Travels to Ecuador: Galapagos Islands Quito - Ecuador

QUITO

Visit the City
Standing in Pichincha Province, Quito is the capital of Ecuador. It lies at an elevation of 2,850 meters in a nestled valley at the base of the Pichincha volcano. In spite of the altitude, this city has a nicely moderate climate because its geographical position on the equator.
The city of Quito was the northern capital of the Inca Empire and one of the first cities founded by the Spanish conquistadors. The splendor of the Latin American Baroque and the Spanish influence in their churches, monasteries and museums show the best pictorial sign of Quito’s culture (XVII and XVIII centuries). This is the reason why in 1978, Quito was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The tour will begin with the visit to the modern side of the city to continue toward the old town named Quito Colonial, where you will appreciate the central square or “Plaza of Independence”, the place where the city was born. In this square is located the Cathedral of the city, built in 1562 and reconstructed after the earthquake of 1755, the Presidential Palace, built in 1747, and other historic buildings.
Beautiful churches and convents stand out all over the old town. Some of them are: La Compañia de Jesus, San Agustin, San Francisco and Santo Domingo.
In 1534, Quito was conquered by Sebastian de Benalcazar and it was baptized with the name of San Francisco de Quito. In 1822, the general Antonio Jose de Sucre proclaimed the independence of the city from the Spanish dominion.
Estimated time of the tour: 3 hours.
This visit includes a delicious lunch of typical food where you will enjoy the flavor of the Ecuadorian cuisine.

Night visits of the city (Dinner available at a typical restaurant)

Mitad del Mundo equator monument:
Mitad del Mundo means the equator. The monument is located 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) North from Quito. You will visit the place crossed by the 0 parallel where you can enjoy being at the same time in both North and South hemispheres.
There is an optional visit to the Ethnographic Museum where you can appreciate the diversity of the native groups of Ecuador.
Estimated time of the tour: 3 hours (any day of the week).

Folkloric Ballet at night (previous reservation)

COCHASQUI RUINS:
They are located a few kilometers from Quito and you can visit them in the morning or in the afternoon. These pre-Inca ruins with pyramid shape are some vestiges in which the geographical and strategic position that ancient cultures used in time of war can be appreciated.

SPECIALIZED TOURS

We offer specialized tours with a minimum quantity of people. These tours will be leaded by our expert guides and the technical support of a professional experienced team. You will be able to know new places, to appreciate customs, gastronomy, folklore and landscapes in any of the four regions that Ecuador offers to our visitors.
This kind of tours begins with an informative talk and are guided by the best experts in any specialized topic that you require for instance: Archaeology, Ornithology, Biology, Art as well as the best way to recharge energy in the Middle of the World.

WORKSHOPS
We have special days for craft workshops in different communities of the Highlands or the Amazon Region, where you can learn some of their teaching and how to make handycrafts such as necklaces or masks while sharing an interesting talk.

Art Galleries Route
You can visit the main art galleries of the city where you can find masterpieces of some of the most famous Ecuadorian artists like Guayasamin, Viteri, Kingman, among others.

INDIGENOUS MARKETS

OTAVALO
About 2 hours and 80 kilometers (49.6 miles) from Quito, you can visit the indigenous market in Otavalo, famous in the world for its crafts, knitted fabrics and tapestries.
This market, located in a square called Plaza de los Ponchos, is one of the most important tourist places of Ecuador.
There is no doubt that Otavalo is one of the most important attractions in the Highland region.

Before arriving to Otavalo, you will cross the valleys of Guayllabamba and Cayambe and look at farms and plantations of roses. Toward 1550, some textile shops were settled down in this region and they stretched toward other towns around Otavalo like Peguche and Cotacachi among others. You will be able to appreciate the looms which have been used for more than 500 years by native people who still continue working skillfully.
This tour includes lunch in one of the hostels of the area where you will enjoy some typical food to know a little bit more about the Ecuadorian way of life.
In the afternoon, you will visit Cotacachi, a city famous for its leather handcrafts and products.

This tour is available for 2 days to visit the different lakes and other towns of the area where you can enjoy other crafts and get more knowledge about Ecuadorian customs. You can find other indigenous markets in Saquisili and Pujili, located south of Quito.

