Ecuador Galapagos Luxury Wildlife Adventure on Alya Tour
A Cloud Forest Lodge Retreat & 5-Night Galápagos Cruise
- Available: February, March, May, December
- Activity: Level 2
- Accommodations: Luxury Hotels, Luxury Small Ship
Highlights
- Delight in the biodiversity of the Ecuadorian cloud forest-a spectacular wildlife haven!
- Sail the enchanted Galápagos Islands for five nights aboard the luxury 16-passenger Alya catamaran
- Discover an enchanted world of blue-footed boobies, sea lions, marine iguana and penguins as you explore with your dedicated expert guide
Itinerary
Arrive in Quito
Day 1
Welcome to the historic city of Quito, the capital of Ecuador. An MT Sobek representative will meet you outside customs at the airport and escort you to your deluxe boutique hotel located in the heart of the Old Town. After settling in at the hotel, the rest of the day is free to unwind, take advantage of the spa services or begin your exploration of this dynamic city. Dinner is on your own tonight.
Accommodation: Illa Experience Hotel
Transportation: 1-hour private van transfer from airport to hotel
Cultural Experience & Quito Old Town Center, Journey to the Cloud Forest
Day 2
After breakfast, participate in one of the interactive Illa Experiences and learn how local artisans make a local product using authentic ancestral methods. Afterwards, set out on a guided tour of colonial Quito. The city's UNESCO-listed old town contains the best examples of Colonial Baroque architecture in South America! Depart Quito in the early afternoon, stopping for lunch on the rim of Pululahua Crater, and journey northwest into the cloud forest, witnessing a drastic change of landscape as you descend from 9,186 to 3,200 feet above sea level. Stretch your legs at Alambi, a private riverside reserve, and take advantage of your first chance to see some of the beautiful birds from this area. Continue down to Kapari Nature Lodge, your home for the next two nights - a perfect oasis of comfort housed within the Andean Chocó biosphere reserve, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet.
Accommodation: Kapari Lodge & Spa
Activity: AM 1-2 hours/1 mile walking in Quito Historic Center; PM 1-2 hours/1 mile cloud-forest nature walk
Transportation: 2.5-hour private van transfer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Explore the Cloud Forest at Kapari
Day 3
When the lowland rainforests rise to the mountains, a new ecosystem called the cloud forest dominates the Andean slopes. This misty temperate world is the realm of the epiphytes: orchids, bromeliads and ferns cover the trees with a green mantle, providing food and refuge for an incredible diversity of life forms. It is also a world of incredibly attractive birds, which will delight both the eye of the expert and the casual birdwatcher. Discover the beauty of the forest at your own pace, choosing as many activities as you wish. Set out on a nature hike across several spectacular viewpoints of the valley and the Rio Blanco, observing the endemic flora and fauna. Arrive back at the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, opt to stay at the lodge and relax, visiting the bird garden, enjoying a spa treatment, or taking a dip in the heated pool or Jacuzzi. Alternately, set out on a 2.5-hour guided afternoon walk along the Roadrunner Path through the middle of the forest, in search of the rare Banded Ground-Cuckoo Roadrunner, one of the emblematic species of Kapari, as well as toucans, trogons, trepatroncos, and anthills. After dinner at the lodge, join an optional night walk to look for frogs, snakes, owls, and other nocturnal critters.
