We wanted to choose somewhere for our Silver Wedding Anniversary that we normally wouldn’t entertain given the cost. So we considered the Arctic, the Antarctic, Bhutan and the Galapagos. Of course we weren’t going to travel all that distance for a weeks’ cruise, so we decided on a 3 week trip including Ecuador as we would be flying into Quito anyway for this trip.
So we had 2 weeks to do everything we wanted to in Ecuador (within reason) before travelling onwards for our Galapagos trip. Luckily Ecuador is a relatively small country, so it is fairly easy to see all you want in 2-3 weeks.
We had not considered Ecuador itself as a travel destination before (it was not on our “list”) and we spent a lot of time looking at combining it with places that were on our “list” such as Peru & perhaps Bolivia. As we researched further we realised that by including another country, even if we made it a 4 week trip (3 weeks South America and 1 week Galapagos) that we would be seriously rushing things….
PLANNING
This trip took a LOT of planning! Luckily I have a friend , Manuel, who comes to one of my classes and is from Ecuador. He was very helpful in our planning of the Ecuador part of this trip. As was Google (as always!) – my number 1 research tool (more later….)
I will start with the “easy” bit, the Galapagos cruise…..
We looked initially at the lower priced trips to Galapagos. The cheapest are land-based, and we decided against these as you get to see & do a lot more when doing a cruise.
Then we looked at the cheaper end of the scale for cruising, most coming in at around £3,000 pp. These types of cruises were relatively basic accommodation (compared to what we ended up booking), with extra for flights, drinks, excursions, tips, etc which would have really mounted up (the Galapagos are not cheap!)
We then looked at the 5* all inclusive ones, with the “small ship” cruise lines, and we decided on Silversea, who we had cruised with before, thoroughly enjoyed & found to be very good value. By “all inclusive” Silversea really does mean that you don’t need to spend a penny extra! This cruise included all excursions whilst in the Galapagos, experienced tour guides and talks / presentations / entertainment, all meals, all drinks both soft & alcoholic, butler service, room service, all tips, 2 nights pre-cruise stay in Quito, transfers to the airport, flights from Quito to Galapagos and return Galapagos to Guayaquil, and reduced fare international flights – we went with KLM from Glasgow – Amsterdam (stayed overnight at Citizen M hotel in the airport to reduce stress of connecting fights) – Quito, and Guayaquil – Amsterdam – Glasgow return. Do look into the flights by yourself first, and don’t take the first flights offered to you by Silversea, as they may not be the best option. We had a little bit of a “negotiation” to get the flights we wanted, but it worked out fine as we had researched what was available in advance.
For a higher cost but including all flights and totally all inclusive (we literally did not spend one penny extra), Silversea was the best deal we found and definitely the best deal available to suit us. To get the price down we had to pay it (pretty much) straight away and also book via a travel agent (The Cruise Specialists). Having had much experience with “negotiating” the best deal, we started direct with Silversea, got their best price, then went on to The Cruise Specialists, from whom we had a loyalty voucher and who we had used before. Our cruise consultant, Eleanor, was great. She managed to get us a further discount by booking through her company (as these companies almost always do) plus a further discount with our voucher. It can feel a bit embarrassing playing more than one travel agent / cruise company off against another, but it has invariably saved us hundreds of pounds every time!
Happy with our price, and again with a little bit of awkward negotiating (once you use a travel agent you have to go through them, not the cruise line) we sorted and got booked the flights we wanted, leaving 2 weeks early (a week early is not a hassle, more than that involves a bit of negotiation).
Note : Choosing which actual route in the Galapagos was easy for us as we booked the one that coincided with our anniversary. Otherwise, again you need to do a bit of research to see what one is best for you. As it happened, our route was perfect, the Western Galapagos route, as we are more into seeing marine life than bird life (although you do of course see both, but the Western route has more marine life).
