Trip Itinerary

Las Islas Encantadas: The Galapagos Islands and Quito, Ecuador

Galapagos! The trip of a lifetime. Bonnywind Travel has designed an affordable friends and family trip to Las Islas Encantadas (the Enchanted Islands), without omitting essential elements of a visit to Ecuador.

We start in Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage site and Ecuador’s most beautiful city and colonial capital, located right on the Equator. The downtown boasts beautiful architecture and a window into Ecuador’s history, as well as current events. Guided by Mauricio Baus, an expert in Ecuadorian culture, we have a day to explore this lovely city. The following day, we visit Otavalo and its famous local market. The indigenous Otavaleños are famous for weaving textiles, usually made of wool. Otavalo is also known for its Inca-influenced Andean music. Formerly an area of farming communities, we’ll eat lunch at a rose plantation before returning to Quito.

Then we depart for the Galapagos Islands, 600 miles off the mainland and straddling the Equator. It is believed the islands were first visited in the early 1500s, when the Bishop of Panama was blown off course en route to Peru. Early explorers named the islands after the giant tortoises they found and collected, as they made excellent eating on long sea voyages. Also a World Heritage site, the Galapagos Islands were, of course, made famous by Charles Darwin, who gained insights on the origin of new species based on observations he made during a brief visit in the 1830s.

We cruise here for a full week—you can’t come this far for just 3 or 4 days, as some do! Each morning and afternoon we visit a unique site, and the wealth of fauna and flora is astounding in a land that seems so dry. The islands are volcanic and young—we may well see volcanic vapors rising on Isla Floreana, the youngest island. The climate is tropical at sea level, but as the volcanoes rise from the sea the air cools and different species thrive. Many species found on these islands live nowhere else in the world. And of course the best part: most of the animals in the Galapagos have no fear of the humans who come close to watch them. Step over and around marine iguanas and nesting blue-footed boobys, snorkel with penguins (on the equator!) and curious sea lions.

For this journey Bonnywind will charter a small yacht, with all the amenities that make a Galapagos cruise so enjoyable and with the special bonus: it’s just your small group of friends and family aboard. Led by Ecuadorian naturalist guides, we go ashore each day in small Zodiacs (rubber dinghies) for hikes and swimming. Learn from our guides about geology, history, and the flora and fauna we see up-close. Three meals a day of freshly prepared food, a bar to welcome you after a warm day of exploring, and cabins with air conditioning and private baths. Snorkel gear is also included, and we’ll have many opportunities to swim.