Evening departure from London Heathrow by KLM via Amsterdam (1 hour) to Quito (15 ½ hours with stops at Bonaire and Guayaquil en route).

On arrival in the morning you will be met and transferred to the Swissotel. The rest of the day is free.

Morning sightseeing of Quito and the Equatorial Monument. Quito’s colonial quarter is one of the largest and best preserved of South America, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your walk starts at the Independence Plaza, flanked by the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Municipal Building and the Archbishop’s Palace. Visit the temple of La Compañía de Jesús and its awesome gilded interior. Continue on to the Monastery of San Francisco, one the of great religious buildings of the New World; its impressive façade and atrium that lead to its Baroque interior influenced by Moorish style, with the winged Virgin of Quito at its main altar. Afterwards continue to the Equatorial Monument, 25 kilometres north of Quito, which marks the exact Middle of the World, latitude 0º, where you can stand with a foot on each hemisphere. Visit the Ethnographic Museum inside the monument, which shows the different Native American groups living in Ecuador. Beside the monument there is a colonial-style town, complete with main square, church, post office, bullring, cafeterias, restaurants and many gift shops with postcards and souvenirs. The afternoon is free.

Free. Why not take a full day optional excursion by air to the beautiful city of Cuenca. This can be pre-booked for a cost of £195 per person (see below).

Fly to the Galapagos Islands (3 hours with stop at Guayaquil en route) and embark on La Pinta.

The exact itinerary will be confirmed shortly, but it is expected to include the following islands: Bartolome (Bartholomew): A small island with beautiful white sandy beaches, green mangroves and a colony of penguins. Also view the striking Pinnacle Rock. Fernandina (Narborough): The youngest and most westerly of the islands, Fernandina is a pristine landscape of unusual volcanic lava flows. It is home to dense colonies of marine iguanas as well as penguins, sea lions and the flightless cormorant. Isabela (Albermarle): The largest of the islands boasting the highest point of the archipelago. Apart from great views, you will see nesting colonies of land iguanas and giant tortoises. Floreana (Charles or Santa Maria): An island in the south of the archipelago dotted with parasitic cones. Wildlife highlights include include lagon birds, sea turtles, rays and Galapagos flycatchers. Espanola (Hood): The cliffs on this island present the visitor with large colonies of sea lions and lava lizards. It is also home to the largest nesting colony of blue-footed boobies on the archipelago and is the only nesting site in the islands of the waved albatross (sighted from April to December). Gardner Bay is excellent for swimming and snorkelling. Santa Cruz (Indefegatible): This is the second largest island and you can find 7 types of vegetation here. You will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station to see the famous giant tortoises that are bred at the station and it may also be possible to visit the highlands. San Salvador (James or Santiago): This island is good for spotting finches, doves and hawks and also seeing fur seals. There are black sand beaches at Puerto Egas and Buccaneer Cave. North Seymour: One of the most attractive islands, there are excellent locations to observe frigate birds, sea lions, marine and land iguanas and blue-footed boobies. Rabida (Jervis): This island is noted for its reddish beaches. A wet landing is made here and you can walk to a lagoon to see flamingoes and pelicans. (B,L,D each day)

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Disembark in the morning and return by air to Quito where you stay overnight at the Swissotel.

Morning departure from Quito by KLM via Amsterdam (12 hours 45 minutes with stop at Bonaire en route) to London (1 hour).

Arrive London Heathrow in the morning.