Ecuador & The M/V Galapagos Legend Cruise

Discover Quito’s colonial treasures and stand on the equator where two hemispheres meet.
Wander through cloud forests in Mindo, alive with orchids, butterflies and rich cocoa aromas.
Cruise aboard the M/V Galapagos Legend to islands teeming with sea lions, iguanas and rare seabirds.
Snorkel among penguins and turtles, and walk volcanic trails once explored by Charles Darwin.
Encounter giant tortoises in lush highlands, completing an unforgettable journey through Ecuador’s natural wonders.

Days

55 Years of Expertise in Tailor-Made Travel

ExcellentBased on 5,242 Reviews

55 Years of Expertise in Tailor-Made Travel

ExcellentBased on 5,242 Reviews

Trip Features

Active Elements

Includes light adventure or movement for added discovery.

Epic Scenery

Showcases landscapes that elevate parts of the journey.

Family Friendly

Fun, safe adventures to delight travellers of all ages.

Iconic Landmarks

Features renowned sites that capture the essence of each destination.

Safari & Wildlife

Vacations that showcase the world's most fascinating wildlife.

Active Elements

Includes light adventure or movement for added discovery.

Epic Scenery

Showcases landscapes that elevate parts of the journey.

Family Friendly

Fun, safe adventures to delight travellers of all ages.

Iconic Landmarks

Features renowned sites that capture the essence of each destination.

Safari & Wildlife

Vacations that showcase the world's most fascinating wildlife.

Trip Itinerary

At a Glance

DAY

Arrive in Quito

DAY

Full Day Exploring Colonial Quito and The Equatorial Line

DAY

Full Day Orchids, Butterflies and Chocolate in Mindo

DAY

Fly from Quito to Baltra Airport and Mosquera Islet

DAY

Egas Port and Rabida Island

DAY

Urbina Bay and Tagus Cove

DAY

Punta Espinosa and Punta Vicente Roca

DAY

Highlands Tortoise Reserve and Departure

Travel Itinerary

Trip Starts

Trip Stop

Trip Ends

Detailed Itinerary

DAY

Arrive in Quito

Transfer

Quito Airport to Quito - New Town

Your Accommodation

GO Quito Hotel

A sustainable hotel with spectacular views of Quito, and a design inspired by the natural beauty and cultural richness of the Andes, GO Quito Hotel is one of the premier accommodations in the new town of Quito. GO Quito Hotel provides a peaceful atmosphere for both work and play, with gourmet dining, refreshing drinks, and a range of leisure activities available. With everything you need in one place, the hotel caters to your travel needs. With an on-site swimming pool, ground-floor gardens, and a rooftop restaurant, plenty to enjoy on-site when you're not out exploring the city and countryside.

Duration

3 Night Stay

Meal Plan

Full Breakfast

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DAY

Full Day Exploring Colonial Quito and The Equatorial Line

Ecuador is history, fascinating indigenous cultures, slow winding rivers and lush tropical forests, spectacular snow capped volcanoes and some of the most exciting wildlife on earth. Today's private-guided tour of the Middle of the Earth begins just 30 minutes north of Quito. Your guide will first take you on a brief journey to visit the Pululahua volcanic crater for a peek into the crater floor where patchwork fields gleam far below. Later you will visit the Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, a group of buildings designed to explain the significance of the Ecuadorian equator, as well as the Intiñan Museum, located directly on the Equator. Here you will have the chance to plant your feet in two hemispheres at the same time, try to balance an egg on the head of a nail, and see the unique water dynamics that occur! Back in Quito and after lunch, you will visit the city's impressive colonial center. Quito was the first city to be named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations (alongside Krakow, Poland in 1978), and touring the historic core highlights why it is so widely lauded. First on the agenda is a walk through the Main Plaza, the Plaza de la Independencia, where you will see the Government Palace, the Cathedral, and some of the most important churches built around the XVI and XVII centuries, including the San Francisco Monastery, a building begun only five days after the founding of the city. Winding down, you'll enjoy a chocolate tasting experience in the old town at Yumbos; a small artisanal chocolate factory that uses fine Ecuadorian cocoa. During the visit, you will be able to learn the secrets behind making fine chocolate, and soon after, you will be returned to your hotel.

