Arrive in Quito and meet with your local Intrepid representative in the evening. Sitting at an altitude of 2,850 metres under the gaze of Volcan Pichincha, Quito is one of the most attractive cities in South America. Long and incredibly thin, the city stretches along a central valley formed by the east and west ranges of the Andes. Although compact, Quito's Old Town is full of historic buildings – there are more than 30 churches to explore – not to mention the fascinating museums. In any free time, pass by the lively Plaza Grande and Plaza San Francisco, and see Ecaudor’s most impressive church – La Compania de Jesus – with its ornate facade and intricately decorated and gold-gilded interior. Look out for the 30-metre-high statue of ‘La Virgen de Quito’, which sits atop ‘El Panecillo’ hill. There are also many day trip...

Early in the morning, transfer to Quito airport and then see the Galapagos Islands dotted like pearls in the ocean as you fly to Santa Cruz Island (approximately 3.5 hours). Departure time will be between 8.20am and 10.30am, depending on flight schedule time. The Galapagos National Institute has introduced a Transit Control Card. This costs US$20 and must be purchased by every person travelling to the Galapagos Islands after checking in at Quito airport. Your flight stops once in Guayaquil to pick up more passengers. Upon arrival, you need to go through immigration and then pay the Galapagos National Park entrance fee of US$100 in cash (small bills please). Once you arrive in Baltra airport, your guide will be waiting to take you to the Hotel in Santa Cruz. After lunch, your guide will take you to the Charles Darwin Research St...

Today is a free day to take your own trips based on whatever your interested in. You might marvel at the underwater world with some diving, or hike to the misty forest highlands of the Santa Cruz. Here you’ll observe giant tortoises in their natural habitat of the scalesia cloud forest and be surrounded by abundant wildlife. You could kayak around Tortuga Bay, strap on a snorkel once more, or head to Las Grietas, a series of volcanic crevices that were formed during the cooling of molten lava and offer an incredible place to take a swim. You could even hire a speed boat and go to Isabela island for the day. This is one of the most volcanically active places in the world, and you can walk from Puerto Villamil through mangrove forests and saltwater lagoons to reach a Tortoise Breeding Centre.

On Day 6 you’ll be transferred to the airport in time for your flight to Quito. You can expect to arrive at your hotel by 3-4pm. Spend a final day and night in Quito – you might like to get out and enjoy the nightlife of this vibrant Latin city.

There are no activities planned for the last day of the trip and you can depart at any time. Hotel check out is normally at 10am. Notes: After your travels, we want to hear from you! We rely on your feedback. We read it carefully. Feedback helps us understand what we are doing well and what we could be doing better. It allows us to make improvements for future travellers. Leave your feedback here - www.intrepidtravel.com/feedback