Accommodation: Kapari Lodge & Spa
Activity: Cloud forest walks
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Walk the Trails at Kapari & Taste Gourmet Specialties in Quito
Day 4
Rise early for a short hike to strategically chosen sites where more than 40 species of birds and some mammals can be observed. One hiding place was developed especially for photographers and bird lovers, where it's common to sight as many as 35 species of birds in one hour: hummingbirds, toucans, tanagers, seedlings, trepatroncos, motmot, among others, as well as some species of mammals such as the mate head, agouti, and squirrels. Return to the lodge for a full breakfast, then drive to the Milpe Reserve for a short hike along this pristine forest's excellent trail system. Continue the drive back towards Quito, stopping for lunch and birdwatching amid orchids, bromeliads, and heliconias at the elegant wooden Sachatamia Lodge. Arrive to Quito in the late afternoon and check back in to Illa Experience Hotel. Gather for an evening briefing about the upcoming Galápagos portion of the adventure, followed by a special tasting dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodation: Illa Experience Hotel
Activity: AM 1-2 hours/1 mile cloud-forest nature walk
Transportation: 2.5-hour private van transfer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Fly to the Galápagos Islands & See Giant Tortoises in the Wild
Day 5
Rise for breakfast and an early transfer flight from Quito to Baltra Island in the Galápagos. After meeting your naturalist guide, take a short transfer from Baltra to Santa Cruz Island. Here a private vehicle awaits to take you to the lush highlands of Santa Cruz for a special opportunity to see giant tortoises in their wild and natural habitat. The Galápagos Islands are named after these magnificent, ancient creatures and the experience with them is magical. Next, transfer to Puerto Ayora for a stroll along the main street to the harbor, where you will board your private luxury catamaran. Enjoy a welcome dinner onboard.
Accommodation: Alya
Activity: 1.5 hours easy walk (1 mile)
Transportation: 2-hour flight transfer and 1-hour private vehicle transfer
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Explore Moreno Point & Elizabeth Bay on Isabela Island
Day 6
In the morning, disembark at Moreno Point, which is located near Elizabeth Bay on the west coast of Isabela Island. The plethora of birds seen during the panga ride along the striking rocky shores, and while walking along the path through lava rocks leading to tide pools and mangroves, create a birdwatcher's delight, including flamingoes, penguins, cormorants, Galápagos mockingbirds, and Darwin finches. Snorkel amid sea turtles and many species of fish. Look carefully in the long seaweed and you might find a sea horse!
In the afternoon, explore Elizabeth Bay, a beautiful sheltered bay surrounded by large mangroves and barren lava fields. Take a panga cruise to explore many channels, pools and coves teeming with life. This is one of the best locations in the islands to see Galápagos penguins. Flightless cormorants also nest in the area and blue-footed boobies and pelicans often fish in these shallow and rich waters. Rays and sea turtles are also very abundant. Return to the boat for cocktail hour and dinner.Accommodation: Alya
Activity: AM 2-2.5 hours moderate hike (1.5 miles) plus snorkeling; PM panga cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hike & Snorkel at Isabela's Urbina Bay and Discover Fernandina Island
Day 7
After breakfast, make a wet landing to explore Urbina Bay — famous for having uplifted 15 feet along 2 miles of coastline exposing corals and invertebrates in its strata. Follow your guide on the trail to look for Galápagos land iguanas, Galápagos hawks, finches, and (mostly between January and June) giant tortoises. Snorkel from the beach to see sea turtles, cormorants, penguins and an abundance of colorful fish.
After lunch, anchor near Punta Espinosa on Fernandina Island — said to be the largest ecologically pristine island in the world and one of the highlights of the trip. As soon as you land in the volcanic landscape you will be amazed by hundreds of marine iguanas basking in the sun, as this is the largest colony of these unique reptiles. Sea lion pups often play in the tidal pools while flightless cormorants dry their miniaturized wings nearby. This is a great hunting ground for Galápagos hawks who often perch on the mangroves looking for lizards, baby iguanas, herons and doves. Snorkel amid sea turtles, and look out for marine iguanas feeding on the abundant seaweed underwater. You may even spot a cormorant underwater as it chases fish through the reef.Accommodation: Alya
Activity: AM 1.5-2 hours easy walk (1 mile) plus snorkeling; PM 2-2.5 hours moderate hike (1.5 miles) plus snorkeling
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Isabela's Tagus Cove & Vicente Roca Point
Day 8
In the morning, visit Tagus Cove, located to the west of Darwin Volcano on Isabela Island. While walking, inspect the inscriptions left by pirates in the 1800's. From here, you can see Darwin Lake, perched above sea level, but full of saltwater. It contains no fish, but it is very common to see a variety of bird species. After the walk, cruise by panga along the coast of Isabela to look for penguins, cormorants, marine iguanas and a very unique species: the Galápagos martin, a small endemic bird which is one of the most endangered species on the island. Snorkelers will have great chances of swimming with penguins, cormorants and sea turtles.
