Self-Launched: Highlights of Ecuador & the Galapagos

Fly into Quito's Mariscal Sucre airport (UIO) and take a taxi or airport bus into the historic centre (~£8-15). Check into a budget guesthouse in the UNESCO-listed Old Town. Spend the late afternoon acclimatising at 2,850m — Quito is high, so take it slow. Dinner near Plaza Foch or La Ronda: a two-course set menu (almuerzo) costs around £3-5.

🚌Airport taxi ~£10 or Aeropuerto bus ~£2

🛏Hostal/guesthouse in Quito Old Town or La Mariscal (dorm ~£8-12, private ~£18-25)

• →Settle in and acclimatise
• →Evening stroll on La Ronda
• →Cheap almuerzo dinner

Self-walk Quito's historic centre: Plaza de la Independencia (Carondelet Palace, Metropolitan Cathedral) and the dazzling gold interior of Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus (~£3 entry). Do a self-guided agave and miske tasting at Casa Agave, then take a public bus or taxi north to the Intinan Equator Museum (~£4 entry) and stand on the equator line. Meals and the museum are cheap; a shared Quito walking tour on GetYourGuide costs ~£10 if you want a guide.

🚌Local buses/taxis around Quito ~£3-5 total

🛏Hostal/guesthouse in Quito (dorm ~£8-12, private ~£18-25)

• →Historic-centre self-walk
• →Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus
• →Casa Agave tasting
• →Intinan Equator Museum

Book a shared Cotopaxi day tour or join a group hike to Limpiopungo Lagoon (3,800m) for reflected volcano views — GetYourGuide/Klook group departures run ~£35-45 including transport and a guide. Alternatively take the bus south to Machachi and join the National Park by local transport. Continue by bus south to Banos de Agua Santa (~£5-7). Check into a budget hostel and soak in the town's thermal baths.

🚌Shared tour van + public bus Quito/Banos ~£5-7

🛏Budget hostel in Banos (dorm ~£7-10, private ~£15-22)

• →Cotopaxi National Park hike
• →Limpiopungo Lagoon
• →Banos thermal baths

Rent a bicycle or take a local bus along the Ruta de las Cascadas to Pailon del Diablo waterfall (~£2 entry) — a 30-40 min trail with hanging bridges down to the base. Take a taxi to the Casa del Arbol 'Swing at the End of the World' (~£1-2) for panoramic valley views. Afternoon free: hot springs (~£3), markets, or zip-lining if you're keen.

🚌Bicycle rental ~£5 or local bus/taxi ~£3-5

🛏Budget hostel in Banos (dorm ~£7-10, private ~£15-22)

• →Pailon del Diablo waterfall
• →Casa del Arbol swing
• →Ruta de las Cascadas
• →Optional hot springs

Bus from Banos to Tena (~4-5 hrs, ~£6-8), the gateway to the Ecuadorian Amazon, winding from Andes to rainforest. Book a 2-night jungle lodge package in advance (via GetYourGuide or direct) — many include transport from Tena, meals, a canoe transfer and guided rainforest walks for ~£120-180pp for two nights. Settle in and take an optional guided night walk to hear frogs and insects.

🚌Public bus Banos-Tena ~£6-8 + lodge transfer/canoe

🛏Amazon rainforest lodge, shared cabin (included in lodge package)

• →Bus through the Andes to the Amazon
• →Rainforest lodge check-in
• →Optional night walk

Motor-canoe to the amaZOOnico animal rescue and rehabilitation centre (~£5-8 donation/entry) to see monkeys, toucans and ocelots, and learn about conservation. Return to the lodge for lunch, then join a local naturalist for a jungle hike covering medicinal plants, local flora and Indigenous survival techniques. Activities and meals are typically included in the lodge package.

🚌Motor canoe (included/marginal cost)

🛏Amazon rainforest lodge, shared cabin (included in lodge package)

• →amaZOOnico rescue centre
• →Guided jungle hike
• →Medicinal plant and wildlife spotting

Travel back toward the high Andes to Papallacta (~4.5 hrs by bus from Tena via Quito, ~£7-9) — or take a taxi from the lodge to a bus point. The town is famed for its volcanic-fed thermal springs; day entry to the Termas de Papallacta public pools is ~£10-15, or stay in a guesthouse with its own pools. Rejuvenate in the hot water or walk the surrounding paramo trails.

🚌Public bus Tena-Papallacta ~£7-9

🛏Guesthouse/hosteria in Papallacta (shared ~£15-25, mid-range with pools ~£35+)

• →Termas de Papallacta hot springs
• →Paramo trail walks

Early transfer to Quito airport for a flight to San Cristobal via Guayaquil (~£180-260 one-way if booked early; LATAM/Avianca). On arrival pay the Galapagos National Park entry (~US$100, ~£80), Ingala transit card (~US$20, ~£16) and Isabela dock fee (~US$10) in cash — budget ~£105 of local taxes for the whole trip. Check in and snorkel at La Loberia with rented gear (~£10-15): sea lion colonies, mangroves and volcanic rocks. Non-swimmers can walk the Puerto Baquerizo Moreno coastal path to Charles Darwin's first landing site.

