Our Brochure
Search by Map
Our Polar Division
Arcturus Expeditions offers sea voyages and expeditions to The Arctic, Arctic Russia, Greenland, Norway, Iceland and The Antarctic.
In Darwin’s footsteps
Ecuador and the Galapagos | 15 days
We start in Quito, Ecuador’s capital, surrounded by snow-capped volcanoes. Explore the rich colonial architecture, churches, monasteries and museums and later head out to Cotopaxi National Park. Then it’s a road trip with glorious mountain scenery, overnighting in haciendas, to visit the colourful Otavalo market. Our ultimate goal is the Galapagos Islands, discovered by Darwin in 1835. The ideal way to explore the unique wildlife and ecology of this volcanic archipelago is in the intimate surroundings of smaller vessels. We offer a full range from tall ships of classic elegance to luxury yachts and catamarans.
Day 1Fly to Quito
Days 2&3Quito and Cotopaxi
Days 4&5Otavalo
Day 6Back from Otavalo
Day 7Fly to Galapagos and begin Galapagos cruise
Day 14End cruise and fly to Quito
Day 15Arrive London
guide price £5,970 per person
Trip reports for South America
Fiona’s travel tips
FOR THE LESS ACTIVE: If you don’t want to trek the whole Inca Trail, take the train and hop off early to enjoy a wonderful day’s walk instead.
MY FAVOURITE PLACE: (Once I had got over a slight vertigo moment), sitting atop Wayna Picchu watching the cloud drift over the ruins of Machu Picchu spread out below me.
DON’T MISS: Superb camping at the edge of the Salar de Uyuni. The walk-in tents, though not en-suite, each have a built in stove and the view from the loo is to die for.
TOP TIP: See Lake Titicaca and its floating reedbed islands from the Bolivian side — it’s much less visited than from Peru.
BEST TIME TO GO:
Argentina: October to April
Bolivia: April to September
Chile: October to April
Ecuador: October to June
Galapagos: year-round
Peru: April to October
JOURNEY TIME:
Argentina: 16 hours (indirect)
Bolivia: 18 hours (indirect)
Chile: 18 hours (indirect)
Ecuador: 14½ hours indirect
Galapagos: 14½ hours indirect
Peru: 14½ hours (indirect)
Clients’ comments
“We loved exploring a part of the world that neither of us knew previously. Without your guidance we would not have known where to start and we felt we came away with a very good and broad experience”.
Mr and Mrs Charles Pybus, Argentina, Chile and Brazil“From the moment I contacted Fiona again, I knew that I was going to have a fabulous time. She always seems to make my trips holidays of a lifetime. I loved the dramatic way in which we travelled to the Napo Wildlife Centre and the MV Santa Cruz was great despite being quite a large ship. The guides were tremendous. I cannot thank you enough for all the hard work you put in”.
Charlotte Langley, Ecuador and the Galapagos