Style : Group tour
The Galápagos Islands & Ecuador tour

The Galápagos Islands & Ecuador

Go Ahead Tours
4.9 . Excellent
98%
Travel Style: Array Mixed
Physical Level: All or most of day hiking or biking, hills included. Moderate
Lodging Level: 3 to 4 star western hotel equivalents. While not all lodging will be 'luxury' they will be quite comfortable by western standards. Comfort (4*)
10 days
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Overview

Highlights (Bullets)

  • Quito’s UNESCO-recognized historic center
  • One-of-a-kind animal encounters
  • Snorkeling with sea lions & penguins
  • Dramatic volcanic landscapes
  • Flightless cormorants & fearless hawks

Short Description

Ecuador puts new meaning behind the saying, “good things come in small packages.” In terms of flora, fauna and opportunities for adrenaline-packed adventure (think zip lining through cloud forests and swimming alongside sea turtles), South America’s second smallest country runs the gamut. Journey to Quito for a taste of Ecuadorean culture and Incan legend. Then, island hop through the Galápagos, where you’ll move from mangrove swamps to lava flows to sunny shorelines, encountering scores of exotic creatures along the way.

Style Group tour
See all the highlights and popular spots on a classic tour.
Itinerary Focus Classic Highlights
3 to 4 star western hotel equivalents. While not all lodging will be 'luxury' they will be quite comfortable by western standards.
Lodging Level Comfort (4*)
Flight & Transport Inclusions All internal ground transport
Start City Quito
End City Quito

Itinerary

Day 1: Flight & late-night arrival in Quito

After your flight, arrive late this evening in Quito and settle into your hotel.

Day 2: Sightseeing tour of Quito

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Today, embark on a guided sightseeing tour of Quito before meeting your fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner.

Enjoy a walking tour of Old Town, passing by the Legislative Palace, Independence Square and the Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito

Enter La Compañia, the city’s Baroque church, to view its gold leaf interior

Step inside the 16th-century Monastery of San Francisco

Drive up Cerro Panecillo hill for views of the city and surrounding volcanoes

Day 3: Free day in Quito

Meals: Breakfast

Enjoy a full free day in Quito or add an excursion.

Optional Excursion - Mindo Cloud forest $119pp* Details

Galápagos Islands 4 nights Hotel info

Day 4: Galápagos Cruise

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

This morning, fly to the small island of Baltra to board your cruise.

Boat aross the narrow channel separating Baltra from Santa Cruz Island

Cruise to Black Turtle Cove, where you may see turtles, rays and sharks swimming among the mangroves

Day 5: Santiago Island & Rabida Island

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After a wet landing, you’ll enjoy the southeastern portion of Santiago Island before continuing to Rabida Island.

Spend the morning exploring the extensive lava flows, swimming and snorkeling in Sullivan Bay and spotting flamingos, sea turtles, sea lions and migratory birds

Transfer to Rabida Island, where the volcanic geology creates red sand beaches

Take a dinghy ride along the cliffs to snorkel and observe nesting seabirds

Day 6: Isabela Island

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

After a wet landing, begin your exploration of Isabela Island, the largest in the Galápagos archipelago.

Snorkel with the sea turtles that swim just off the shore of Urbina Bay

See the giant tortoises that live on the slopes of the nearby Alcedo Volcano

Tour Tagus Cove and see the blue-footed boobies that nest there

Go on a dinghy ride and enjoy the option of deep sea snorkeling

Day 7: Espinosa Point & Vicente Roca Point

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Today’s dry landing is at Espinosa Point, formed by lava flows over thousands of years.

View the area’s marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs and the fearless Galápagos hawk

Take a dinghy ride to Vicente Roca Point and the Bolivar Channel, where you can snorkel with sea lions, sea turtles and penguins

View dolphins and whales that are attracted to the Bolivar Channel by the cold waters of the Cromwell Current (seasonal, June to September)

Otavalo 1 night

Day 8: Transfer to Otavalo via Quito

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Disembark the ship to further explore Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos before making your way to Otavalo, a market town in the Andes Mountains.

Journey to the Santa Cruz highlands, northwest of Puerto Ayora, to visit a giant tortoise nature reserve

Walk through the humid forest landscape to see these slow-moving reptiles in action

Return to Baltra and board your flight back to Quito on the mainland

On the way to Otavalo, stop to see the Quitsato Sundial, a monument located on the equator, where you’ll view a demonstration of equatorial effects

Later, enjoy a farewell dinner with your fellow travelers.

