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1. Day 1 Welcome to Quito, Ecuador!

   Meet your Andean Discovery guide and transfer to your hotel.

   Quito, Ecuador, is a spectacular city positioned just a few miles shy of the equator in a narrow valley surrounded by volcanoes. At 9,350 feet above sea level, it is the second-highest capital city in Latin America and maintains a pleasant spring-like climate all year round. Quito is also the cultural epicenter of Ecuador, with a plethora of museums, expansive outdoor parks, and colorful festivals and fairs. Upon evening arrival at Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport, you will be met by Andean Discovery staff and transferred to your hotel to relax after the long flights.

   Meals: On your own

   Standard Lodging: NH Hotel Quito

   Superior Lodging: Swissotel Quito

2. Day 2 Fly to Galapagos / Begin wildlife cruise

   Observe giant tortoises and lava tubes in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. Begin Legend cruise itinerary ”A”.

   This morning you will be met by Andean Discovery staff and transferred to the airport in time for your morning flight to Baltra Island, Galápagos. Upon arrival, you will be met by your Galapagos naturalist guides. A 45-minute bus ride will take you to the Santa Cruz highlands where we will find a natural reserve with giant Galapagos tortoises. Travelers can walk inside surprising lava tubes; and underground tunnels formed by a hot liquid rock. It’s a great place to spot Vermilion Flycatcher as we walk inside an endemic Scalesia forest. This afternoon board the Galapagos Legend for a welcome briefing.

   Meals: B, L, D

   Lodging: Galapagos Legend Cruise – Standard Cabin

   Cabin Upgrades: Standard Plus Cabin, Junior Cabin

3. Day 3 Wildlife cruise: Genovesa Island

   Prince Phillips Steps, walk among Red-footed Boobies, and observe shore birds and cacti as you hike to an overlook of Darwin Bay.

   Be marvel at the variety of sea life that use the crevices of the lava cliffs for shelter. Red-billed Tropicbirds fly overhead, switching between their nests and the bay, and a small colony of fur seals may be found near the landing site. You will be dropped off at a steep stairway that begins on rocks at the foot of a path that leads through a seabird colony full of Nazca and Red-footed Boobies. At the plateau, the trail continues inland allowing you to see more nesting booby colonies in the thin Palo Santo forest. Near the end of the trail, over a rocky lava plain, Wedge-rumped Storm Petrels can be seen flying in all directions. If you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of a Short-eared Owl. This afternoon, disembark on a small sand and coral beach. A short trail heads west along a tidal lagoon and then up a rocky hill that leads to a point overlooking the cliffs and Darwin Bay. Along the trail near the tidal lagoon, visitors will see pairs of Swallow-tailed Gulls, Lava Gulls, and Yellow-crowned Lava Herons. The trail continues through Palo Santo trees, Opuntia cacti, and Saltbushes inhabited by Great Frigate birds and Red-footed Boobies. This is one of the few places on the islands where visitors are guaranteed to see Red-footed Boobies. It is estimated that more than 200,000 Red-footed Boobies live in the trees and bushes of Genovesa.

   Meals: B, L, D

   Lodging: Galapagos Legend Cruise – Standard Cabin

   Cabin Upgrades: Standard Plus Cabin, Junior Cabin

4. Day 4 Wildlife cruise: South Plaza and Santa Fe Islands

   Look out for Land Iguanas at South Plaza Island, snorkel, and observe sea lions on Santa Fe Island.

   This morning, you will visit South Plaza Island.  Sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls, and land iguanas are all present at the landing site.  The small island is covered with a carpet of red succulents studded with Opuntia cacti. At the cliff’s edge, you will spend time watching birds, such as frigate birds and Galapagos shearwaters, fly past at eye level. Back at sea level, you will once again encounter land iguanas, due to their proximity with marine iguanas, this is the only place on Earth where you will find the Galapagos hybrid iguana. Wet landing on Santa Fe Island this afternoon. Santa Fe shows white sand beaches surrounded by sea lion colonies; through the island path an endemic cactus forest is passed, home to the Santa Fe land iguanas (the largest in the islands).  This island is the habitat for a number of species, including the Galapagos hawk, Galapagos snakes, rice rats (one of the few endemic Galapagos rodents), a variety of finches, and one of the four mockingbirds of the archipelago.

   Meals: B, L, D

   Lodging: Galapagos Legend Cruise – Standard Cabin

   Cabin Upgrades: Standard Plus Cabin, Junior Cabin

5. Day 5 Conclude cruise / Fly to Quito

   Visit wildlife on Bachas Beach, learn about the remains of a US Navy barge, and return to Quito.

