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Ecuador

A glaciated volcano chain you can drive between, an Amazon park of record diversity, and the Galápagos.

4 expeditions across amazon & rainforest, high andes, coasts & islands, 1 of which is inquire-only. Windows on offer: Year-round · Jun–Sep & Dec–Jan · Jun–Sep.

Expeditions
4
Open to plan
3
Inquire only
1
Days
7–10

What Ecuador is actually good at

Ecuador packs more variety into less distance than any country we work. The Avenue of the Volcanoes puts Cotopaxi at 5,897 m, Chimborazo at 6,263 m — the point on the earth's surface furthest from its centre — and Illiniza within a few hours of Quito, which makes it the best place on the continent to build a real acclimatisation programme.

West of Quito the Chocó Andino drops toward the Pacific through cloud forest, and the altitude gradient is why the bird numbers are what they are: well over 500 species within a couple of hours of the capital, with hummingbird feeders that routinely hold a dozen species at once. East, Yasuní holds one of the highest counts of tree, amphibian, and bird species recorded anywhere. And offshore, the Galápagos remains the one place where nothing evolved to run from a primate.

Access and permits

Country-level constraints that decide whether a date is possible.

  • Cotopaxi requires an ASEGUIM- or IFMGA-certified guide, proof of rescue insurance, and a refuge logbook entry. Summit access depends on the volcanic alert; it was closed 2015–2017 and again from early 2023, so we verify status before you book flights and always name a contingency peak.
  • Galápagos vessel itineraries are assigned by the park directorate on a fixed rotation — you choose a boat and its route, not islands. Park entry is $200 for international adults plus a $20 transit card, collected on arrival, and a certified naturalist guide is required at every visitor site.
  • Yasuní's Intangible Zone is closed to all visitors to protect peoples in voluntary isolation, and our routes stay well away from it.
  • Most Chocó Andino sites are private or community reserves with their own fees; leks and antpitta stations run to fixed early times and must be reserved.

The Ecuador catalog

Ecuador

Amazon & Rainforest

Amazon Canopy & River

Parque Nacional Yasuní & cuenca del Napo

Dawn mist lifts off blackwater channels as howler monkeys claim the canopy. Night walks reveal eyeshine in a forest that never truly sleeps.

10 daysModerateYear-round

$7,200–$10,500

Details →

Ecuador

High Andes

Cotopaxi Avenue Ascent

Avenue of the Volcanoes

Glaciated cones line the high valley; Cotopaxi's summit push starts before midnight. Páramo grasslands hold frost and wild horses.

9 daysChallengingJun–Sep & Dec–Jan

$6,200–$9,400

Details →

Ecuador

Coasts & Islands

Inquire only

Galápagos Island Crossing

Galápagos Archipelago

Marine iguanas crowd black lava while hammerheads cruise the channel. Each island resets the ecology; landings feel like stepping into deep time.

10 daysEasyYear-round

On inquiry

Access notes →

Ecuador

Amazon & Rainforest

Quito Cloud Forest Traverse

Mindo & Chocó Andino

Hummingbirds hold still in wet air above waterfall trails. The Chocó slope drips with epiphytes; nights are loud with frogs.

7 daysEasyJun–Sep

$4,800–$7,200

Details →

Inquire only in Ecuador

Why one of these is not bookable

Galápagos Island Crossing

  • Park entry rose to $200 for international adults on 1 August 2024, plus the $20 transit card. Both are collected on arrival, and cash is the reliable method.
  • Visitor sites require a park-certified naturalist guide. Independent visits to protected sites are not allowed; only the four populated towns can be walked freely.

Something else

Combine Ecuador with a neighbour

Most private journeys cross a border — the Atacama to Uyuni crossing, Copán into Guatemala, Iguazú from both sides. Tell us the shape you want and we will say whether the logistics hold together.

Private & custom