Your local guide will pick you up from your hotel and take you to visit the Middle of the World Monument, situated at 0o0’0” latitude. Take a picture with your feet on both hemispheres! Continue the tour to the Intiñan Museum where you can see various demonstrations of natural phenomena, gravity and balance manifested in the equatorial zone. This is a really fun and interactive museum. 

Have lunch at Santana Artisanal Brewery & Hacienda or at the top of the Pululahua crater. 

After lunch, you will discover Quito’s beautiful Historic Center, named World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. Quito is a city with a rich history, hiding the most fascinating legends, forbidden love stories, political insurrection plans, and more. Learn about the different architectural styles in the Old Town, stroll through cobblestone streets and meet some artisans who’ve kept traditions alive for centuries. Enjoy a private visit to La Compañia, San Francisco and Basilica churches. After all, you will return to your hotel. 

Today you will head the north of the country. The scenery is gorgeous, and if the Cayambe is not feeling shy, you will be able to see the snow-capped volcano in its full splendor. On the road, try some warm backed goodies, like “bizcochos” and fresh cheese. 

Continue your trip to Otavalos’ Ponchos Indigenous Market, considered the largest indigenous market in the Americas. Here you will be able to shop textiles, carvings, pottery, jewelry and more, all made by skillful artisans. 

Enjoy a warm homemade lunch at a beautiful quaint Hacienda, and After lunch, you will return to your hotel in Quito. 

Today, early in the morning, you will be picked up at your hotel for a transfer to Quito´s Airport. Once you are here, you will meet the Solaris Cruise representative who is going to assist you in the check-in process for the Galapagos Directorate Authority and then your domestic flight to the Galapagos Islands (AV 1632). 

Upon arrival at Baltra Airport, you will first pass through an airport inspection point where your TCT (Transit Control Card) will be checked and stamped (please keep this carefully with your passport as you will need to show it again when you leave Galapagos). Here you will also pay the Galapagos National Park entrance fee of USD 100 (unless it has been prepaid). To ensure that no foreign plants or animals are introduced to the islands, your luggage will be inspected as well. At the arrival hall, a naturalist guide will meet you and escort you on a short bus ride to the harbor at Baltra. By dinghy, you will be taken to the yacht.

PM: Mosquera

Mosquera Islet is located between Baltra and North Seymour. This is a small islet formed by a geological uplift, with a reef of rocks and coral and a great white sand beach, where a population of sea lions can be found. You can also observe several species of shorebirds. Along the rocks are commonly running Red Lava crabs or Sally light-foot crabs. 

AM: Darwin Bay (Genovesa Island)

This bay has origin when the crater of this island collapsed below sea level. The wet landing is on a beautiful white coral sandy beach. This is a favorite island for birdwatchers: red footed-boobies, masked boobies, wandering tattlers, lava gulls, whimbrels Yellow-crowned, black-crowned and lava herons, and yellow warblers can be seen in the area.

Continuing on the trail, visitors climb gradually to the edge of the cliff seeing Red-Foots nesting in the Mangrove trees below. Bird watching includes sightings of Sharp-Beaked Finches, Large Cactus and Ground Finches, Galapagos Doves and Swallow-Tailed Gulls. Reaching the end the trail at the cliff's edge offers an incredible view of the island and the many birds living there.

PM: Prince Phillip Steps (Genovesa Island)

El Barranco is located at the southern part of Darwin Bay and it is also known as Prince Philip’s Steps. Passengers will climb to a plateau that is part of the stretch of land that surrounds Darwin Bay on its eastern side. There is a big population of Masked boobies and Red-Footed boobies in the trees; Storm petrels and Short-eared Owls have found the ideal place for nesting in the lava flows. 

AM: Plazas Island

South Plazas is located at the east of Santa Cruz Island and forms part of two islands known as Islas Plazas. Despite its small size, some of the most interesting and outstanding species of the Galapagos are found here. The Plazas land iguanas are smaller than their relatives found on other islands. Throughout the island there are several hybrid iguanas, a result of crossing a male marine iguana and a female land iguana, they are unique, recognizable at first glance by their black/gray color, with a land iguana's crest, but face and tail of the marine iguana. The big population of iguanas is due to the presence of tunas, their favorite food. Swallow-tailed Gulls nesting in the rugged cliffs is seen along with other sea birds as Audubon shearwaters, red-billed tropicbirds, frigate birds, and brown pelicans. 

PM: Santa Fe Island

Located in the southeastern part of the Galapagos, this island was formed from an uplift, which explains why it is mostly flat. There are some theories that assure this could be the oldest island in the Archipelago. Santa Fe is the home of a number of endemic species like the Galapagos Hawk, Galapagos snake, Galapagos mockingbird, rice rats and one of the two species of lands Iguanas of the islands. After disembarkation in the beautiful and clear waters, you will be in contact with one of the many sea lion colonies. Along the trail, many salt bushes can be seen as well as giant prickly pear cactus. There are great possibilities of snorkeling with playful sea lions and tropical fishes.

AM: Kicker Rock

This huge ‘cathedral’ of rock is an old lava cone, now split in two. On the rocks many blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies and frigate birds are to be found. The snorkeling is great here, with good opportunities for seeing sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, tropical fish and the Galapagos shark.

Transfer to San Cristobal airport for your flight back to Quito.

PM: Upon your arrival to Quito´s airport, you will be picked up by a representative of Link Experiences to transfer you to your chosen hotel.  

Today, after breakfast,  you can pick up the Airport Shuttle where you stay for transferring to the Quito´s airport and catch your international flight back home. 

We hope you enjoy a complete, immersive and authentic experience through the country of the middle the world!