Day Tour

Exploring Colonial Quito & the Equatorial Line

DAY

Full Day Orchids, Butterflies and Chocolate in Mindo

Leaving Quito after an early breakfast at your hotel, your guide will drive you to the Pahuma Orchid Reserve to take a short walk to a nearby waterfall and orchid display. Pahuma Orchid Reserve helps to protect this spectacularly biodiverse region of Ecuador, and the unique micro-climate you'll explore is the perfect home to dozens of species of birds, a seemingly endless array of orchids, not to mention a wide variety of amphibians and mammals. After touring Pahuma, you will continue on to Mindo to admire and enjoy an interactive butterfly garden where, surrounded by hundreds of colorful butterflies, you will be able to observe the four stages of a butterfly’s life. While you are in the garden, you will be able to feed one or more of the 25 different species of butterflies. You'll then break for a local lunch, and shortly after, carry on to visit a chocolate factory, the ultimate destination for cocoa and culinary enthusiasts alike. Here you will see and taste every step of the chocolate making process, sampling delicious chocolates made from the highest quality, world famous Ecuadorian cocoa. After visiting the chocolate factory, your guide will return you back to your hotel in Quito.

Day Tour

Orchids, Butterflies & Chocolate in Mindo

DAY

Fly from Quito to Baltra Airport and Mosquera Islet

Depart from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra Island, a flight lasting roughly two hours and 30 minutes (included). Arriving in the Galapagos, you will be picked up at the airport by naturalist guides who will welcome you to the archipelago and assist with the transfer to the nearby pier. After getting acquainted with the vessel, you'll soon disembark on the tiny, low lying Mosquera Islet which is located between North Seymour and Baltra Island. This flat, sandy island is home to a group of sea lions that come to laze on the soft white sand. It is also an excellent site to observe shorebirds such as herons, lava gulls, and boobies. There is no trail on the islet so you can enjoy the open area. Most of the islet is covered with sand and barren lava rock. You can also see here very little Vesuvius Portulacastrum plants grow on the sand.

Transfer

Quito - New Town to Quito Airport

Multi Day Tour

Baltra Airport & Mosquera Islet

Meal

Dinner, Lunch

Your Accommodation

M/V Legend

This legendary, 100-passenger, first-class vessel offers all the amenities of a large cruise liner without sacrificing the intimacy you'd expect on a small sailing craft, and consequently allows you to have it all.

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DAY

Egas Port and Rabida Island

In the morning, discover the black volcanic sand beach that was visited by Darwin in 1835. It is best known for the dramatic shoreline where you will meet a host of species that chose to live between land and sea. Among these are the endemic Galapagos fur seals which maintain a small colony at the end of your walk. Other species you will discover include American oystercatchers, sea lions, waders, herons, lava lizards, and even Galapagos hawks. An optional visit to an abandoned salt mine famous in its day for supplying salt to mainland Ecuador is also available. In the afternoon, you'll make a wet landing on Rabida Island. Lying at the heart of the archipelago, this dramatic island with its distinctive red-sand beach is home to sea lions, mockingbirds, finches, endemic Galapagos doves, and vermilion flycatchers. A walk will take you through the forest of Palo Santo and cacti to a beautiful overview of the bay. Snorkeling can be excellent here, often with large schools of black striped Salemas, sea lions, and the ubiquitous turtles.

Multi Day Tour

Egas Port & Rabida Island

Meal

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Your Accommodation

M/V Legend

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DAY

Urbina Bay and Tagus Cove

At the far end of a long, level hike this morning, you will find a strange phenomenon where large blocks of coral lie exposed after a dramatic geological uplift in 1954. Located at the western base of Alcedo Volcano, you might run into a few very impressive land iguanas as well as some of the volcano’s endemic Galapagos giant tortoises during the wet season. In the afternoon, you’ll find a well-known hideout and deep-water anchorage in the days of pirates. Tagus Cove was also one of the few sites visited by Charles Darwin and the HMS Beagle in 1835. A beautiful hike will lead you past an overview of Darwin Lake and on to a stunning volcanic landscape revealing Isabela Island’s dramatic northern volcanoes. Once back at sea level, the perfect activity is to snorkel along a submerged wall with turtles, lots of fish, penguins, and potentially flightless cormorants. You might even be tempted by a panga ride or kayak!