And finally, no matter what holiday you are booking, if it is to celebrate a special occasion ALWAYS tell them!!! We have had free upgrades and /or other nice little “touches” on quite a few holidays, and on this one we were upgraded from the most basic suite to a terrace suite, which was magnificent! It meant we had our own outdoor seating area at the front of the ship! OK, it wasn’t private, but to be honest no-one else really used it. It was a fantastic upgrade! And on top of this we were spoiled on the actual day of our anniversary with a specially made anniversary cake at dinner (which we had with friends we had made during the cruise) and then champagne, candles, cheese & biscuits in our room. It helped make the most special holiday even more special, and we will never forget it! I could just keep writing so much more about Silversea, but this is meant as a travel guide, so lets leave it there. More about the Galapagos later, but as I am still telling you about our “planning” stage it’s time to move on to Ecuador….
Planning for the Ecuador part of our trip was somewhat more taxing….
For countries on our “list”, we have a relatively clear idea of what we want to see & do, where we want to go… For Ecuador we had to do some research….
As already mentioned, I have a friend from Ecuador who comes to one of my classes, and he was very helpful to us. In addition, I always use Google to get information, recommendations, etc.
So we had some dilemmas…. do we visit the Amazon was the biggest dilemma. We ended up leaving a few days “spare” (nothing booked) so we could decide at the last minute to do this if we wanted to. After researching, we had decided that should we visit the Amazon then Cuyabeno would be the best destination when considering both the cost and what you might expect to see, however travel there is quite a long haul & all in you needed to allow 4 days minimum… In addition, the FCO were advising NOT to travel that close to the Columbian border (in the “good old days” we didn’t even look to see what the FCO said, but as you get older you don’t feel as invincible!) But what finally decided for us to give it a miss this time, was that we felt the experience (after looking at many YouTube videos) might be fairly “similar” to the Panatanal in Brazil, where we had already travelled. Both are “wetlands”, although Pantanal is not part of the Amazon. In addition we had been to the jungles of Borneo & Corcovado in Costa Rica. So even though we left a few days spare (unplanned), we had pretty much ruled this out.
Anyway, lets forget about what we didn’t do, and look at what we did! And before I go into more detail on that, lets talk about the actual travel & cost.
For a 2 week trip, to fit in in everything we had decided on, and to make travel as easy (& quick) as possible, we decided on a car & driver/guide, followed by taxis. We spent about US$1070 on all travel within Ecuador, when we could have probably done it all for $250 – 300. However, no time was wasted, and given the time constraints (not to mention the cost was a “drop in the ocean” compared to our cruise) we went for the “easy” way. This worked for us, for this particular trip, however it is not necessarily the way we would normally travel.
We decided to get a taxi to our first destination outside of Quito (easily booked via our hostel) and then to book a car and driver / guide for a few days. We wanted to be picked up in Mindo after spending a couple of nights there, drive to Cotopaxi and do the volcano refuge walk, overnight nearby, drive to Quilotoa (crater lake) and do a walk there, drive on to Alausi to overnight before doing the Devil’s Nose train ride, travel on to Banos to finish that trip and spend the next 3 nights.
I spent a lot of time on Google and Trip Advisor, and found a driver / guide Lincoln, who was recommended a few times. Someone had posted his email address and I got in touch. We planned the trip and until we met up, I have to say I was not sure it would work out! He didn’t ask for a deposit, takes cash only (in US$’s, as do most drivers in Ecuador) and all we had for our “booking” were our emails and exchanged phone numbers. We had each put our faith in each other I guess! Now having travelled this short trip with Lincoln, I would be more than happy to recommend him! Contact me for his email address. Lincoln speaks excellent English and is a very safe driver.
ECUADOR
Here is a wee slideshow from the first part of our trip from Quito to Banos…
To summarise fairly briefly for those destinations….
In Quito, we stayed the first 2 nights at Hump Day Hostel in the “Old Town”, which we would recommend, as its a good place to start for sightseeing. This hostel offers double en-suite rooms in addition to their dormitories, and it was very reasonably priced.
We did our own walking tour (easy done with a tourist map the hostel supplied). Our highlight was the Basilica, of which you can climb up to the top of the bell tower. We started this, but decided against the very scary last leg of climbing exposed ladders on a windy day! There is no need to do the last leg if you are scared of heights, as the views from the top of the main part of the building were great.