Day 9: Otavalo market visit & departure

Meals: Breakfast

Visit the Otavalo market to browse the stalls, shop for indigenous crafts and attend a local weaving demonstration. Later, transfer to the airport for a late-night or early-morning flight or continue your adventure in Peru.

Overnight Flight 1 night

Day 10: Arrival in the U.S.

Arrive home.

Please note: Due to varying flight schedules, some travelers may depart on the morning of day 10, arriving home later that evening.

Availability

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Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

150 Go Ahead Tours Travel Reviews & Ratings

98%
4.9 out of 5 (100+ reviews)
Excellent 144
Great 2
Average 0
Disappointing 0
Terrible 4
Value
4.9
Guide
4.9
Activities
4.9
Lodging
4.9
Transportation
4.9
Meals
4.9

The Galápagos Islands & Ecuador

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Company Reviews

Will Refuse to Refund

1.0
Details
Value1.0
Guide1.0
Activities1.0
Lodging1.0
Transportation1.0
Meals1.0
I made a reservation last Thursday (11/16/2023) for a trip to Iceland from 12/02/2023-12/07/2023 and then I was told that I can’t have my refund back.

When I called on last Thursday (11/16/2023) to place my reservation, the agent (Kathy) I talked to stressed about she "cannot" guarantee that I will be able to go on the trip. Before I provided the payment information, I specifically asked if I will be able to get the refund because the trip is coming up so soon. The agent ensured that I will be able to get a full refund back within 60 days if I decided to cancel the trip. I was also told that I am basically on a wait list and someone will contact me once I can go on the trip. No one contacted me about whether the agency was able to process my information at all, so I've been left in the dark about this trip since the beginning.

I called the help line this morning (11/20/2023) around 9:00 Eastern Standard Time to cancel my reservation. I was informed by the agent that I will not be able to get my full refund back since it's too close to the trip date. Basically I was told that Kathy gave me the wrong information, so I will have to pay the cancellation fee. The only reason I provided my payment information is because Kathy specifically stated that I will be able to cancel the trip and receive a full refund.

I've never been so frustrated with a traveling agency. I made sure to ask this agent regarding the refund policy twice before giving her my payment information, and she still couldn't provide me with the correct information. It's unbelievable that such a big traveling agency cannot uniformly train their employees with the correct set of information.
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Stay Away - Class Action lawsuit for ripping off children

1.0
Details
Value1.0
Guide1.0
Activities1.0
Lodging1.0
Transportation1.0
Meals1.0
This greedy and unethical company is being sued for keeping money from school children and their parents after the company canceled trips due to Coronavirus. They have a pattern of canceling trips and keeping your money and you get nothing! They only care about money and not earning it.
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Wouldn't Refund Full Payment of Tour They Cancelled

1.0
Details
Value1.0
Guide1.0
Activities1.0
Lodging1.0
Transportation1.0
Meals1.0
Our trip was to be in May 2020 and was cancelled by Go Ahead due to the Coronavirus after we had paid the full cost of the trip for two. When contacted about a refund, the only way we would NOT lose our deposit of $600 was if we allowed them to keep the entire amount paid until the trip was rescheduled or changed to another tour. We asked them to refund everything EXCEPT the deposit and carry the deposit until another trip could be scheduled. They refused to consider carrying our deposit. The only was to get our $6000 payment back was to lose our $600 deposit. After several wonderful tours, Go Ahead proved themselves to be unconcerned about our financial loss or hardships caused by their inflexibility.
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I took every additional tour and the tour guides were excellent!

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
Go Ahead Tours was selected for their attention to detail, and this tour did not disappoint! I must give credit to our wonderful tour director, Alessandra, who has over 25 years of experience, and we were the beneficiaries of her compassionate regard for our tour's wellbeing. She was attentive and even gave us souvenir momentos from each city we visited. I took every additional tour and the tour guides were excellent! I especially liked our guides for the Colosseum, in Rome, a mature woman who was Greek, and thus, she was very personable. Also, Katia, our tour guide for the Vatican and the Catacombs was very knowledgeable and entertaining. The last night was fun in our send off dinner consisted of a dinner theater billed as four tenors and featured an opera troup serenading us during our three-course meal. Great fun and the perfect meal to conclude our action packed 7-day tour of three Italian Cities boasting magnificent art and history!
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Amazing trip of a lifetime!

