The Galapagos by Luxury Catamaran

After included VIP airport lounge access, depart the UK on an overnight flight, beginning your Ecuador and Galapagos holiday on day two.

Arrive in Quito and transfer to your hotel. Spend the next few days exploring, from its old colonial quarter, all monuments and historic architecture, to the Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, marking the equator line. The cable car TelefériQo affords spectacular views over the city at nearly 4000m above sea level, while lower down, food stalls in the Parque Navarro provide classic Ecuadorian dishes – best washed down with a craft beer, a scene that's ever-growing in this city.

Stay: Patio Andaluz

Fly to the Galapagos Islands and board the Ocean Spray, a luxury catamaran complete with sun deck, Jacuzzi, kayaks for guests and private balconies in each room. Guests are ferried ashore to explore the islands; landings are either 'dry' (at a dock) or 'wet' (stepping ashore through the surf). Start with a visit to Santa Fe Island where you'll see giant tuna and land iguanas. 

After breakfast, head to Española Island, the breeding site of nearly all of the world's albatrosses, as well as an abundance of mockingbirds, blue-footed boobies and marine iguanas. Then, this afternoon, visit the spectacular Gardner Bay and Osborn Islet as you walk across a white sand beach teeming with sea lions both on shore and in the water, as well as 12,000 pairs of waved albatrosses. 

On day seven, visit the Interpretation Centre that focuses on the interaction between human and nature, before heading to Cerro Colorado and spotting finches, mockingbirds, and the famous Galapagos giant tortoise. This afternoon you'll head to Lobos Island which translates as 'sea lion island' – and, accordingly so, is teeming with them. Take the chance to go snorkelling in one of the Galapagos' best areas and enjoy a dinghy ride to Kicker Rock, the remains of a lava cone eroded by the sea – above waters that are filled with colourful fish and sharks. Spend these days among turtles, rays, sea lions, finches, frigate birds and one of Galapagos' most iconic birds, blue footed boobies. The next day you'll visit Pitt Point and Witch Hill, host to all the species of Galápagos boobies among the volcanic rock formations. Spot sea lion colonies and three species of boobies before visiting Witch Hill, a stunning white sand beach that's filled with sea lions, egrets and great blue herons – it makes for a fantastic snorkelling or kayak excursion, too.

Today head to Floreana where you'll spot blue-footed boobies, waved albatross, sunbathing sea lions and wading flamingos among a a magnificent blowhole and bizarre green-coloured beach. Stop by the barrel at Post Office Bay, left here by whalers in the 18^th century for use as an unofficial post box. Today it's tourists who continue the tradition, leaving postcards for others and picking up any they find addressed to their home towns or cities. You'll also visit Cormorant Point, hiking to a salt-water lagoon home to a huge flock of flamingos and a green beach, caused by olivine crystals in the sand. Enjoy snorkelling in Devil's Crown where an extinct volcano looms out of the water and provides a wonderful snorkelling experience to spot sharks, rays and myriad tropical fish.

Today you'll visit the inlet Black Turtle Cove on the north side of Santa Cruz for a two-hour dinghy ride through the mangrove forest. Spot both black-tip and white-tip reef sharks, sea turtles, spotted eagle rays and even hammerhead sharks. Then, transfer to Baltra airport for your returning flight back to Ecuador’s mainland  where you'll connect to your international flight home. Seven night and four night itineraries are also available on the Ocean Spray as well as on their sister ships Petrel or Camila that both have varying itineraries. 

Depart the Galápagos for your flight home, via Guayaquil, arriving the next day.