Flight to Quito. Upon arrival in Quito, be greeted at the airport and transferred to the hotel.

The tour begins today with a visit to Independence Square where the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral and El Sagrario Church are located. Also visit the Church of La Compania (1605), and enjoy a brief visit to the church and monastery of San Francisco (1535). The oldest Ecuadorian church, the collection of artwork here includes paintings, sculpture and furniture dating back to the 16th century. Leaving the churches, visit the recently restored 24 De Mayo Boulevard, named after the battle which sealed Ecuador´s independence.

Also visit La Ronda Street in Old Quito. Lined with colonial houses and inspired by painters, poets, musicians and historians, this visit gives a taste of traditional Quito. The tour will then continue 30-minutes outside of Quito, towards the Middle of the World. Visit the main Monument honoring the correct location of the equator and visit the Ethnographic Museum, located inside the Equator Monument. Or, visit the Inti Nan Museum, a scientific and cultural Museum located in the exact place where the Equator Line crosses. ...read less

Transfer to the airport for the morning flight from Quito to Baltra in the Galapagos. Upon arrival, be greeted at the airport and transferred to the Galapagos cruise. This afternoon, visit Bachas Beach on Santa Cruz Island.

Play de las Bachas is located on the northern coastline of Santa Cruz. Here, one can see the brightly colored flamingo lagoon, encounter marine iguanas, various sea birds, and sea turtles. This is a good location to swim and snorkel.

This morning, visit Darwin Bay on Genovesa Island. Genovesa is a collapsed volcano that ships are able to sail into through its large breached caldera and anchor at the foot of the steep crater walls. Genovesa is commonly referred to as ‘bird island’ because it is home to thousands of great frigate birds, red-footed boobies, noddy terns, lava gulls, tropic birds, doves, storm petrels, and Darwin’s finches.

This afternoon, visit Prince Philip’s Steps on Genovesa Island. El Barranco, also known as Prince Philip’s Steps, has a trail through a Palo Santo forest to an open area full of nesting birds that include masked boobies, frigates, and red-footed boobies. At the end of this trail are thousands of band-rumbed storm petrels nesting in the crevices at the cliff’s edge. One will also be able to see the short-eared owls as they hunt the storm petrels during the daylight hours.
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This morning, visit Plazas Island. Plaza Sur was originally formed by uplifted lava and the terrain includes an impressive cactus forest. On land, see land iguanas, sea lions and several species of tropical birds.

This afternoon, visit Santa Fe Island, home to a cactus forest and a colony of land iguanas that are native to the island. Here one can also see the Galapagos mockingbird, magnificent frigate, brown pelican, and several species of Darwin’s finches.

This morning, visit Punta Pitt. This unusual volcanic formation is located in the northeast of San Cristobal Island. Here one is likely to see tiny lava lizards scurrying around the rocks as well as all three species of the Galapagos booby; Nazca, masked, and blue or red-footed boobies.

This afternoon, visit Kicker Rock and Isla Lobos. Isla Lobos is a tiny rock island to see a colony of sea lions and a colony of blue-footed boobies. Kicker Rock is a magnificent rock that jets out 500 feet high from the middle of the ocean and is shaped similar to a sleeping lion. The rock is split with towering vertical walls on either side that forms a narrow channel through which small vessels can investigate. There is no landing site here but the view from the boat will make a lasting impression.
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This morning, visit El Junco Lagoon, San Cristobal. This site is reached by road and is about a half hour drive from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. The road goes through the small farming settlement of El Progreso. The lake itself is the caldera (collapsed cone) of an extinct volcano and is about 300 meters wide. The name El Junco is Spanish for sedge, which is present along the banks of the lake.
This afternoon, be transferred to the San Cristobal airport for the flight back to Quito. Upon arrival, greeted at the airport and transferred to the hotel.
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Transfer to the Quito airport to take the 30-minute flight to Coca. Upon arrival, pause for a snack and to use the rest rooms before boarding a covered motorized canoe for a 2-hour (50-mile) trip down the Napo River. Disembark the boat and make an easy 30-minute walk on a raised boardwalk through dense flooded palm forest (where several species of monkeys are often sighted. Don't worry… the lodge staff will carry traveler’s luggage!)

The path leads to Pilchicocha Lake, a black-water paradise where one would least expect to find any sign of people, but dugout canoes (and even paddlers) wait to carry travelers even farther. While crossing the lake, the cries of tropical birds lead travelers to the final destination and home base for an exciting jungle experience.

After lunch and a short briefing, have an afternoon excursion into the rainforest.
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Choose from several daily activities. A typical day at Sacha 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 at around 3 p.m. and often continue into the evening when the nocturnal insect and frog chorus begins. Whatever the destination, the excursions proceed slowly in order to appreciate the fascinating details that the guides point all around.

A favorite activity is to paddle dugout canoes along tannin-rich black-water creeks and lakes, where luxuriant lianas, orchids, bromeliads and palm trees thrive. And wherever an outing may lead, there are endless possibilities of spotting animals, from the tiny pygmy marmoset to the feared ocelot or puma. During free time at the lodge, swimming and piranha fishing are also activities not to be missed, but don’t worry! Piranhas are scavengers and the guides will prove that swimming is perfectly safe.

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. Caimans (of the alligator family) and giant insects rule the jungle after sunset.
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Enjoy another day of activities at Sacha.

Return to Coca to take the flight to Quito and connect with the international flight home.