First-timer's itinerary help please: Galapagos +

Dear Ecuador experts,

We (a couple in our late 30s, active but not terribly athletic, love both nature and culture, trying to travel on a budget) - are planning a June trip from NYC, most likely flying into Guayaquil and out of Quito. This is what it looks like so far; I'll greatly appreciate any input on the amount of time and order of places/things to do.

Day 1: arriving at GYE around 5:30 pm

Day 2: taking it easy - Malecon, Parque Historico, bot. garden etc

Day 3: flying GYE - Baltra and staying until day 13, either getting on a last-minute cruise, or lounging on Isabela, taking day trips/land-based tours. I should add that the airfare is "free" (i.e. fully covered by miles) for these particular dates, therefore the trip is being built around them.

Day 13: San Cristobal - GYE, arriving around 5 pm, staying the night.

Day 14: van to Cuenca?

Day 15: Cuenca or Cajas?

Day 16: flying to Quito, spending 2 days TBD

Day 18: UIO - NYC

Thank you so much!

Have to add that there's also the option to fly straight to Quito on the way back from the islands, but then we would probably have to pass on the pretty Cuenca - is it something we'll regret? Thanks!

Hi there

It looks good to me, a couple days in Cuenca and then up to Quito for a couple of days - remember there are loads of places to discover in the surroundings of Quito if you don't just want to stay in the city.

I don't know if it is an option but why not fly into Quito and out of Guayaquil. Then you can have a couple of days in Quito at the start, fly to Galapagos from Quito (maybe not possible with your airmiles?) then fly back from Galapagos to Guayaquil - and then visit Cuenca from here, and back to Guayaquil for your flight home.

10 days in Galapagos sounds heavenly, I could do with that right now. Like you say if you can't get a cruise that interests you, you can island hop. The beach at Isabela has to be one of my favourite spots, I never want to leave.

Hi Em,

Thank you very much - this makes a lot more sense geographically, of course. I played around with dates a bit and found it was still possible to pay with miles for the route you describe :)

Would you say it's doable or too tight:
take a morning van from Guayaquil to Cuenca on Monday, see the town/spend the night, and hike Cajas on Tuesday - considering the flight home from GYE is at 2:50 pm on Wednesday?

Thanks again!

You might want to consider Bahia de Caraquez as you first stop for Guayaquil

Hi there

That's great that you can change you route - I think it makes more sense too.

The journey from Guayaquil to Cuenca should take around 3 and a half hours (conservative estimate) - if you get an early start you will still have a full afternoon to explore Cuenca.

Next day Cajas walking - again you should be back in Cuenca mid afternoon at the latest so more time to see the city in the afternoon.

You could then return to Guayaquil on the Wed morning - straight to the airport - aim to be in the airport 3 hours before your flight so arrival in Guayaquil 11.50am - leave Cuenca around 8am? Much nicer to spend your last night in Cuenca than in Guayaquil IMO!

Hope this helps

Thank you, it is very helpful and sounds great!

I am so looking forward to the Cuenca and Cajas combination - it seems a perfect way to get our "culture+nature" fix - maybe more so than Puerto Lopez and Pque Natl. Machalilla, wouldn't you say?

Thanks again!

Yes, I would definitely stick to Cuenca & Cajas rather than Puerto Lopez & Machalilla. Since you will be having your 10 days in Galapagos you will already be having the 'beach' experience (with everything else that Galapagos offers), so good to have the contrast of the colonial city in the Andes with a day in the paramos of Cajas NP.