🇪🇨 🏙️ Ecuador · Andes · Amazon · Galápagos · 12 Days
🇪🇨 🏙️ Ecuador · Andes · Amazon · Galápagos · 12 Days
Description
Ecuador · Andes · Amazon · Galápagos
Quito Colonial Heritage · Andean Indigenous Cultures · Amazon Basin · Galápagos Wildlife · Kichwa Communities · 12 Days
Colonial Capital → Otavalo
Kichwa Market → Cotopaxi
Volcano · Andes → Amazon
Jungle Lodge → Galápagos
Wildlife Islands
Ecuador is the most biodiverse country on Earth per square kilometre — a place where you can stand on the equator at 2,800 metres above sea level, descend into the Amazon basin by morning, and be swimming with sea lions in the Galápagos by the end of the week. In 12 days, this expedition takes you through four of the world’s most extraordinary ecosystems: the colonial grandeur of Quito, the living Andean Indigenous cultures of Otavalo and the Kichwa communities, the raw wilderness of the Amazon basin, and the incomparable wildlife of the Galápagos Islands.
This is not a single destination — it is four worlds in one journey. Ecuador is the only country on Earth where you can experience the Andes, the Amazon, the Pacific coast, and the Galápagos in a single expedition. Daylite Digital secures your accommodation across this entire route. All experiences, tours, flights, and activities are arranged independently by the traveller and paid directly to local operators.
Kichwa People · Otavalo · The Indigenous Heart of Ecuador
The Kichwa (Quechua) people of Ecuador are the largest Indigenous group in the country — their language, weaving traditions, and cosmology have survived centuries of colonisation and remain vibrantly alive today. The Otavalo market is the largest Indigenous market in South America, drawing Kichwa weavers, musicians, and artisans from across the Andes every Saturday. The Otavaleño people are among the most entrepreneurial Indigenous communities in the Americas — their textiles are sold across the world, yet their cultural identity remains rooted in the Andean highlands where their ancestors have lived for thousands of years.
In the Amazon basin, the Kichwa jungle communities are among the most knowledgeable guides to the rainforest on Earth. Their understanding of medicinal plants, animal behaviour, and forest ecology has been passed down through generations of living in one of the most biodiverse environments on the planet. This expedition puts Indigenous knowledge at its centre — not as a tourist attraction, but as a living, breathing system of wisdom that the rest of the world is only beginning to understand.
Ecuador is the only country on Earth where you can experience the Andes, the Amazon, and the Galápagos in a single journey. Four ecosystems. One extraordinary expedition.
- 12 days · 11 nights accommodation (tier selected)
Journey Tier: Daily breakfast provided by hotel · Sovereign Tier: Breakfast and selected dinners provided by hotel
All experiences below are paid directly to local operators at point of service.
Optional services paid directly to Daylite Digital at time of booking.
Mariscal Sucre International Airport · collect transport independently · check in to your accommodation · Optional: evening walk through Quito’s historic centre — free to explore · Plaza Grande · Optional: welcome dinner — paid independently · overnight Quito
Optional: Quito colonial centre guided tour — fee paid to operator · La Compañía de Jesús church · La Ronda · Optional: Mitad del Mundo monument — entry fee paid to operator · Optional: Intinan Solar Museum — entry fee paid to operator · overnight Quito
Drive to Otavalo · Optional: Saturday Indigenous market — free to browse · Kichwa weavers · textiles · crafts · music · Optional: Peguche waterfall — free to visit · Optional: Kichwa weaving community visit — fee paid to operator · overnight Otavalo or Quito
Optional: Cotopaxi National Park — entry fee paid to operator · world’s highest active volcano · Andean páramo ecosystem · wild horses · Andean condors · Optional: refuge hike — guide fee paid to operator · Limpiopungo lagoon · overnight hacienda near Cotopaxi — paid independently
Optional: drive or fly to Coca (Puerto Francisco de Orellana) — transport paid independently · Optional: Napo River canoe journey — fee paid to operator · Optional: jungle lodge arrival — lodge fee paid to operator · afternoon wildlife walk · overnight jungle lodge
