Overview

Prepare yourself for the epitome of adventure and prestige with not one but two Unique Lodges in Ecuador, back-to-back! Following a brief visit, you’ll head down from the historic highlands of Quito into the lush and captivating nearby cloud forest to discover Mashpi Lodge – a cocoon of luxury planted amidst it all. After that, prepare yourself for the wonders at your doorstep at the Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel – a wholly enriching land and sea experience of Ecuador and the Galapagos islands!

What you get

  • Airport Transfers
  • 3 nights at Casa Gangotena Boutique Hotel in Quito
  • Half-day Quito City Private Tour
  • 2 nights at Mashpi Lodge
  • Roundtrip Domestic Airfare (Quito-Galapagos-Quito)
  • 4 nights at the Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel

A Sneak Peek

Quito City Tour
Quito City Tour
Half-day Quito City Private Tour- San Francisco Plaza
Mashpi Lodge - Panoramic view
Mashpi Lodge
Mashpi Lodge - Panoramic view
Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel - Garden
Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel
Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel - Garden
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Highlights

A professionally guided tour of:

Quito:

  • Historic Quarter
  • Independence Square
  • La Compañía de Jesús Church
  • San Francisco Church and Convent
  • El Panecillo Viewpoint

And…

The following at Mashpi Lodge:

  • Wayra Double room
  • All meals and soft drinks
  • Internet/Wi-Fi
  • Specialized lectures
  • Shared tours (English/Spanish) within the Reserve with Naturalist Guides
    • FREE Dragonfly Canopy Gondola
    • Sky Bike
    • Observation Tower
    • Life Center
    • Hummingbird Garden
    • Healing Waterfall
    • Capuchin Monkey Trail

The following at the Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel:

  • Shared ground transfers from the airport to Finch Bay (and vice-versa)
  • 4 nights of accommodation in a Finch Bay double room
  • All meals (We cater to all diets: vegetarian, vegan, celiac, gluten-free, etc.)
  • 2 full-day Island Excursions aboard our Sea Lion Yacht (North Seymour, South Plaza, Santa Fe, and/or Bartolome)*
  • 1 full-day Land Exploration with lunch*
  • Arrival day visit with lunch
  • Snorkeling and kayak equipment
  • Glass-bottom Boat
  • Internet/Wi-Fi

*Please note: Exact islands and excursions will be confirmed by your Destination Expert.

National Geographic Unique Lodges of Ecuador

Day by Day

Day 1: Arrive in Quito / Transfer to Hotel

Luxury on Land and at Sea: Quito, Ecuador

Welcome to Quito, Ecuador! At the airport, you will be greeted by a member of our team who will assist you with your luggage and transfer to Casa Gangotena Boutique Hotel. During the ride, you will receive a brief introduction to Quito and Ecuador and valuable information regarding your stay in the country.

Day 2: Quito City Tour

Luxury on Land and at Sea: Quito Old Town

On this day, you’ll visit the Historic Center of Quito. This marvelous place was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. On this day, we will stroll through Independence Plaza, where we’ll see the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Municipal Building, and the Archbishop’s Palace. After that, we visit La Compañia de Jesus and San Francisco Church and Convent, respectively, with their impressive, gilded, and baroque interiors. The tour ends at a lookout point with a spectacular view of Quito.

You’ll be taken back to your hotel at the end of the tour. Overnight in Quito.

Days 3: Mashpi Lodge

Mashpi Lodge from the distance

Rise and shine for the next part of your adventure! Guests will be picked up at approximately 8:00 a.m. and taken to the Mashpi Reserve – a 1,300-hectare (3,200 acres) swath of cloud and rainforest located within the Metropolitan District of Quito. Upon arrival, Mashpi’s staff will take your luggage to your room. Shortly after that, you’ll be invited to lunch, followed by an introductory briefing regarding the Lodge. After that, it’s time to head out and explore!

Throughout the following days at Mashpi Lodge, you will get to have a guided experience of the natural wonders of the Reserve while staying at the spectacular Mashpi Lodge.

Day 4: Mashpi Lodge Excursions

Mashpi Lodge Explorations

The sweet songs of the birds around the Lodge in the early morning will help you begin this new day with a smile! This morning, you’ll have different options for how you wish to begin: you can either start at the crack of dawn for a hike around the surrounding forest with your guide. Alternatively, you can have a relaxing morning, sleep in for a little longer, enjoy breakfast at the restaurant, and treat yourself to a relaxing massage at our Samay Wellness Center. After that, you can head out into the forest with your guide, where an exciting day of discovery in the forest awaits!

At the end of your excursions, you’ll head back to the Lodge in time for dinner. Overnight at Mashpi Lodge.

Day 5: Mashpi Lodge Excursions

Dragonfly canopy mashpi lodge

On this day, you’ll partake in one last early-morning excursion before getting ready to take your transfer back to Quito. A tasty boxed lunch for your trip back to the city will be provided.

Upon arriving in Quito, you’ll be dropped off at your hotel to spend the rest of your day as you see fit.

Overnight in Quito.

Day 6: Transfer to Airport / Arrive in Galapagos / Transfer to Finch Bay

Giant Tortoises in the Highlands of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos

On this day, you’ll take a transfer to Quito’s airport in time for you to catch your flight to the Galapagos.

Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel – Complete Program

Once you arrive at Baltra Airport, one of our representatives will take you across the Itabaca Channel for you to board our shared transfer. You’ll be taken to Santa Cruz Island’s Highlands from here to visit a Galapagos Giant Tortoise Sanctuary. You’ll enjoy a tasty lunch and spend time with these majestic animals here.

