Ecuador & Galápagos

The Galápagos is the only place on earth where the wildlife has never learned to fear people, and the effect is disarming. Sea lions nap on your bench. Blue-footed boobies dance a metre away. Marine iguanas sneeze salt at your feet while giant tortoises lumber past like patient furniture. You explore by small expedition yacht, island to island, each one a different chapter of the story Darwin started here, snorkelling daily with turtles, rays, penguins and playful sea lion pups. Mainland Ecuador deserves its share of the trip: Quito's magnificently preserved colonial old town, hacienda stays beneath the Avenue of the Volcanoes, cloud forest lodges where hummingbirds outnumber guests, and an Amazon lodge a short flight away. Two worlds, one seamless journey, and wildlife encounters that permanently reset your standards.