Wilderness Adventures in Ecuador & The Galapagos

Welcome to Quito, Ecuador’s highland capital, dramatically sited on an ancient volcano between snowcapped Andean peaks. Touching down at the airport, a Flash Pack transfer will be waiting to whisk you to your boutique base in the picturesque Old Town, a vibrant district packed with steep cobbled streets, faded baroque monasteries and quaint colonial churches. After meeting your Pack Leader and group, you’ll head out to a local restaurant for a typical welcome feast. Settle into your first night in Ecuador and raise a toast with your fellow Flashpackers to eight days of adventure to come.

Get your bearings on a walking tour of the city – the first in the world to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Admire the architectural treasures of Plaza de la Independencia and soak up local life in a traditional food market, known for its medicinal herbs. Here, you’ll take part in a cleansing with a ‘curandero’ and mix your own exotic juice from the likes of mango, babaco and tree tomato. End your tour with an artisanal chocolate-tasting, learning about this ‘food of the gods’ on its journey from bean to bar. This afternoon, you’ll visit Mitad del Mundo – a monument marking the Equator line that gives Ecuador its name. Straddle the line with one foot in each hemisphere before celebrating with agave cocktails. Salud!

Today’s the day you’ve been waiting for: your flight to the Galápagos. Landing on the island of Baltra, you’ll be ready for your first adventure: kayaking or paddleboarding in the turquoise Itabaca Channel. Glide through red mangrove forests and along cliff banks formed through ancient lava flows, keeping an eye out for sea lions and reef sharks as you go. Then, you’ll journey up into the Santa Cruz island highlands to a giant tortoise reserve. Here, you’ll stay amongst the lumbering giants – once hunted to the verge of extinction. For tonight’s dinner, you’ll dine in the candlelit cavern of an old lava tube, served by a Masterchef winner. Only the best for our Flashpackers.

Wake up to the sounds of nature and feast your eyes on the mountains and forests surrounding your hillside camp. After breakfast, you’ll head up to the Cerro Mesa lookout for 360-degree island views. From here, it’s a half-hour hike to the bottom of the collapsed crater to explore the fascinating flora and fauna – much of it endemic, including the distinctive Darwin’s finch. Then, your group will travel to a high point on the island and switch to mountain bikes for a long downhill glide on smooth tarmac to beautiful Garrapatero Beach. With white sand, sheltered tidal pools and a lagoon often visited by flamingos, you’ll spend a relaxed afternoon snorkelling and kayaking before transferring to your waterfront hotel.

Today you’ll embark on a motor yacht excursion to the more remote islands of the Galápagos National Park, uncovering distant shores with an expert naturalist guide. Choosing from North Seymour and Bachas, South Plazas, Santa Fe or Bartolome, you’ll disembark to explore one of these pristine islands, taking time to appreciate the unique wildlife, such as blue-footed boobies, nesting frigates and the only penguins found north of the Equator. Your crew will prepare a delicious lunch on board, with the refreshing sea breeze keeping you cool. Travelling back to Santa Cruz, you might spot leaping rays, albatrosses, spinner dolphins or green turtles enjoying the vastness of the Pacific – the nearest mainland over a thousand kilometres away.

This morning you’ll travel by speedboat to Isabela, the largest of the Galápagos islands, with a wild landscape covered with dense vegetation and a skyline of rumbling volcanoes. First up, you’ll explore the Tintoreras islets, named after the ‘Tintoreras’ reef sharks that swim in the crystalline water. You’ll have a chance to snorkel in the bay alongside these gentle creatures – don’t be surprised if some friendly penguins, turtles or inquisitive sea lions jump in the water to join you. This afternoon, you’ll bike Isabela’s Wetlands Trail to uncover the island’s full biodiversity, weaving through different varieties of mangrove trees amid colonies of iridescent marine iguanas and stopping off at the historic Wall of Tears where World War II prisoners were held.

Fuel up at breakfast for your hike up the mighty Sierra Negra volcano, 1,000 metres above sea level. Isabela is one of the youngest islands in the Galápagos and this geologically active mound bears testament to its intense volcanic nature. At the top, you’ll gaze out across the world’s second largest caldera – a colossal crater impossible to capture in an image. Absorb spectacular views over the archipelago before continuing past lava fields and fumaroles to the rim of Volcán Chico. The lunar landscape may look desolate but look closely and you’ll spot small lizards scurrying between the rocks. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the shade of a ‘jaboncillo’ tree before descending to the beaches of Puerto Villamil for some R&R on the sand.

All too soon it’s time to bid farewell to these enchanted islands. You’ll take an early morning speedboat back to Santa Cruz then transfer by land to Baltra airport for your flight back to the mainland. Arriving at your hotel in Quito by late afternoon, you’ll have time to freshen up and relax before your farewell dinner tonight. Together with your group, you’ve explored one of the most remote places on earth and communed with the unique creatures that call the islands home. Finish your evening in style with some Ecuadorian fusion cuisine and celebrate the end of an extraordinary adventure.

Your journey has come to an end. After breakfast, it’s time to make your own way to your next destination. Not quite done with South America? Why not extend your escape with our best-selling Peru adventure or hop over to Brazil or Argentina for an iconic city break? Our travel experts are ready and waiting to advise.