   Embark on Bachas Beach on the north side of  Santa Cruz. Behind the beach lie two small flamingo ponds with iguanas, coastal birds, Darwin finches, mockingbirds, and gulls, as well as interesting native and endemic vegetation, red and black mangroves, salt bushes, and much more. This beach is one of the main nesting sites of sea turtles in the Galapagos. At this paradisiacal site, we will also find the remains of barges that sank long ago, once the property of the United States Navy when they operated an airbase on Baltra Island during World War II.

   That is why the beach is called “Bachas” because the word “barges” in English was hard to pronounce for the local people. Later this morning, transfer to the airport in Baltra in time for your morning flight to Quito.

   Upon arrival in Quito, you will be met by your Andean Discovery guide and transferred to your hotel. A light lunch/snack is served on the plane. Lunch and dinner are not included.

   Meals: B

   Lodging: Galapagos Legend Cruise – Standard Cabin

   Cabin Upgrades: Standard Plus Cabin, Junior Cabin

6. Day 6 Fly to the Amazon Rainforest

   The following shows the Napo Wildlife Center itinerary. Fly to the small town of Coca and canoe down the river to your lodge.

   This morning a 30-minute flight takes you to Coca, a small town located in the upper Amazon Basin. From there embark on a 2-hour motorized canoe ride along the Napo River. Look for marine birds, including herons and kingfishers, along the way. Next board traditional, dugout canoes for a majestic and peaceful 1- to 2-hour ride surrounded by trees overhead. You will be paddled along a narrow

   creek that connects to the lagoon where your lodge is located. Keep your eyes out for monkeys,
   toucans, parrots, and macaws. After arriving at the lodge and enjoying dinner, opt to look for caimans around the lake as you take in the evening sounds of the jungle.

   Meals: B, L, D

   Standard Lodging: Sacha Lodge

   Superior Lodging: Napo Wildlife Center

7. Day 7 Wildlife cruise: Mosquera / North Seymour

   Visit two parrot clay licks, hike through the forest, then relax and listen and spot various wildlife back at your lodge.

   A native Anangu guide and a bilingual naturalist guide lead you during todays excursions, including visits to two parrot clay licks. Back at the lodge, you may see a group of giant otters investigating near the dock, a large black caiman crossing the lake, a capybara looking for rest near the water’s edge, or blue and yellow macaws soaring overhead.

   Meals: B, L, D

   Standard Lodging: Sacha Lodge

   Superior Lodging: Napo Wildlife Center

8. Day 8 Activities in the Amazon Rainforest

   See the Amazon canopy from a bird’s-eye view atop an observation tower, hike in the forest, and explore by canoe.

   After an early breakfast, climb a 120- foot canopy observation tower and emerge on top of a huge Ceiba tree. Here you cross onto a wooden platform that is built into the tree to experience the view formerly reserved only for the birds. Flocks of colorful tanagers pass through the tree canopy, Spider Monkeys search for fruit in nearby trees, and toucans call in the early mornings and afternoons. This afternoon hike into the forest interior where you may see lizards, colorful manikins, or the unique and endemic Golden mantle tamarin monkeys. Afterward, explore the lake and creeks by dugout canoe with great possibilities of running into a Giant otter family.

   Meals: B, L, D

   Standard Lodging: Sacha Lodge

   Superior Lodging: Napo Wildlife Center

9. Day 9 Canoe Ride / Fly to Quito

   Conclude your Amazon stay with a canoe back to Coca where you will catch your flight to Quito and enjoy a private city tour.

   This morning board the canoes for a paddle upstream back to Coca for your flight to Quito. Meet up with your guide for a tour of Quito’s colonial center, commonly referred to as “old town,” and enjoy a delicious lunch made with locally grown ingredients. Visit the striking La Compan?ia church, with an ornate baroque facade built entirely out of volcanic stone. Equally impressive is the Church of San Francisco, Quito’s largest colonial structure. Its adjacent museum houses much of the church’s original artwork, some of which dates back to the early 1600s. See the Virgin of Quito (El Panecillo), an enormous statue of an elegant winged woman who watches over the city from an impressive vantage point atop a 650- foot peak. Later this afternoon relax and prepare for another exciting wildlife adventure in the Galapagos Islands.

   Meals: B, L

   Standard Lodging: NH Hotel Quito

   Superior Lodging: Swissotel Quito

10. Day 10 Depart

    This morning you will be transferred to the airport for your international flight.

    Meals: B

11. Legend Cruise Itinerary A