Once you’ve enjoyed your time in the highlands, you’ll be transferred to the Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel. Once there, you’ll settle in, enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure, and enjoy a delicious dinner at the hotel.

Overnight at the Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel.

Days 7 to 10: Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel Excursions / Transfer to Airport / Farewell!

National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World: Biking

You’ll be free to choose from many of Finch Bay’s daily activity options over the next three days. These include visits to nearby islands, the Highlands of Santa Cruz, Tortuga Bay, and the Charles Darwin Research Station.

For more information on these activities, view the “Full-day Land Activity Options” and “Yacht Exploration Options” tabs below!

On the final day, you’ll enjoy breakfast and hop on your transfer to the airport, from which point you’ll take a flight to the mainland and connect to your international flight home! Farewell!

Full-day Land Activity Options

Santa Cruz Highlands in Galapagos, Ecuador

Option 1 – Highlands: Giant Tortoises, Lava Tunnels & Lunch (guided)

Enjoy the gentle Giant Galapagos Tortoises as they slowly make their way through the dense foliage and bush of the highlands of Santa Cruz. The area is teeming with life and spectacular lava tunnels.

Option 2 – Tortuga Bay, Charles Darwin Research Station & Lunch (guided)

The stunning, white sand beach of Tortuga Bay is considered by many to be the most beautiful stretch of coast in the Galapagos archipelago. The Research Station is an interpretation center open to the public where you may also view their tortoise breeding program and giant tortoises in captivity.

Island Yacht Exploration Options

Bartolome Island in the Galapagos Islands

Option 1 – North Seymour

Experience a live biology lesson with land and marine iguanas, Nazca- and blue-footed boobies, frigates, sea lions, and fur seals.

Option 2 –Santa Fe

Walk along rocky terrain to find the island’s highlight: the endemic Santa Fe land iguana, patiently waiting under the enormous giant cacti for falling fruits and pads.

Option 3 – Bartolome

Here, you will enjoy one of the Galapagos’ most famous views: the tilted Pinnacle Rock, the golden beach of Bartolome, and the impressive lava fields of Santiago Island.

Option 4 – South Plaza

Admire the vast volume of dozens of frolicking sea lion pups, patrolling alpha male sea lions, basking marine and land iguanas, stunning red crabs, and various Darwin finches.

Conditions

  • Published rates don’t apply on Christmas & New Year’s departures.
  • Listed prices are based on double occupancy. For child rates and single supplements, please get in touch with your destination expert.
  • This package and its accommodation options are subject to availability.
  • A minimal deposit of 15% per person is required to confirm your reservation.
  • Credit card payments are exempt from additional fees.
  • Breakfasts and taxes are included for your hotel in Quito.
  • Single occupancy accommodation in Mashpi Lodge is based on our Wawa Room.
  • Galapagos Itineraries are subject to change due to weather, logistical, operational reasons, and Galapagos National Park restrictions (temporary or otherwise).
  • All entrance fees are subject to change without prior notice.
  • At Mashpi Lodge and Finch Bay Hotel, children’s rates apply to kids under 12 years old sharing a room with 2 adults.
  • Restrictions may apply.
  • Upgrades to Yaku Suite (Mashpi Lodge) are $298 per person.
  • Upgrades to Finch Bay Suite are $416 per person.

Not Included

  • International airfare
  • Galapagos National Park Entrance Fee (USD 200 per person – subject to change without prior notice)
  • INGALA Migration Control Card (USD 20 per person – subject to change without prior notice)
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Gratuities
  • Optional activities (extra cost): mountain biking, diving, and surfing
  • Meals not described in the program.
  • Personal expenses (late checkout, laundry, gifts, etc.)
  • Spa services

 

*ETICA Empresa Turistica Internacional C.A. reserves the right to charge a fuel supplement without prior notice should the closing price of West Texas Intermediate Fuel increase above $70 per barrel on the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange Index). If a fuel supplement is charged, ETICA Empresa Turistica Internacional C.A. will have sole discretion to apply the supplementary charge to existing and new bookings, regardless of whether such bookings have been paid in full. Such extra charges are not included in the yacht fare. The Fuel Surcharge is included.

 

Testimonial

A lovely few days

We stayed at Finch Bay for 4 nights, having chosen to do one of the all-inclusive packages. I organized everything by email with Victor, who was extremely helpful, and everything went perfectly, including the rather complicated transfer process on arrival! We didn’t want to do a cruise and thought that the combination of land and sea activities that Finch Bay offered would work well for us.

Our guides were excellent.”

Our guides were excellent. Henrique met us at the airport and took us to the highlands to see the tortoises, and we had a very pleasant lunch with him. We went to North Seymour Island on the resort’s yacht with Soto. The day included snorkeling with turtles and small rays. The yacht crew were really good too […] Our other land day was to Tortuga Bay and the Charles Darwin Research Centre with Valentin, it was very relaxed and a good change of pace.

[…]Breakfast was great, dinners were very good – limited choices due to the package but we had no issue – and Sabrina who was our waitress on a couple of nights was exceptional.

Breakfast was great. Dinners were very good.”

We had a drink at the bar by the pool every evening – amazing passion fruit daiquiris, thank you Jorge! It is quiet at night, but it would be easy enough to go into Puerto Ayora if you chose. We were tired after the day’s activities, and happy to stay at the hotel.

The ladies at the front desk were so helpful, and we were very well prepared by them every night for the next day’s activities. For us, Finch Bay was a great way to get a taste of the Galapagos.

deb_k63 – Adelaide, Australia