. Hike the Sierra Negra volcano crater rim (~$40–50 guided, 16km, 5–6 hrs, spectacular black lava fields to Volcán Chico) — or take the shorter Las Tintoreras boat and snorkel trip (~$45–55) to see reef sharks resting in the lava channels. Both bookable the day before in town. Finish with a sunset drink at one of the beachfront bars.

🚌Walking / boat included in tours

🛏Guesthouse in Puerto Villamil (~£18–22)

• →Sierra Negra volcano hike OR Las Tintoreras snorkelling
• →Beach time in Puerto Villamil

Public ferry back to Santa Cruz (~$30, 2–2.5 hrs, sometimes via a stop at Las Tintoreras). Check into a hostel in Puerto Ayora, then visit the free Charles Darwin Research Station to see the giant tortoise breeding programme. Walk 40 minutes on the paved trail to Tortuga Bay — white sand, marine iguanas and black turtles. Rent a kayak in the calm bay (~$15) or just swim. Evening free in the port with sea lions on the fish market benches.

🚌Public ferry Isabela–Santa Cruz (~£25)

🛏Hostel in Puerto Ayora (~£18–22)

• →Charles Darwin Research Station
• →Tortuga Bay walk & swim
• →Optional kayaking
• →Puerto Ayora waterfront

Take a local bus or shared taxi into the highlands and visit an organic farm and the wild giant tortoise reserves around El Chato (~$5–10 entry plus $30 shared taxi or bike hire). Detour to the lava tunnels nearby. Back in town, try a sunset cocktail or a ceviche on the waterfront. If you're heading to Bartolomé or North Seymour, book it now for tomorrow.

🚌Shared taxi to highlands (~£12 split)

🛏Hostel in Puerto Ayora (~£18–22)

• →Highlands organic farm visit
• →Wild giant tortoise reserve at El Chato
• →Lava tunnels
• →Sunset cocktails in Puerto Ayora

Optional morning boat trip to Bartolomé or North Seymour (~$180–220 if you have the budget — book ahead, and these fill quickly). Otherwise take it slow, then transfer to Baltra airport for the flight back to Quito (~£180–260). Overnight in Quito, ideally near the airport or in La Mariscal for an easy morning.

🚌Baltra transfer + ferry (~£12); flight to Quito (~£210)

🛏Hostel in Quito (~£14)

• →Optional Bartolomé/North Seymour day trip
• →Transfer to Baltra
• →Flight to Quito

Final morning in Quito — pick up last souvenirs at the Mercado Artesanal or Otavalo textiles shops, and coffee in La Mariscal. Taxi or airport bus to Mariscal Sucre for your international flight. Note Quito airport has scheduled runway-maintenance closures in 2026 — check your airline's schedule before you book.

🚌Airport bus or taxi (~£7)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Mercado Artesanal shopping
• →Airport transfer