COTOPAXI

Driving to the south and across the "Avenue of the Volcanoes", as Alexander von Humboldt called it, you will arrive to one of the most important provinces where you will find Cotopaxi National Park. A visit to the Sucre Museum will help you understand the different eruptions and the creation of the majestic volcano Cotopaxi, one of the highest mountains to climb in the world.
You will have the possibility to practice trekking and climb to the refuge located at 4800 meters above sea level. You will be able to enjoy a delicious hot chocolate as a special treat from this zone.
Lunch will be included in one of the region’s inns or if you prefer to enjoy the nature you will get an excellent lunch box.

PASOCHOA

Toward the South, about one hour from Quito, you will arrive to one of the most beautiful protector forests in the country, which is recognized as an unrivalled habitat for great quantity of birds and mammals that live in about a thousand hectares. In this place you can find around 120 species of birds as black birds, silversmiths and turtledoves. Because of the unique vegetation you can find pumamaquis (an endemic tree) and you can also take a great walk, see wonderful landscapes and be able to enjoy a country lunch.

MINDO

Mindo-Nambillo is located in the northwest region of Pichincha Province. Mindo is the most important natural reserve of birds in the country and a paradise for nature lovers because it is the perfect place to watch around 500 species of birds that fly together in the Highland’s sky.
There are semi tropical primary and secondary rain forests. In the middle of the variety of flora, there are mammals, reptiles and colorful butterflies which are other of the attractions of the region. Rivers and cascades let the visitors enjoy the nature and practice adventure sports such as rafting, trekking and canopying.
One day tours available (lunch is included)

BANCOS

This place is located in the northwest region of Pichincha Province. In Bancos you will enjoy "El Tagual", a typical farm of the zone, where you will share a comfortable stay, delicious food, and nice talks with people from the community. You can also ride horses, take a bath in the Blanco River, enjoy the milk, watch the birds of this region, and share a wonderful night around a bonfire if the weather is good.

GUAYAQUIL

The seaport and commercial capital of Ecuador, at 45 minutes by plane from Quito, it is the most populated city of Ecuador .
One hour away from Guayaquil (road trip) is the Pacific Ocean bathing some exotic beaches like Salinas among others.
One of the most interesting places to know in Guayaquil is the Santo Domingo church which belongs to the XVI century in the old neighborhood of “Las Peñas” as well as the monument that commemorates one of the most important events that have taken place in the city: the Conference of Guayaquil in 1822 that was attended by the liberators Jose de San Martin and Simon Bolivar.
In 1535, Guayaquil was founded by Sebastian de Benalcazar under the name of Santiago de Guayaquil. In 1538, the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Orellana reformed the city under the order of Francisco Pizarro.
We offer different tours in your visit to the beautiful city of Guayaquil such as museums, Cerro Santa Ana, Las Peñas, Malecon 2000, Cerro del Carmen, Santay Island, Cerro Blanco, Manglares de Puerto Hondo or Ruta de la Cocoa, with the company of professional experts who collaborate with the conservation of the environment and the social development of the country.

CUENCA

This city, located on the south of the country, is one of the most visited and one of the most important tourist destinations.

During the Colonial period, Cuenca was an important center in the Royal Road of the Incas that crossed Ecuador. In the second half of the XV century, the Incas dominated a big region called Tahuantisuyo that began south of Colombia and ended in Chile. The way of communication among all these territories was called Qapaq Ñan or Real Road.
At that time, Tupac Yupanqui was the leader of the army that built the Inca Empire. Incas built a lot of settlements like Tomebamba where the city of Cuenca started to grow as a mixture of fortresses and religious buildings alike to the majestic temple of   Cuzco.
The journey will begin with a visit to the Ingapirca Ruins, located 3.200 meters above sea level, where you will feel the magic of the Inca expansion in the Ecuadorian Andes.
Available visits to Gualaceo, Chordeleg or the National Park of Cajas.
The lodging will be arranged in one of the most comfortable and elegant hostels in the city.