In the afternoon, set out for an unforgettable panga cruise along the dramatic cliffs of Punta Vicente Roca, the remnants of an ancient volcanic caldera. Ride ocean swells beneath the cliffs in search of nesting boobies and explore a huge marine cave. The area is also known to be a good location for whales and dolphins. Snorkel in the cove amid a spectacular variety of sealife including seahorses, sea turtles, and the strange but fascinating Mola-mola (sunfish).Accommodation: Alya
Activity: AM 1.5-2 hours moderate hike (2 miles) plus panga cruise or kayaking, & snorkeling; PM panga cruise & snorkeling
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hike & Snorkel on Santiago Island
Day 9
Wake for a wet landing on Santiago's soft, sandy Espumilla Beach. Walk the island's lagoon and beach, surrounded by large mangrove trees and a very interesting native dry forest, which is home to raptors and a great diversity of finches.
After lunch, make another wet landing, this time on the dark, sandy volcanic beach of Puerto Egas. The trail follows the rocky coastline, where tide pools are home to sponges, hermit crabs, and fish including the world's only four-eyed blenny. Sea lions bask on the rocks, along with marine iguanas and shore birds. At the end of the trail, visit the grottos for a chance to see a colony of Galápagos fur seals up close. Also snorkel from the beach and explore an area of rocky bottoms which is excellent for fish, turtles and reef sharks. Often, sea lions are also present and are happy to interact with divers.Accommodation: Alya
Activity: AM 2 hours easy walk (1.5 miles); PM 2-2.5 hours easy walk (1.5 miles) plus snorkeling
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Depart from the Galápagos in Baltra & Return to Quito
Day 10
Arrive this morning for a wet landing at Bachas Beach on the north side of Santa Cruz Island. Encounter sea lions on the beautiful, white-sand beach, look for flamingos and great blue herons in the lagoon, and spot hatchlings' footprints leading from the nest to the water's edge (sea turtles nest here from November to May). Then disembark the Alya and transfer to Baltra for your flight back to Quito. An MT Sobek representative will greet you at Quito airport and provide assistance to meet your connecting late-night flight home, or opt to stay on in Quito to join us for one of our extensions in Ecuador or Peru!
Activity: AM 1.5 hours easy walk (1 mile)
Transportation: 2.5-hour flight transfer
Meals: Breakfast
Why Travel With Us?
MT Sobek was one of the first North American companies to bring visitors to the Galápagos Islands, with an inaugural charter for the Sierra Club in 1970.
We charter truly small (maximum 16-passenger) vessels, including the luxurious Alya catamaran, for a fully MT Sobek-operated experience with our own expert naturalist guide and a dedicated Quito office.
This trip is the perfect blend of two South American wildlife treasures, the Andean cloud forest and the Galápagos, joined into one deluxe adventure.
Dates & Prices
- 2024
- Go Private
- Go Custom
- Inclusions
2024
Scheduled Dates
The earlier you book, the more choice of available dates you’ll have and once you book, your price is guaranteed.
Go Private
Go Private
Gather your favorite travel companions to share an MT Sobek adventure on an easy-to-book Private departure.
Call or email us to get the ball rolling.
*Private trips require a 25% non-refundable deposit.
Looking for a private family adventure?
This trip can accommodate guests with a
minimum age of 6.
Call for Private Trip Pricing
Make Your Own Dates in These Months
-
February, March, May, December
Go Custom
Create Your Very Own Adventure
Dreaming of an adventure designed exclusively for you? With insider access and decades of experience, our travel experts create custom tailored adventures that are perfect for families, couples, and large groups. MT Sobek's custom adventures are designed to our exacting standards and led by our award-winning adventure guides.