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
My husband and I went on this tour for our five year anniversary. It was both of our first trips to Europe and it was WONDERFUL! Our tour guide, Alessandra, was fantastic & our group got along so well. We made friends and always had a blast. It's a wonderful mix of guided tours & free time. It was so nice to not have to stress about travel arrangements between cities because Go Ahead has done it all. We would definitely book again!
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By far the BEST Trip EVER

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
WOW. That’s the best word to summarize this tour. 1st class everything, from the private chauffeur upon arrival to the 5 star hotels to the fancy restaurants, but the icing on the cake is the guided tour director. Nicola was BY FAR THE BEST trip mom EVER. I went to Europe by myself and she made sure I was always fitting right in, she was very patient, kind and understanding. Very knowledgeable, oh man she was the absolute best seriously. I want her on every tour
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Details

Ship Name

M/V Galápagos Legend

Ship Description

Enjoy the Galapagos Islands paradise in a 100 passenger, fully air conditioned cruise ship. The Galapagos Legend has all the amenities of a cruise liner yet it's small enough for that intimate experience with nature. Guests will enjoy the added comfort of extra space in fully carpeted luxurious cabins. The ships facilities include an auditorium for conferences, spacious social areas, culinary delights at the dining room, 24 hour coffee bar and swimming pool with broad sun decks and observation platforms. At night guests can enjoy live music at the piano lounge or cocktail bars.

Trip Photos (affiliate link)

Optional Activities

Extension to Peru $1,799 pp

Please note: Extension is not available on all departure dates.

Experience Peru in all its diversity. Wander the colonial cities that display the legacy of Spanish conquistadors, explore the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco and visit the lost city of Machu Picchu.

Flight & Transport Inclusions

All internal ground transport

Group Size

Standard Group - 25 + people

Maximum Number of People in Group: 35

Maximum tour group size: 35 travelers

Accommodations

Mercure Alameda Quito

The Mercure Alameda Quito hotel offers guests all facilities necessary for business or leisure trips, as well as cultural information about the city. Our 147 comfortable roomswith WIFI provide the perfect setting for combining business and leisure, while our 41 Privilege Rooms will give you a more personalized service, adapted to each guest's individual requirements.

Ship: M/V Galápagos Legend

Cancellation policy

If you cancel your reservation, the cancellation fee schedule below will apply. If you are booked in a double/twin room and your roommate cancels his or her tour more than 45 days prior to departure, you will be responsible for paying the single supplement fee. Upon notifying GAT of your cancellation, you will be given a confirmation number that verifies your cancellation. If you purchased travel protection and are cancelling for a reason covered under the policy guidelines, cancellation fees will be reimbursed to you directly from the insurance company. In the event that you have to cancel your tour on the day of departure, you must notify GAT prior to the departure of your first flight. Any penalties for supplemental services/guarantees (including, but not limited to, flights, hotels or late additions) resulting from cancellations made at your request will be your responsibility, and all service fees are non-refundable. Substitution of travelers is not permitted. If you choose not to travel, but fail to cancel your tour prior to the departure date or if you return home before the scheduled completion of your tour, you will not be eligible for any refund or reimbursement from GAT for any unused portion of your trip or costs incurred by leaving your trip early.

For travelers with the travel protection policy (goaheadtours.com/travelprotection), Go Ahead Tours will reimburse the participant in the form of a credit voucher in the event the participant wants to interrupt their tour due to reasons not covered by their travel protection policy. The voucher is valid for one year from the day of the interruption of the tour and represents the value of the missed time on tour including any unused air, land or sea arrangements already paid for by the participant up to a maximum of $1,000 as determined by Go Ahead Tours. The voucher is personal and non-transferable and may be applied towards a future Go Ahead tour and is not exchangeable for cash. The participant is responsible for any additional costs incurred by interrupting the tour including but not limited to the return flight and other transportation costs due to the interruption. Reservation fees, rebooking fees, change fees, late and returned check fees, revision fees, supplemental fees for international deliveries and special arrangement fees are considered Used Fees once incurred and will not be refundable.

  • If Days Prior to Departure is 71 days or more, then Cancellation Fee  (Includes reservation fee) is $ 450
  • If Days Prior to Departure is 70–46 days, then Cancellation Fee  (Includes reservation fee) is 30%
  • If Days Prior to Departure is 45–8 days, then Cancellation Fee  (Includes reservation fee) is 50%
  • If Days Prior to Departure is 7–0 days, then Cancellation Fee  (Includes reservation fee) is 100%

*Percentages listed above are of the total tour cost, including reservation fee. Listed cancellation fee is applicable per traveler.

Trip ID#:

GalIslGoa

What's excluded

  • International flight charges
  • Passport and visa charges
  • Tipping and gratuity
  • Any kind of insurance
  • Personal expenses

Meals Included

8 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches and 4 Dinners

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