Transfer to your hotel in the colonial centre of Quito, the Andean capital of Ecuador. The active volcano Guagua Pichincha, to the east, glowers over the dynamic city which, at 2,850m, is one of highest capital cities in the world. Quito is divided into two contrasting districts. The modern zone is characterised by towering glass buildings and houses banks, international companies, hotels, shops and restaurants, while the central colonial area has well-conserved and recently spruced-up white-washed architecture, open air markets and graceful Spanish-style mansions and churches.

Visit the colonial centre of the capital, the first city ever to be named a World Heritage site. High on the agenda is a walk through the main plaza, the Plaza de Independencia, where you will see the government palace, the cathedral, and some of the most important churches built around the 16th and 17th centuries, including the monastery of San Francisco.

Travel by road into the Avenue of the Volcanoes towards Cotopaxi National Park, dominated by the superbly photogenic volcano of the same name  - a (very occasionally active) soaring peak of shimmering ice surrounded by rumpled skirts of highland moor with a tundra-like vegetation of altitude-resistant shrubs and flowers. The park is inhabited by over 90 species of bird from pocket-sized hummingbirds to giant condors and a variety of hardy mammals including deer, rabbits, Andean foxes and puma, which shelter from view in the lacy veils of frequent swirly mists.

From the rustic mountain lodge close to the entrance to the park, where you’ll spend the night, you set off on a 5 hour guided walk along the course of the Pita river, which is fed by the glacial meltwater of Cotopaxi itself. The river runs through a humid box canyon, hemmed in by cliffs smothered in ferns, the clear, unpolluted watercourse runs over a rocky bed punctuated by a series of waterfalls and deep limpid pools where trout flourish.  You can spot a number of bird species and the guide will help you to identify them and many of the plants which flourish here.

Having set off in the morning on a long day of travel, we call in at the authentic market at the regional capital, the little town of Latacunga. Like other market towns in the area, it has a bunch of colonial style buildings and, on Saturdays, its three wide plazas host a market attended by purveyors of agricultural produce from the outlying farms and hamlets, with fruit and vegetables piled high on the street. There may be a few tourist items but this markets will give you a fascinating insight into Ecuador's rural life.

The giant Mount Chimborazo is the highest peak in Ecuador, rising to 6,268m Thousands of vicuña live and breed here. This, the daintiest breed of the llama family, with an exceptionally soft and highly- prized coat, was recently reintroduced having disappeared from the area around the time of the Conquest. Llamas and alpacas are also to be seen wandering around, grazing the coarse highland grasslands. Visit the community of Palacio Real, which has a Llama Museum, handicraft shop and llama trail.

Continue to Alausi for the night.

The railway from Alausi down to the sultry Pacific coast is a feat of engineering which was once nicknamed ‘el Imposible’. In recent years – following disruption caused by landslides and economic difficulties – the service has been resuscitated, and you now have the opportunity to ride what is truly one of the great railway journeys of the world.

Board the train for this exhilarating 10 hour (ish) journey down towards the Devil's Nose, named after the shape of one of the mountains as it rises steeply from the bottom of the valley. This part of the track drops dramatically in altitude, the train descends on a series of switchbacks as you slowly leave the crisp mountain air and rugged scenery for the warmer climes of the coastal lowlands, passing through plantations of banana and other tropical crops.  Arriving in Durán, you are taken by road to your hotel in the port of Guayaquil.

Guayaquil is Ecuador's largest city and has gone through a transition in the last few years. The expanse of waterfront has been made into an outdoor architectural showpiece, and restoration work has taken place along the city's main thoroughfare and in the historical neighbourhood of Las Peñas.

The Galápagos Islands emerged in the Pacific Ocean 6 million years ago following a spate of volcanic activity and, isolated from the continental mainland, have become home to unique plant and animal species. Without fear of humans, they are sufficiently trusting to allow you to approach them and observe them up close. The islands were the inspiration for Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, which formed the basis for his revolutionary book ‘On the Origin of Species’, published in 1859.

Although geologically constantly on the move, these islands remain suspended in time, with giant tortoises, iguanas, penguins, frigate birds, waved albatross and blue-footed boobies and a wealth of rare flora all thriving there. For many, the fascinating and unique wildlife and natural beauty of the islands are matched by the thrill of being at sea. Find a spot on deck as you make your way through the ocean, often trailed by flocks of birds and playful dolphins.

You spend the first few days of your visit on Santa Cruz, one of the larger islands, a dormant volcano rising to 864m, with small villages and cattle farms in the interior. Your hotel, Mainao, which started life as a family home, is in a quiet part of the nowadays busy town Puerto Ayora, where you’ll find shops, bars, cafés and small tour operators. It’s just a block or so from the waterfront.

Today you get on board a motor launch for a cruise to one of the nearby islands, South Plazas. This tiny wedge-shape islet is low and mostly flat, rising to a cliff at one end from where there are good views down into the turquoise water below. The lava here is covered with scrubby vegetation which changes colour according to the time of year: bright green   in the rainy season give way to orange and purple in the dry.

Wildlife is profuse here: iguanas, boobies, frigate birds, tropicbirds, shearwaters vie for space. The channel between this islet and another tiny neighbor is a favourite breeding ground for sea-lions – in fact one of the largest colonies of sea-lions is resident here.

(The island visited may change at short notice depending on local conditions).

Today you are free to explore. You can relax at your hotel or book locally an excursion into the highlands or to go snorkelling or kayaking. Tortuga Bay – just a stroll from town - has a superb beach, with iguanas and reef sharks waiting to be observed. Giant tortoises roam in the volcanic highlands. There’s plenty of choice of things to do; choose something which suits your personal interests.  

You’ll travel by speedboat across the water to San Cristóbal Island (2 hours), the most fertile in the archipelago, supporting coffee and sugar plantations. Your hotel, Casa Blanca, is close to the quay in the port, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the capital of the Galápagos.  It’s a fishing port, but now also has a good infrastructure for visitors, with a growing number of shops and restaurants close to the waterfront. 

Kicker Rock is one of the most impressive geological formations in the islands – there are in fact two rocks, jutting skywards in the form of vertical obelisks.  Not only are they awe-inspiring enough to be visited just for the sight of them but also they mark the site of one of the best snorkelling opportunities. Today is likely to be one of the highlights of your holiday.

After a practice run with your snorkelling equipment (supplied) you will be taken to Kicker Rock for some fun in the calm water. Not only is this a superb opportunity to observe an abundance of  tropical fish in their kaleidoscopic undersea theatre, but you may well catch sight of stingrays, reef and hammerhead sharks, rays and turtles.