Worry-Free Booking & Free Cancellation — OurTourlane Travel Promise!
Visit the Galapagos Islands, here pictured from above, on a highlights of Ecuador tour

Best of Ecuador Tour: Galapagos Islands, Guayaquil & Cuenca

Andean heights and tropical sailing

  • From 9 days

  • Private cruise

  • All year

  • 12-18+ hours

  1. Destinations
  2. South America
  3. Ecuador
  4. Best of Ecuador Tour: Galapagos Islands, Guayaquil & Cuenca

Things You'll See During Your Tour

See the best of Ecuador with a Galapagos Islands tour, followed by a visit to Guayaquil and Cuenca. Make time for a selfie straddling the earth’s hemispheres at the ‘Mitad Del Mundo’ monument or explore the snowy peaks of Pichincha Volcano. Explore Cajas National Park and see how cocoa beans become chocolate. End your trip sailing through the turquoise waters of the Galapagos—the luxurious decks of your yacht await.

Der Otavalo Market in Ecuador

1. Otavalo

Kick-off your trip with a visit to the largest indigenous market in South America, “Plaza de Los Ponchos.”  After admiring the local handicrafts and picking up a few souvenirs, it’s time to leave the bustling city center and reconvene with nature with an excursion to Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve and Lake Cuicocha—the two-mile-wide lagoon formed in the crater of a collapsed volcano.

Colorful colonial houses line the streets of Quito.

2. Quito

Cruise north to Ecuador’s exquisite capital, Quito. Stroll through the colonial old town founded in the 16th century and take a moment to admire the Monastery of San Francisco and the Jesuit College of La Compañía. See if you can pick out the European and Indigenous elements whose fusion is known as the “Baroque school of Quito.” In the afternoon, straddle the hemispheres at the Equator Monument, Mitad del Mundo.

Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción

3. Cuenca

Bask in spring weather any time of year in this 16th-century town. Enjoy a coffee in Abdon Calderonuare Park in the town center as you admire the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception with its enchanting blue domes. Beyond its picturesque architecture and landscape, Cuenca is renowned for its craft traditions including the Panama hat, and you will get a behind-the-scenes tour of one of the famous factories at the Rio Tomebamba waterfront. 

Las Penas street

4. Guayaquil

Explore the forests, seascapes, and waterfall that make up The Cajas National Park. Be sure to keep an eye out for the grazing llamas and visit nearby cocoa and banana plantations where the tropical climate of Ecuador’s Sierra region allows the fruit to grow all year round. See how the plants are grown and harvested as try some of the fresh goods for yourself.

Visit the Galapagos Islands, here pictured from above, on a highlights of Ecuador tour

5. Galapagos Islands

Is there a better way to explore the Galapagos than on an intimate cruise? The southeastern islands are yours on this trip through the island’s treasures, a perfect place to fill your sun-drenched days with a combination of sports and relaxation. Aboard the luxurious yacht, you’ll navigate the cobalt waters and come to know the breathtaking ecology of this unique paradise.

Speak to a Tourlane Travel Expert

Combined, our team of Travel Experts have:

  • Tailored more than 10,000 dream vacations

  • Visited more than 100 countries

  • More than 35 nationalities

  • Offset more than 40,000 tons of CO2

Select add ons for your trip

Food and Drink

Add additional meals or beverages.

Activities

From wine tasting to 4x4 safari tours.

Accomodation

From luxury hotels to rustic campsites.

Transport

Select a transfer to and from the airport.

You May Also Like These Offers

  1. See iguanas and other creatures on a Galapagos Islands tour

    from

    $3,816

     

    excl. Flight (p.P.)

  2. Turtle on the Galapagos Islands

    from

    $4,825

     

    excl. Flight (p.P.)

  3. Visit the beautiful Ecuadorian city of Cuenca, pictured here from above, on a Cuenca vacation

    from

    $4,825

     

    excl. Flight (p.P.)