Highlights of Ecuador: Self-Launched Andes, Amazon & Galápagos Adventure

Land at Quito's Mariscal Sucre airport (about an hour outside the city) and take a set-rate taxi or the cheaper airport bus into the centre. Settle into a hostel in La Mariscal or the Old Town, acclimatise to the 2,850m altitude with a gentle wander, a cheap set lunch (almuerzo, ~£3) and an early night. Pick up a local SIM/eSIM and withdraw US dollars — Ecuador uses USD.

🚌Airport taxi ~£12-15 each way (shareable); local buses ~£0.30

🛏Hostel dorm or private budget room, Quito Old Town/La Mariscal (~£12-18)

• →Orientation walk of Quito Old Town
• →Altitude acclimatisation rest day

Take a local bus or shared minivan east over the páramo to Papallacta (~2 hrs, £3-4). Spend the afternoon soaking in the thermal springs — book the public balneario complex (a few pounds) rather than the resort day pass if you're on a budget. Stay in a small guesthouse in the village or nearby Termas.

🚌Local bus Quito-Papallacta ~£3.50

🛏Village guesthouse, Papallacta (~£15-20)

• →Papallacta hot springs (public balneario)
• →Páramo walk

Bus from Papallacta to Tena via Baeza/Archidona (~4-5 hrs, £6-8), then arrange onward transfer by pickup truck or motorised canoe to a community tourism homestay run by a local Quichua family (book direct or via the Tena/Archidona municipal tourism office or GetYourGuide). Two nights with the family, meals included, learning about daily life and local culture.

🚌Bus to Tena ~£7; pickup truck/canoe to village ~£4-6

🛏Community homestay with Quichua family, multi-share cabaña (~£15-20 incl. meals)

• →Quichua homestay
• →Community welcome and cultural exchange

Spend a full day with the family: nature walks into the surrounding forest, cooking demonstrations with local ingredients like yuca and plantain, and a hike to a nearby waterfall. Bring cash to buy community crafts and to tip your hosts.

🚌Walking

🛏Community homestay (meals included)

• →Guided forest walk
• →Cooking demonstration
• →Waterfall hike

Move deeper into the Amazon to a small jungle lodge near Tena (bookable direct or via Klook/GetYourGuide). Afternoon guided walk and motorised canoe ride along the Napo tributaries looking for birds, monkeys and river turtles. Optional: whitewater rafting the Jatunyacu river with a local operator (~£45-50).

🚌Motorised canoe transfer

🛏Jungle lodge, Tena area (~£30-40 incl. full board)

• →Guided jungle walk
• →Canoe wildlife-spotting
• →Optional Jatunyacu rafting

Another full day of guided trails and river trips at the lodge — many lodges offer night walks to spot amphibians and insects. Optional: kayaking, tubing or a visit to an animal rescue centre. Book any extras through your lodge the day before.

🚌Canoe/walking with lodge

🛏Jungle lodge, Tena area (full board)

• →Guided nature trails
• →Optional night walk
• →Optional tubing/kayaking

Bus west via Puyo to Baños (~3-4 hrs, £5-6) as the road climbs back into the Andes beneath the Tungurahua volcano. Check into a budget hostal or guesthouse, then soak in the town's famous thermal baths (~£3-4) and stroll the craft streets.

🚌Local bus Tena-Baños ~£5.50

🛏Hostal in Baños (~£12-18)

• →Baños hot springs (Termas de la Virgen)
• →Town orientation walk

Baños is Ecuador's adventure capital. Pick from: hiking to the Casa del Árbol viewpoint, mountain bike rental for the Ruta de las Cascadas (waterfall road), canyoning, horseback riding, or the free public waterfall walk. Rent bikes directly on arrival (~£8-10/day) or book canyoning via a local agency on the main street.

🚌Local buses ~£0.30; bike hire

🛏Hostal in Baños

• →Ruta de las Cascadas by bike
• →Casa del Árbol hike
• →Optional canyoning

Second free day — try the famous swing, do a day trip to the Devil's Cauldron (Pailón del Diablo) waterfall by local bus, or unwind in the hot springs again. Plenty of cheap almuerzos for £3-4.

🚌Local buses to Pailón del Diablo ~£1.50 return

🛏Hostal in Baños

• →Pailón del Diablo waterfall
• →Optional horseback riding or rafting

Early bus south to Alausí or directly toward Cuenca; to see the Ingapirca Inca ruins, take a bus to Cañar/El Tambo and a local taxi to the site (entry ~£2.50), then continue on to Cuenca by bus. Evening orientation walk around the colonial centre, Cathedral and Plaza Calderón.

🚌Buses Baños-Cuenca ~£8-10 including the Ingapirca detour

🛏Hostal in Cuenca Old Town (~£14-20)

• →Ingapirca Inca ruins
• →Cuenca colonial centre walk

Explore Cuenca — a UNESCO World Heritage city — with visits to the Pumapungo museum and ruins, the Museo de las Culturas Aborígenes and the flower market. Alternatively take a local bus or shared tour to hike in Cajas National Park (~£25-35 with a shared shuttle, £4-6 by local bus if you self-arrange your trailheads), home to glacial lakes above 4,000m.

