Ecuador is a small country on the map, but when it comes to travel experiences – it’s a giant – which is exactly why we chose it as our honeymoon destination! In just one trip you can explore UNESCO world heritage cities, hike through misty cloud forests and snorkel with sea lions in the Galapagos islands. This guide takes you through that exact route, starting in Quitos colourful old town, venturing into the dense Ecuadorian rainforest and finishing off exploring one of the most unique archipelagos on earth. It’s one seriously epic trip packing unrivalled diversity into three adventurous weeks!
Fly into the capital of Quito. Personally, we struggled to find direct routes from the UK and chose to go via Madrid with Iberia.
Due to the nature of this trip, with many guided tours throughout the itinerary we didn’t need to rent a car. Your accommodation or tour company can organise transfers for you, and you can personally book things like ferry’s between the Galapagos islands.
There are two key seasons in Ecuador and the Galapagos islands.
The warm and wet season from December to May/June
The cold and less wet season from June to November
Which season you visit depends on your preferences, we chose to go during the cold and less rainy season as it is peak time for whale shark sightings at Darwin island.
Ecuador is a hugely diverse country with so much to explore, we visited for three weeks and felt like we only scratched the surface! I would recommend a minimum of 10 days to a fortnight to truly immerse yourself in this beautiful destination.
Ecuador is a country which can be travelled in numerous different ways. It is a well trodden stop on South America backpacking routes, with plenty of hostels and more budget friendly options available. However, due to this trip being our honeymoon we chose to travel in a more luxurious way which was such a treat! There are a range of tour companies who can facilitate a smooth, seamless and more high end travel experience – we went with Metropolitan Touring for the majority of our adventure.
Day 1: Arrive in Quito
Day 2: Explore Quito
Day 3: Transfer to Mashpi Lodge
Day 4: Mashpi Lodge & The Rainforest
Day 5: Mashpi Lodge & transfer to Quito
Day 6: Fly to Galapagos Islands
Day 7: Explore Santa Cruz
Day 8: Board Island Hopping Cruise
Day 9, 10 & 11: Island Hopping Cruise
Day 12: Back on land & ferry to San Cristobal
Day 13: Day exploring San Cristobal
Day 14: Board Scuba Diving Liveaboard
Day 15-21: Scuba Diving Liveaboard
Day 22: Travel home
As mentioned above, we used Metropolitan Touring to organise the first 12 days of our Ecuador itinerary. It was totally personalised to our preferences, with knowledgeable guides provided along the way, all our transfers seamlessly organised and luxurious accommodation booked throughout our stay. They took all the guesswork out of planning our trip, organised a well rounded experience of Ecuador and didn’t cut a single corner when it comes to quality, we honestly couldn’t rave about them enough! Once we got back on land after our island hopping cruise we organised the rest of our itinerary ourselves and found it pretty easy to do online.
Quito is a high altitude city, perched at 2850m in the Andes mountains and surrounded by stunning volcanoes. It is well worth stopping by for a couple of days as you start your adventure through Ecuador, especially to explore the UNESCO listed old town which is home to ornate churches, pastel houses, bustling plazas and gorgeous colonial architecture. Here’s a few of my personal recommendations:
Casa Gangotena. A beautiful converted mansion right in the heart of the city. Even if you don’t stay there, be sure to visit for sunset drinks on their gorgeous rooftop.
Just a couple of hours from Quito is the beautiful Ecuadorian rainforest. The air is cooler, everything turns green and you become surrounded by the mist of the country’s cloud forests – one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. We visited Mashpi Lodge, a luxurious hotel which focuses on conservation, research and sustainability. Each day there’s endless activities to try and ways to immerse yourself in nature, these were a few of our favourites:
Mashpi Lodge. A luxurious hotel nestled in the heart of the rainforest, with stunning floor to ceiling windows so you feel like the outside comes in! In terms of how long to stay, I would say two nights and one full day is perfect.