For our included pre-cruise stay we returned to Quito, to the Marriot Hotel near the Mariscal District. This location was good for getting to the teleferico (cable car) that runs up the east side of the Pichincha Volcano – fantastic panoramic views & hiking possibilities! Well worth the trip.
In Mindo there is are plenty things to do, you could cram them all into one day (or at least the ones you are interested in) – Zip lining, cloud forest, butterfly garden, chocolate factory, frog “concert” to name the most popular.
Our accommodation in Mindo was so lovely & tranquil (Hosteria Saguamby Mindo) that we just had to build in some time just to enjoy it – we booked the “Romantic Suite” via booking.com. It was very reasonably priced, at approx. $70 per night it was probably the best value accommodation of the trip for what you got, and we would highly recommend.
After leaving Mindo, we made brief stops at the Pululahua Crater & Mitad del Mundo (“Middle of the World”) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciudad_Mitad_del_Mundo
At Cotopaxi volcano the popular options are to do the short hike to the refuge, continue on the glacier, or do a mountain biking trip. If the altitude becomes a problem, try the Coca tea!
We just did the short hike up to the refuge (about 45 mins or so each way), and must admit it did feel pretty tough going at that altitude, but worth it!
For our overnight stay we staying in the large town of Latacunga. Out hotel was fine, but I wouldn’t make a particular recommendation.
For the trip to Quilotoa, the main attraction is the Quilotoa crater itself. You can hike around the rim or take the path down to the crater lake (and kayak once there if you like).
All the above can be done on day trips from Quito if preferred.
Alausi, for the Devil’s Nose train ride, is not an option for a day trip from Quito. We headed there after Quilotoa, and did not arrive until after dark. We stayed at the Community Hostel Alausi http://www.communityalausi.com/ which was excellent and also great value.
Our train tickets had been pre-booked on-line through Tren Ecuador. We did the early train journey the next morning and then had a short walk around the small town of Alausi afterwards before moving on.
Finally we travelled on to Banos, after our return train journey, another fairly long trip. Banos is the “adventure” capital of Ecuador. We spent 3 nights there, doing a mix of relaxing & sightseeing. The “swing at the end of the world” is no longer the top adrenaline rush, but it was enough excitement for us!
In Banos you can go zip-lining, rafting, canyoning, take day trips to the edge of the jungle, have a go on the “swing at the end of the world” (or other much scarier swings!)and visit many waterfalls (of which Pailon del Diablo “Devil’s Cauldron) was the best.
We had 3 nights in Banos and stayed at Hosteria Finca Chamanapamba, which is located a few kms out of town. It was a lovely place, in a lovely rural location with walks from the entrance, and a very kind and helpful owner. Perhaps a little expensive when compared to our Mindo accommodation, but we would still recommend if you are happy to be a short taxi ride out of town.
During our time in Banos, it was time to decide what we wanted to do with our “spare” 3 days / nights. We considered the likes of Puyo or Tena, but to be honest this was more to “tick” the Amazon off of our travel list, rather than because we actually wanted to go there. And although popular for day or overnight trips from Banos, neither of these places are deep in the Amazon, so once again we decided against this.
Instead Paul has read about a lesser known destination, the Intag Valley, which fitted in quite nicely with a beautifully romantic hotel we had been looking at near Cotacachi, called La Mirage, a former hacienda. So our minds made up, 1 night splashing out at La Mirage, followed by 2 nights in the Intag Valley, before heading back to Quito.
It is a long journey to Cotacachi, around 5 hours, and it was pretty hard to find a driver willing to take us on this one way trip (the alternative was 2, or maybe 3, buses via Quito). Luckily we found Freddie, a lovely guy, who took us there for a very reasonable $160. A bargain considering he had to drive all the way back again afterwards! We would highly recommend him, his company is called Servi Taxi Banos. Like Lincoln, he spoke good English and drove safely in a very comfortable car.