AMAZON REGION

The Amazon Rain Forest is an exciting and wild region where a prodigious diversity of animals and, infinity of species of birds like parrots and macaws live. In this region you can also observe the tapir, armadillo, jaguar, and different varieties of restless monkeys such as the lanudos, tamarindos or araña. This complex ecosystem makes many scientists continue in their arduous work of investigating the fauna and flora biodiversity, one of the largest in the planet.
The Ecuadorian Amazon region can be visited in different types of tours, either traveling in private transportation, bus or plane. You can enjoy some organized ecotourism activities in comfortable facilities that have been created to offer the best services to the visitors and explorers of this fantastic jungle.
Additionally, you can see a lot of indigenous cultures as Shuar, Achuar, Secoya-Siona, Cofan, Quichua, among others. In 2001, the UNESCO declared the Zapara culture Oral Heritage just when they were on the edge to disappear.
Meanwhile you get inside the Amazon rain forest, one of the most important lungs in the world you will find a warmer weather and sudden tropical rains where the most exotic animals live as well as you will know more about the secrets of our indigenous ancestors.
As part of the offered tours, you will be able to travel to Coca or Lago Agrio Cities where you will take a motorized canoe to travel on one of the wonderful rivers of the Amazon. This way, the visitor will go into in the astonishing jungle before arriving to the lodge or chosen camp where it is included: complete feeding, tours and walks inside the jungle, a native guide, visits to the communities, gold washing pan, boots, and water ponchos.
If you do not want to penetrate in the deep Amazon Forest as the Cuyabeno, you can travel toward the Puyo or the Tena Cities where you will also find numerous lodges.

Available Tours: 4, 5 and 8 days of duration.

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

Their official name is Columbus Archipelago and it is located 600 miles west of the Ecuadorian coast. In 1959, Ecuador declared it National Park and in 1986, Marine Reserve being the second biggest of the world. Additionally, it was declared a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The Galapagos Islands have 13 big islands, 17 small ones and dozens of rocks that spurted up from a marine platform to 2.000 meters height. According to the scientists, these islands were born approximately 9.000 million years ago due to a combination of tectonic forces and volcanic eruptions, a process that continues until present time.

Galapagos are considered the biggest natural laboratory in the world and an investigation center for universal science. It is the biggest natural tourist attraction in the contemporary world and one of the 20 hottest points of the Earth for its constant volcanic activity.

When Charles Darwin visited the islands in 1835, he was inspired to develop his famous "Theory of Evolution", based on the observations of the differences among the same species in different islands.
Galapagos primitive and fascinating landscape has not changed its natural scenario during millions of years. Their flora and fauna have evolved without having an external influence.

Ecuador contributes to the conservation of the marine and earthly life with a laboratory with scientific proposals that foments a sustainable eco-tourism for nature lovers, based on the strictest laws on the ecological field in the world.

We offer organized trips in boats as yachts or ships of different categories depending on your budget and time to visit this last sanctuary of wild life, as it was named by the famous explorer Jacques Cousteau in one of his trips.

All on board meals are included as well as the visits to the islands according to the itinerary of the boat, a bilingual and qualified guide provided by Charles Darwin Station, and a surprise gift from WAKANI EXPEDITIONS.

The visitors will be able to know one of the hottest points in the archipelago such as Wolf and Darwin Islands, considered by diving experts “The world’s Meca of the sharks”, whose species are protected in the Marine Reserve of the Galapagos Islands. You will also have the possibility to dive and appreciate these species from a very short distance. It is recommended to make a reservation in advance and not to forget your camera in order to record those moments you will never forget.

You can also practice snorkeling and play with the fabulous marine wolves.
Onboard Tours: 4, 5 and 8 days





We offer our customers the following services previous reservation:
FREE INTERNET from our offices.
Mail Service
Safe Lockers for your baggage in case you travel inside or outside the country (Please ask for the rate per baggage and day)

Handbooks
Wakani Expeditions recommends the following books before visiting our country

Ecuador Moon Handbook, Julian Smith
Ecuador, Pablo Corral Vega
Ecuador and the Glapagos Islands, Rob Rachowiecki
Ecuador and its Galápagos Islands, David Pearson and Les Beletsky
Chagras, Peter Oxford and Reneé Bish
Ecuador Guide of Highways, Tourism and Eco-tourism 2006


Tourist services. Travel agencies Quito - Ecuador