🚌City buses ~£0.30; local bus to Cajas ~£1.50 each way

🛏Hostal in Cuenca

• →Cajas National Park hike
• →Museums and markets

Fly or take the scenic bus back to Quito, then continue north to Cayambe. Book a night at a historic highland hacienda at the base of the Pichincha/Cayambe volcanoes — several 300-400 year-old working haciendas offer budget rooms with breakfast if you book direct or via Booking.com.

🚌Bus Cuenca-Quito ~£7 (or flight ~£35-45); bus Quito-Cayambe ~£2

🛏Historic highland hacienda, Cayambe (~£30-40 incl. breakfast)

• →Highland hacienda stay
• →Volcano views

Morning transfer to Otavalo (local bus ~£1.50). Shop the famous Otavalo handicraft market — the largest in South America — for textiles, tapestries and artisan goods, then visit the Peguche waterfall. Optional afternoon hike at Laguna de Cuicocha crater lake or a visit to Cotacachi's leather street.

🚌Local buses ~£2-4 total

🛏Hostal in Otavalo (~£12-18)

• →Otavalo handicraft market
• →Peguche waterfall
• →Optional Cuicocha crater lake walk

Return to Quito by bus (~2 hrs, £2). Afternoon for optional city sights: the Teleférico cable car (~£7), the Basílica, and the Mitad del Mundo equator monument by local bus (~£5-8 with a city tour ticket). Prep your Galápagos packing — soft duffel, reef-safe sunscreen, and cash for park fees.

🚌Bus Otavalo-Quito ~£2; local buses in Quito

🛏Hostel in Quito (~£12-18)

• →Teleférico cable car
• →Mitad del Mundo equator line
• →Quito Old Town

Fly Quito to Baltra via Guayaquil (LATAM/Avianca, book 2-3 months ahead, ~£250-350 return). Buy your Transit Control Card (£16/$20) at the Quito airport counter and pay the £80/$100 National Park entrance fee in cash on arrival in the islands. Take the airport bus and ferry to Santa Cruz, then a bus or shared taxi to Puerto Ayora. Afternoon at the Charles Darwin Research Station with the giant tortoise breeding centre (free).

🚌Internal flight ~£300; airport bus + ferry ~£3.50

🛏Guesthouse in Puerto Ayora (~£18-25)

• →Charles Darwin Research Station
• →Puerto Ayora waterfront & fish market

Take a local bus or hire a bike and head up to the highlands to see giant tortoises in the wild at a private reserve such as El Chato or Rancho Primicias (entry ~£4-5), with the lava tunnels nearby. Optional: dive/snorkel trip from Puerto Ayora or kayak in Tortuga Bay — book day tours the evening before with local agencies along Avenida Charles Darwin for the best prices.

🚌Local buses/bike hire ~£5

🛏Guesthouse in Puerto Ayora

• →Giant tortoise highlands reserve
• →Lava tunnels
• →Optional Tortuga Bay kayaking/snorkelling

Book a locally operated day boat (typical £120-160) from Puerto Ayora to islands like North Seymour (blue-footed boobies, frigatebirds), South Plaza (land iguanas in cactus forest) or Bartolomé (iconic Pinnacle Rock). Prices include the licensed naturalist guide, lunch, snorkel gear and wetsuit. Note: day-boat availability is first-come; book your island days on arrival.

🚌Licensed day boat

🛏Guesthouse in Puerto Ayora

• →Day boat excursion (North Seymour / South Plaza / Bartolomé)
• →Snorkelling
• →Wildlife viewing with naturalist guide

Public speedboat from Santa Cruz to Isabela (~2.5 hrs, £25-30). Check into a Puerto Villamil guesthouse, then walk to the free tortoise breeding centre and the flamingo lagoon on the edge of town. Afternoon snorkelling at Concha de Perla (free, gear hire ~£5).

🚌Public speedboat ~£28

🛏Guesthouse in Puerto Villamil (~£18-25)

• →Flamingo lagoon
• →Concha de Perla snorkelling
• →Tortoise breeding centre

Choose a day tour: hike the Sierra Negra volcano rim (entry ~£8-10 plus local guide), or a short boat trip to Los Tintoreras for white-tip reef sharks, penguins and sea lions (£30-40 including snorkelling). Bring water and sun protection — shade is scarce on the lava fields.

🚌Local tour transport

🛏Guesthouse in Puerto Villamil

• →Sierra Negra volcano hike or Los Tintoreras boat trip
• →Snorkelling with sea lions

Speedboat back to Santa Cruz, then a ferry and bus to Baltra for your return flight to Quito. Allow plenty of buffer for ferry delays. Evening back in Quito — a last cheap almuerzo and a wander through the illuminated Old Town.

🚌Speedboat ~£28; flight Baltra-Quito ~£150 (if bought as return)

🛏Hostel in Quito (~£12-18)

• →Old Town evening walk

Depart at any time. Optionally squeeze in the Teleférico or the Basílica before heading to the airport by bus or taxi.

🚌Bus or taxi to airport ~£2-15

🛏None

• →Optional final city sightseeing