Optional: Kichwa jungle community visit — fee paid to operator · medicinal plant knowledge · traditional food preparation · Optional: canoe journey on Napo tributaries — fee paid to operator · Optional: piranha fishing · pink river dolphin spotting · overnight jungle lodge
Optional: morning birdwatching — guide fee paid to operator · Optional: Amazon canopy walk — fee paid to operator · afternoon free to explore · Optional: night wildlife walk — fee paid to operator · caimans · tree frogs · insects · overnight jungle lodge
Return to Quito · Optional: domestic flight to Galápagos — booked and paid independently · Baltra or San Cristóbal airport · check in to your accommodation · first Galápagos wildlife encounter · sea lions on the dock — free to observe · overnight Galápagos
Optional: Charles Darwin Research Station — entry fee paid to operator · giant tortoise breeding programme · marine iguanas · blue-footed boobies · Optional: snorkelling — fee paid to operator · sea lions · overnight Galápagos
Optional: day excursion to a second island — fee paid to operator · Española or Isabela · waved albatross · Galápagos penguins · flightless cormorants · Optional: snorkelling with sea turtles · marine iguanas · overnight Galápagos
Free morning · Optional: kayaking — fee paid to operator · Optional: snorkelling — fee paid to operator · wildlife photography · local market · Optional: farewell dinner in the Galápagos — paid independently · overnight Galápagos
Morning Galápagos · Optional: farewell breakfast — paid independently · check out · Optional: domestic flight Galápagos to Quito — booked and paid independently · international connections · end of Ecuador Andes · Amazon · Galápagos Expedition
Expedition
Guesthouse & budget lodge · no breakfast · self-guided days
- 11 nights · guesthouse · budget jungle lodge · Galápagos hostel
- All activities paid independently to operators
Journey
Mid-range hotels · breakfast provided by hotel
- 11 nights · mid-range hotels · eco-lodge · Galápagos hotel
- Daily breakfast — provided by hotel
- All activities paid independently to operators
Sovereign
Luxury hotels · breakfast and selected dinners provided by hotel
- 11 nights · luxury hotels · premium eco-lodge · Galápagos boutique hotel
- Daily breakfast — provided by hotel
- Selected dinners — provided by hotel
- All activities paid independently to operators
Galápagos Dry Season
Best time for Galápagos wildlife · cooler, drier conditions bring penguins, albatross, and dramatic seascapes · excellent snorkelling visibility · the Andes and Amazon are accessible year-round · ideal for the full 12-day expedition
Warm & Sunny Season
Warmer waters in the Galápagos — excellent for snorkelling with sea turtles and marine iguanas · the Andes are lush and green · Otavalo market is vibrant year-round · Amazon wildlife highly active · good for the full expedition
Amazon Wet Season
The Amazon basin at its most lush and biodiverse · river levels rise — canoe journeys are spectacular · wildlife highly active · the Galápagos remains accessible · some Andean trails may be muddy · extraordinary for nature lovers
Year-Round Destination
Ecuador is a year-round destination · the Galápagos, Andes, and Amazon each have their own seasonal rhythms · no matter when you travel, there is always something extraordinary to experience
Reserve Your Ecuador Expedition
From $3,200 per couple · 12 Days · Accommodation Included
Reserve Your Ecuador ExpeditionTerms & Conditions
- Pricing per couple sharing · accommodation included as per tier selected
- Expedition: no breakfast · Journey: breakfast provided by hotel · Sovereign: breakfast and selected dinners provided by hotel
- All activity, tour, entry, and meal fees are paid directly to local operators at point of service
- Daylite Digital does not act as a tour operator, transport provider, or travel agent
- International flights not included
- Domestic Quito–Galápagos flights not included · booked and paid independently
- Galápagos National Park entry fee not included · approx. $200 per person · paid to operator
- Ecuador visa requirements are the responsibility of the traveller · check current entry requirements
- Daylite Ambassador services are optional and paid separately to Daylite Digital
- Minimum 30 days advance booking required
- Full payment required to confirm reservation
- Cancellation policy: 50% refund if cancelled 30+ days before departure
- Itinerary subject to minor adjustments based on site availability and local conditions