Santa Cruz was our gateway to the Galapagos Islands – one of the most incredible destinations on earth to view and connect with wildlife. The island itself is the most populated of the Galapagos, a lively spot focused around the port town of Puerto Ayora where there is plenty to see and do. It’s the perfect place to settle into island life and get your first taste of the volcanic landscapes and unique wildlife encounters which make this archipelago so famous. Here are my top recommendations:
Finch Bay Hotel. A gorgeous beachfront luxury hotel tucked into a quiet bay just around the corner from Puerto Ayora. The food is delicious, the rooms are super plush and it’s got serious eco-credentials. In short – it’s the perfect base to explore the island, hop on boat trips and settle into the Galapagos.
If there’s one thing you need to do in the Galapagos Islands, it is an island hopping cruise. Living on a boat, sailing between the islands and each morning waking up to a new view, new coastline and new set of wildlife encounters. A multi-day boat trip allows you to reach more remote islands, spend extended time there and have a well rounded, in depth experience of this unique archipelago.
There are numerous different cruises and itineraries available, and which one you choose depends on your time constraints, budget and preferences. Many people opt for an extended 7 day cruise to hit as many spots as possible, but we went for a 5 day option as we also wanted to fit scuba diving into our itinerary.
We travelled on Yacht La Pinta, which is a luxurious expedition boat which not only had plush rooms, a rooftop hot tub and delicious food, but provided a whole host of different activity options from snorkelling and hiking to kayaking and bird watching. We opted for the Origin of Species adventure which focuses on the Northern island and includes:
It was the perfect way to experience the huge diversity of the Galapagos!
San Cristobal is a smaller, sleepier and more laid back island centred around the waterfront town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, where plenty of sea lions laze on park benches! The island is known for pristine beaches and excellent snorkelling. We actually caught a ferry over there from Santa Cruz (which was a wild ride, I am warning you!!) as it was where our scuba boat launched from. We only had half a day there, and our one regret looking back on our trip is we wish we spent a full day exploring as we actually preferred the vibes there to Santa Cruz!
If we had more time, this is what we would have done:
Hotel Indigo. There are plenty of more affordable hotels in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno but since it was our honeymoon we treated ourselves to a plush stay at their gorgeous spot. The rooms were SO nice, with great views and there was a lovely terrace restaurant as well as a gym to use. It ticked all our boxes!
As passionate scuba divers, the Galapagos islands had been at the very top of our underwater bucket list for years. It is widely known in the scuba community to be home to some of the best dive sites on the planet, and offer unrivalled opportunities to have epic marine life encounters. Common sightings include oceanic manta rays, huge schools of hammerheads, endless turtles and plenty of the ocean’s giants – whale sharks! It really doesn’t get much better than that.
While there are plenty of land based dive centres available on the islands, I truly believe that the best way to experience the best of the Galapagos scuba diving is on a liveaboard boat. It allows you to sail between the very best of the dive sites across the archipelago and most importantly, the two most famous and iconic dive sites in the archipelago – Darwin and Wolf – are only accessible on one of these!
We chose to travel on Galapagos Sky following their seven day itinerary, and we had an incredible experience. The interior has been recently renovated, the food was delicious (the best I have ever had on a liveaboard!) and the dive guides were experienced and knowledgeable. The service was on a whole other level – think warm towels and hot chocolate after your dives. Heaven!
I have SO much to say about scuba diving in the Galapagos that I have written a whole in depth guide to it, coming very soon!
However, two top line things you need to know are:
Make sure you pack for all weathers – especially if visiting during the cold season. It can be hot and humid in the day, but chilly and fresh in the evenings. The weather can change in an instant – even if it looks sunny outside, always take a thin waterproof with you!
And last but not least, lap it all up! It is really one of the most diverse and beautiful countries I have ever visited, a destination packed with once in a lifetime experiences, unique wildlife encounters and opportunities for you to make memories you’ll treasure forever.
Zanna x
Disclaimer: The first 12 days of our trip were gifted by Metropolitan Touring, but all opinions are my own.
Let me slide into your inbox. A monthly newsletter of all the good stuff – latest posts and videos, rants and rambles, recommendations and resources.
Website Designed by Brogan Daisy Digital © Zanna Van Dijk 2025