When to start planning? Earlier is always better when designing a custom trip. More time allows for better availability of preferred accommodations, guides and your desired activities. Ideally, start the conversation with us at least 6 months before you want to travel. If you are looking for a custom trip that departs within three months, chances are greatly diminished in securing requested accommodations and the best guides.
*Custom trips require a 25% non-refundable deposit once an itinerary is agreed upon.
Start PlanningInclusions
Price Includes
- Expertise and services of our experienced adventure guides
- All accommodations as noted in the itinerary
- All breakfasts, almost all lunches and dinners as noted in the itinerary
- Snacks and water between meals
- Additional regional guides and experts on many trips
- Comprehensive Trip Planner with detailed pre-trip information
- Private guided tours at historic sites, museums, wineries and other select attractions as noted in the itinerary
- Special events and other select attractions as mentioned in the itinerary
- All gratuities at hotels and restaurants
- Equipment and experienced guides for activities as described in the itinerary
- Park and other entry fees (unless otherwise noted)
- Fares for trains, ferries and other modes of travel as listed in the itinerary
- Select transfers as mentioned in the itinerary
- Baggage transfers and porterage
Price Does Not Include
- International airfare, airport taxes, and excess baggage fees
- Alcoholic beverages (MT Sobek provides wine at select events)
- Gratuities for MT Sobek guides and guide-drivers
- Travel Protection Program
- Personal expenses
Need help picking your next adventure? Call us to answer your questions.
Your Guides
The best people to immerse you in a destination are the ones who live there, which is why we feature local Adventure Guides on our trips. Here are a few that you might meet on this adventure.

Luis D.
Luis was born in Seville, Spain, and graduated from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid with a degree in Environmental Biology. He is fluent in Spanish, English, and French and has guided in Galapagos since 1999. In addition to being a professional nature photographer, Luis has a Master's Degree in Geographic Ecology and is active with conservation groups. A born teacher, he enthusiastically shares his knowledge of Galapagos with people of all ages. He lives in Quito with his wife, twin sons, and daughter and is MT Sobek's head naturalist guide.

Patricia S.
Patricia has been guiding diving trips in Galapagos since 1999. A native of Switzerland and originally a journalist for the Swiss News Agency, Patricia started her career in guiding as a divemaster in Honduras in 1995 and as a naturalist guide in Costa Rica. She is fascinated by wildlife, is a passionate teacher, and an active conservationist in the islands. As a resident of Galapagos, she will be able to give you an insider's viewpoint of life in the islands. Patricia is fluent in English, German, and French.
Activity Level
This trip is rated activity level 2. This trip is considered easy to moderate, which is usually appropriate for travelers in generally fit condition. Your days will be filled with nature walks in the cloud forest and in the Galápagos Islands, plus swimming, snorkeling, daily panga (zodiac) rides, and kayaking on the cruise portion. Please note that terrain in the cloud forest and on the islands is often varied and uneven. Terrain can also be slippery. There is one day of touring in the city of Quito.
Learn more about activity levels here.
Activity Snapshot
Day 2
AM 1-2 hours/1 mile walking in Quito Historic Center; PM 1-2 hours/1 mile cloud-forest nature walk
Day 3
Cloud forest walks
Day 4
AM 1-2 hours/1 mile cloud-forest nature walk
Day 5
1.5 hours easy walk (1 mile)
Day 6
AM 2-2.5 hours moderate hike (1.5 miles) plus snorkeling; PM panga cruise
Day 7
AM 1.5-2 hours easy walk (1 mile) plus snorkeling; PM 2-2.5 hours moderate hike (1.5 miles) plus snorkeling
Day 8
AM 1.5-2 hours moderate hike (2 miles) plus panga cruise or kayaking, & snorkeling; PM panga cruise & snorkeling
Day 9
AM 2 hours easy walk (1.5 miles); PM 2-2.5 hours easy walk (1.5 miles) plus snorkeling
Day 10
AM 1.5 hours easy walk (1 mile)
Accommodations
Deluxe accommodations throughout, from the boutique hotel in Quito, to the eco-lodge in the cloud forest and our new luxury catamaran with private balconies.