Multi Day Tour

Urbina Bay & Tagus Cove

Meal

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Your Accommodation

M/V Legend

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DAY

Punta Espinosa and Punta Vicente Roca

This morning, discover the youngest island of Galapagos and one of the most pristine in the world. Fernandina is simply the marine iguana capital of the world. This desolate volcanic backdrop is home to a huge concentration of these enigmatic reptiles. Incongruously, sharing the same shoreline, you can find the diminutive Galapagos penguins. Here you will also have the exciting opportunity to snorkel with marine iguanas feeding underwater, penguins, turtles, and the bizarre, endemic, flightless cormorants. In the afternoon, experience a spectacular visitor site, surrounded by immense cliffs of the eroded volcano. Studded with resting sea birds such as brown noddies and Nazca boobies, you will enjoy them in close proximity from the dinghies. Snorkeling here is superb, with certain species of fish only found in the west of the archipelago. You will also have a very real chance of swimming with penguins and potentially a plethora of green turtles.

Multi Day Tour

Punta Espinosa & Punta Vicente Roca

Meal

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Your Accommodation

M/V Legend

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DAY

Highlands Tortoise Reserve and Departure

After breakfast, make a dry landing in the mountains of Galapagos. Enjoy admiring different kinds of birds, such as tree and ground finches, vermilion flycatchers, paint-billed crakes, yellow warblers, and cattle egrets (usually standing on the tortoises' shell). Your journey to the reserve offers great opportunities to see the contrasts that the island offers in reference to the variety of ecosystems. The road goes from the coast through the agricultural zone and straight up to the dense humid forests. Often, Galapagos Giant Tortoises are also seen on the way, wandering through pastures in the paddocks. This spot is a birdwatchers' haven, since almost every land bird present on the island lives or migrates here. After visiting Highlands Tortoise Reserve, you will be transferred to the airport ahead of your return flight to Guayaquil or Quito.

Multi Day Tour

Highlands Tortoise Reserve & Departure

Meal

Breakfast

What to Expect

Explore what moves you.

Galapagos Tortoises

Rabida Island

Old Town Quito

MV Galapagos Legend

Know when to go.

Place

Conditions

Daily max temperatureMonthly rainfall

QuitoPartly Cloudy

24°C / 75°F

60mm / 2.3"

Weather data is based on monthly averages.

Popularity rating

ExcellentBased on 5,242 Reviews

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What do the experts say?

Kajal Gadhia

Destination Specialist

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If you a looking for a unique experience, then a stay at Mashpi Lodge, Cloud Forest would be perfect. It is a remote high-biodiversity experience which boasts over 600 bird species, unique monkeys, and other fascinating wildlife

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Kajal Gadhia

Destination Specialist

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Ecuador has incredible biodiversity and varied landscapes, from the wildlife-rich Galapagos Islands to the high-altitude Andes mountains and Amazon rainforest

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Osvaldo Gonzalez

Destination Specialist

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Tourists often focus on the Galápagos or the Amazon, but the Cloud Forests — mysterious, humming with life, and relatively uncrowded — are a hidden gem.

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Osvaldo Gonzalez

Destination Specialist

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One local tradition that travelers should absolutely try to experience in Ecuador is "La Diablada de Píllaro", or The Devils of Píllaro, held every January 1–6 in the small Andean town of Píllaro, in the Tungurahua province

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Insider Benefits

Ecuador & The M/V Galapagos Legend Cruise

Trip Features

Trip Itinerary

At a Glance

Arrive in Quito

Full Day Exploring Colonial Quito and The Equatorial Line

Full Day Orchids, Butterflies and Chocolate in Mindo

Fly from Quito to Baltra Airport and Mosquera Islet

Egas Port and Rabida Island

Urbina Bay and Tagus Cove

Punta Espinosa and Punta Vicente Roca

Highlands Tortoise Reserve and Departure

Detailed Itinerary

Arrive in Quito

Full Day Exploring Colonial Quito and The Equatorial Line

Full Day Orchids, Butterflies and Chocolate in Mindo

Fly from Quito to Baltra Airport and Mosquera Islet

Egas Port and Rabida Island

Urbina Bay and Tagus Cove

Punta Espinosa and Punta Vicente Roca

Highlands Tortoise Reserve and Departure

Departures

Terms and Conditions

What to Expect

Explore what moves you.

Most Popular Time to Travel

Know when to go.

Our Commitment

Why Travel with Goway?

What do the experts say?

Kajal Gadhia

Kajal Gadhia

Osvaldo Gonzalez

Osvaldo Gonzalez

Unlock more by subscribing to our newsletter.