Group - Classic

Albatross: Ecuador’s highlands and Galapagos

16 days from £7,634pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Ecuador & Galapagos Islands / Galapagos Islands

Places visited

Overview & Highlights

This comfortable classic group journey takes you to Ecuador's contrasting landscapes, lifestyles and cultures. In addition, there’s a week spent cruising the wildlife theatre of the Galápagos Islands.

Sitting at the crossroads of the equator and the high Andes, this small country encompasses an extraordinary diversity of geography and climate, and this comfortable journey takes you to its contrasting landscapes, lifestyles and cultures. The trip begins in the capital, Quito, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, which sits amid a bowl of snow-capped mountains and active volcanoes; and continues south, along the Avenue of the Volcanoes via the Inca ruins of Ingapirca, to the beautiful colonial city of Cuenca and the upland wilderness of Las Cajas National Park.

Leaving the mainland behind, fly 1,000km west over the Pacific to the Galápagos archipelago. This small cluster of islands is home to a wealth of birds and beasts, many of which are ancient and endemic, and your 8 day cruise will introduce you to the highlights of one of the world's most remarkable ecosystems.

Quito: guided city tour
Avenue of the Volcanoes: Cotopaxi and Limpiopungo
Avenue of the Volcanoes: guided tour of Ingapirca Inca site
Cuenca: visit to Las Cajas National Park
Galápagos Islands: 8 day cruise with guided land excursions and optional snorkeling everyday

THE UK’S NO. 1 SPECIALIST IN TRAVEL TO LATIN AMERICA

Elizabeth Luck

Tour Leader

Talk to our experts

Outline itinerary

UK clients depart arriving Quito, Ecuador, the same day

Day 1

Transfer to hotel in Quito, overnight in the capital.

Day 2

Walking tour of the city.

Day 3

Head down the Avenue of the Volcanoes to Riobamba via Cotopaxi.

Day 4

Continue south to Alausi.

Day 5

Continue by bus to Cuenca.

Days 6-7

Explore Cuenca, optional visits to Gualaceo and Chordeleg.

Day 8

Drive from the Andes to the tropical coast at Guayaquil. Stop on the way at Las Cajas National Park.

Day 9

Fly to the Galápagos Islands, embark on your motor cruiser.

Days 10-15

Land excursions from the cruise around the Galápagos Islands

Day 16

Fly to Guayaquil, connect with your extension or your international flight home.

UK clients arrive home the following day.

View full itinerary

Things to do

We proudly offer the widest range of activities, excursions and one-of-a-kind experiences across all our destinations, tried and tested personally by our travel experts.

Walking tour of colonial Quito

Walking tour of Cuenca

Explore Cajas National Park

Tour of Guayaquil

Take a cruise in the Galapagos

Wildlife watching in the Galapagos

Accommodation

Browse our unrivalled portfolio of accommodation . Every option has been carefully chosen by our team of travel experts, so you can rest assured that you’ll relax in utter comfort.

Ecuador & Galapagos Islands / Quito

Casona de la Ronda

Ecuador & Galapagos Islands / Avenue of the Volcanoes

Hacienda Abraspungo

Ecuador & Galapagos Islands / Avenue of the Volcanoes

Hosteria la Quinta

Ecuador & Galapagos Islands / Cuenca

Santa Lucia

Galapagos Islands / Isabela (Albemarle) / Ecuador & Galapagos Islands

Seaman Journey

Holiday Extensions

If there's somewhere you particularly want to go that isn't included in this tour, we can add on an extension to take you there.

ECUHTL49_Amazon_SachaLodge_Hotel_freewithcredit (2)

Ecuadorian Amazon

4 days from £1,566pp

Itinerary Essentials

What our clients say

The trip of a lifetime. It was a great privilege to be able to visit somewhere as unique as The Galapagos.
There are two things that we most appreciate about the tours organised by JLA, one is the restricted size of the groups and the other is the quality of the leaders.
AF, Alderley Edge
Feb 2013
This is my third trip with JLA after a gap of 7 years - and they continue to deliver! A great trip and I cannot wait to go back. Excellent local knowledge, sensitive to local customs and cultures; my only complaint is that it went too quickly!
SV, Dundee
Aug 2015
As always, JLA provides very experienced guides and this ensures the success of the trip. They are very knowledgeable and go out of their way to ensure clients get a great experience.
VH, Australia
Jan 2015
Well organised brilliant holiday. It felt like 2 holidays in one as each week was so different from the other.
PS, King's Lynn
Jan 2019
I would recommend this trip to anyone who has an interest in magnificent scenery and wonderful wildlife experiences.
CT, Antrim
Apr 2013
Hotels - Quirky mix of old and modern, loved the contrast. Seaman Journey Galapagos boat was superb, cabin larger than expected. Crew and guide outstanding.
LO, Ascot
Apr 2018

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Our expert's view

Elizabeth Luck - Tour Leader

Our qualified tour leaders are Latin American specialists all of whom have travelled widely in the region. Book with Journey Latin America.

The Galápagos Islands are a huge part of this amazing tour, but I also like the fact that you get to see lots more of what stunning Ecuador has to offer. From the colonial centres of Quito and Cuenca to the Avenue of Volcanoes and the ruins at Ingapirca.

Get in touch Meet our experts

Inspired by this trip

Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

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Just Back From

Just back from… the Galápagos Islands with Nicola

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Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

Get in touch Meet our experts

Hannah Donaldson - Travel Expert
Having spent part of her childhood in Colombia and worked in Brazil and Costa Rica, Hannah's ties to Latin America run deep. Hannah is a much valued Travel Expert in our Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tours sales team.
Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert
After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!
Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Expert
Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.
Lina Fuller - Travel Expert
Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.
Charlotte Daubeney - Travel Expert
Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.
Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Expert
Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.