Weather
Mild climate year-round. In Galápagos, Dec-May has daytime temperatures 76-86°F and water temperatures of 70-75°F. Jun-Nov has daytime temperatures of 67-77°F and water temperatures of 65-72°F. In the cloud forest, expect 60s-70s°F year-round with intermittent rain year-round, especially November thru May.
FAQs
When and where should I arrive?
Arrive in Quito any time on Day 1. An MT Sobek representative will meet you and transfer you to the hotel. Most flights from the US arrive late at night.
How qualified are your guides in the Galápagos?
Our Galápagos Naturalist Guides are all rated Level 3 by the Galápagos National Park, which is the highest level of qualification, and means each guide has passed the Naturalist Level II course certifying that he/she has expert knowledge of the Galápagos Islands. This level guide will also hold a university degree in biology, biology related fields, and/or tourism, and must be fluent in 3 languages.
Do I have to bring my own boots and raincoat for Kapari?
The lodge provides rubber boots for all forest activities, as well as rain ponchos.
Are insects a problem in the cloud forest?
Insects are less present in the cloud forest than in the Amazon rainforest, but it is advisable to bring insect repellant and wear long sleeves and pants while on forest walks. Mosquitoes are around at dawn and dusk.
Do I need a wetsuit for snorkeling in the Galápagos?
With cooler water temperatures, most people prefer using a wetsuit. This way, you will enjoy snorkeling longer. Wetsuits rentals are included in our program price.
When is the best time to go to the Galápagos?
The Galápagos Islands are a year-round destination, with something to see and do every month. The warmer season (December to May) is the best time for warmer, calmer seas and good underwater visibility. Late spring brings the mating and nesting season for frigate birds and blue-footed boobies! The water is choppiest in September.
Am I able to extend my stay before or after my Galápagos cruise?
Absolutely! There are several ways to extend your stay in Ecuador and Peru before and after the trip. Visit the Hacienda Zuleta and Otavalo Market on our 2- or 3-day extension. We recommend a 4- or 5-day excursion to the Sacha Jungle Lodge in the Upper Amazon Rainforest, where we see toucans and monkeys among many other creatures. Or choose to explore Cusco and Machu Picchu on our 6-day extension in Peru.
How does MT Sobek support conservation in the Galápagos?
MT Sobek is a proud supporting travel partner of the Galápagos Conservancy. All of our highly-experienced naturalist guides are also active in conservation and work closely with the Galápagos National Park.
Are there both wet and dry landings during the cruise?
nOn this itinerary, there are wet landings the morning of Day 7 (at Isabela Island's Urbina Bay), both the morning and afternoon on Day 9 (in two locations on Santiago Island), and the morning of Day 10 (at Bachas Beach on Santa Cruz Island).
nAll other excursions usually involve either a dry landing or (in a couple instances), the touring is all done aboard pangas.
What is the minimum age for this trip?
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Guest Reviews
"MT Sobek answered our questions before we asked them. They coordinated the trip from arriving at our destination until we flew back out. They think of the details and information that we did now know we needed. We felt very well prepared for our trip. All of the staff was so helpful, informative, and friendly. We felt welcome from the moment we walked out of the airport."
Michelle G.
MT Sobek Guest, Ecuador Galapagos Adventure Cruise on Galaxy Western Loop
"Everyone involved did an amazing job with my children. They really helped make this a great and memorable trip. All of the guides were able to keep my children (6,10,12) engaged while also keeping the information at an adult level for the rest of the group."
Patrick H.
MT Sobek Guest, Ecuador Galapagos Adventure Cruise on Galaxy Western Loop