🚌Domestic flight Quito-San Cristobal ~£180-260 + taxi ~£2

🛏Budget hostal in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (dorm ~£12-18, private ~£25-35)

• →Fly to the Galapagos
• →Snorkel at La Loberia
• →Sea lion and birdwatching

Join a locally booked boat tour to Isla Lobos (usually with an official naturalist guide) to see frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies and resident sea lions, then snorkel from the boat hoping for turtles, rays and whitetip reef sharks. Lunch is typically served on board, followed by Playa Ochoa's white sand and turquoise water. These day tours run ~£70-90 depending on group size; if Isla Lobos is closed, the boat goes to Kicker Rock instead.

🚌Boat tour from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

🛏Budget hostal in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (dorm ~£12-18, private ~£25-35)

• →Isla Lobos boat tour
• →Snorkelling with marine life
• →Playa Ochoa beach time

Take a public/shared motorboat transfer to Floreana (~3 hrs, ~£55-70 including guide) — watch for whales, dolphins and seabirds en route. Walk the highlands to see pirate lava caves and a Galapagos giant tortoise enclosure with a local guide (~£25). In the afternoon, take a shared speedboat onward to Isabela Island (2.5-3 hrs, ~£30-40). Note that inter-island crossings are rough — take seasickness tablets. Accommodation is a guesthouse in Puerto Villamil.

🚌Shared motorboat San Cristobal-Floreana ~£55-70 + speedboat Floreana-Isabela ~£30-40

🛏Guesthouse in Puerto Villamil, Isabela (private ~£20-30)

• →Boat crossing to Floreana
• →Pirate lava caves
• →Giant tortoise enclosure
• →Crossing to Isabela

Take a short boat (15 min) to Las Tintoreras islet — among the best places in the Galapagos to spot whitetip reef sharks (tintoreras), penguins and sea lions in the lava channels. Follow the 40-minute islet walk, then snorkel from the boat (small-group tour ~£35-45 with guide). In the afternoon, hike or cycle the 12km round-trip to the Wall of Tears, a poignant penal-colony monument built of lava blocks between 1946 and 1959.

🚌Short boat trip + bicycle/walking

🛏Guesthouse in Puerto Villamil, Isabela (private ~£20-30)

• →Las Tintoreras boat & snorkel
• →Whitetip reef sharks and penguins
• →Wall of Tears hike/cycle

Take a shared public speedboat from Isabela to Santa Cruz (~2 hrs, ~£30-40, morning departures). Check into a guesthouse in Puerto Ayora, then self-visit the Charles Darwin Research Station (~£5 entry) to learn about giant tortoise breeding. In the late afternoon, walk or taxi to Tortuga Bay — a 20-30 min trail then pristine white sand, marine iguanas and swimming (~£3 if by water taxi).

🚌Public speedboat Isabela-Santa Cruz ~£30-40 + local taxis ~£3

🛏Budget hostal/guesthouse in Puerto Ayora (dorm ~£12-18, private ~£25-35)

• →Charles Darwin Research Station
• →Giant tortoise breeding centre
• →Tortuga Bay beach & wildlife

Take a morning bay tour of Puerto Ayora (~£35-45) visiting Las Grietas, Plaza Sur islet and the Canal del Amor — snorkel and spot sharks, rays and seabirds. In the afternoon, join a shared highlands tour (~£30-40) to see wild giant tortoises in the Santa Cruz highlands, plus lava tunnels and the twin craters of Los Gemelos. Book both locally in Puerto Ayora or in advance via GetYourGuide.

🚌Boat and shared van (included in tours)

🛏Budget hostal/guesthouse in Puerto Ayora (dorm ~£12-18, private ~£25-35)

• →Puerto Ayora bay tour
• →Las Grietas snorkelling
• →Santa Cruz highlands giant tortoises
• →Los Gemelos craters

Fly from Baltra (Santa Cruz) back to Quito (~£180-260, often via Guayaquil). Buses/ferries connect Puerto Ayora to the Baltra airport (~£5-8 combined). Arrive in Quito, taxi into the city, and enjoy a final evening: a last almuerzo, a rooftop sunset over the volcano-fringed skyline, or souvenir shopping in La Mariscal.

🚌Domestic flight Baltra-Quito ~£180-260 + local transfers ~£5-8

🛏Hostal/guesthouse in Quito (dorm ~£8-12, private ~£18-25)

• →Flight back to the mainland
• →Final evening in Quito

Trip ends after breakfast. Depending on flight time, take the airport bus or a taxi to Mariscal Sucre airport (UIO) for your flight home. If your departure is late, do a last wander through Quito's Old Town or pick up coffee and chocolate gifts.

🚌Airport taxi ~£10 or bus ~£2

🛏—

• →Breakfast
• →Airport transfer
• →Optional final Old Town wander