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.
- Quito: guided city tour
- Avenue of the Volcanoes: Cotopaxi and Limpiopungo
- Avenue of the Volcanoes: Devil's Nose train ride
- 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
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.
Outline itinerary
Day 1
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 for the Devil's Nose train ride.
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.
Day 16
UK clients arrive home the following day.
What our clients say
97% of our clients rated their experience with us as Excellent or Good.
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
Tailor made holiday
Our specialists have been expertly crafting award-winning tailor-made holidays to Latin America for 40 years. We would be delighted to create a truly personalised trip which perfectly matches your wishes and requirements.
Sophie Barber - Travel Consultant
Sophie lived in Chile before joining us and has travelled extensively across Latin America, from Mexico to the furthest tip of Patagonia.
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.
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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.
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.