La Mirage was a dream. There were a few people there for lunch, but after they left we were the only ones staying there! It was the most expensive place stayed in Ecuador, our final bill being approx. $370 (including dinner with wine, breakfast and one round of cocktails), which for the quality of both the food and the accommodation, was actually pretty reasonable.
The beautiful gardens have peacocks roaming them, and there is even a little chapel where you can get married.
In addition there is a beautiful & tranquil spa. Only the swimming pool is free to hotel guests, however I think as there were no other guests, and perhaps they overheard me saying to Paul that I found the pool a little bit cold, the staff invited us to use the Jacuzzi in the next room.
Feeling nice & relaxed after that, we later on went to the bar for a drink and then dinner in the restaurant. I have to say that the dinner was exquisite!
While we were having dinner, we were asked if we would like the fire to be lit in our room!
A perfect romantic retreat! Here is a small selection of photos :-
When we finally had to tear ourselves away from La Mirage, we took a taxi (booked by the hotel we were going to) to the Intag Valley.
En-route we asked the taxi driver to make a stop at Cuicocha Lake. We unfortunately only had time to take some photographs, although with a few hours spare it is possible to hike around the rim, so worth trying to do this if you can.
At Intag we stayed at Pacheco Farmhouse, a lovely place owned by a friendly Argentinian lady.
With only 2 nights and one full day, we spent the time both chilling out and enjoying the scenery, and taking a hike accompanied by a neighbours 4 friendly dogs! Our hike followed a dirt road up the mountain, with beautiful views to the surrounding lush mountains and valley below. It was easy to find, just ask the staff at the farmhouse.
Here are a few photos :-
GALAPAGOS CRUISE
This part being a “package” holiday, once the actual cruise we wanted to do was decided on, there is not much to say regarding organising it that hasn’t been mentioned at the start of this page.
Our itinerary was as follows:-
Day 1 — San Cristobal
Day 2 — Bartolomé and Playa Espumilla, Santiago or Caleta Bucanero
Day 3 — Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela, and Punta Espinoza, Fernandina
Day 4 — Caleta Tagus and Bahía Elizabeth, Isabela
Day 5 — Post Office Bay and Punta Cormorant and Champion Islet, Floreana
Day 6 — Cerro Dragón and Las Bachas, Santa Cruz
Day 7 — Los Gemelos, Puerto Ayora and the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center, Santa Cruz
Day 8 — Baltra (depart ship for flight to Guayaquil and onwards back to the UK)
The most scenic spot (in our opinion) was on Bartolome, looking down towards the famous Pinnacle Rock. This is the “iconic” Galapagos islands view.
Punta Espinoza was our favourite for wildlife, we just loved the marine iguanas, of which there are thousands all climbing over one another!
The mangroves of Elizabeth Bay were serene to take a zodiac through, and we saw so much marine & bird life there.
Cerro Dragon was another wildlife highlight, and we were lucky to spot over 30 of the land iguanas, some very close up!
As far as snorkelling went, it was all fantastic – we saw sea lions (who swam around us as we snorkelled), turtles, penguins, fur seals, stingrays, a manta ray, reef sharks, even a baby hammerhead shark & a tiger shark (thankfully not while we were snorkelling though!) and of course lots of colourful tropical fish! Here is a link to Paul’s snorkelling video on YouTube.
On the cruise we were up very early (mostly before 7am) and to bed normally by 10pm – this is not a relaxing cruise, it is full-on! There are activities every day, at least 2, if not 3 stops where you can choose mainly from hiking, nature walks, zodiac tours, snorkelling & kayaking.
We never felt we missed out on anything, and chose our activities to suit out interests.
There was always a briefing the evening before to tell you about the following day’s activity options and to take bookings where necessary. Everyone was accommodated, we never heard anyone complain that they didn’t get booked onto an activity they wanted to do. The guides were knowledgeable and fun to be with, our fellow travellers were great company and the other staff on the ship were all extremely nice.
We really feel we couldn’t have made a better choice for celebrating our silver wedding!
So now, a slideshow of some of our favourite photos :-
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