ECUADOR

We land at Mariscal Sucre Airport in Tababela, about 43 km from the city. The drive to the hotel takes 45 minutes to an hour.

The rest of the day is free. We can start at Plaza Grande, where the country's most important monuments are within a few blocks. La Compañía church is one of the best known in the city – covered in gold leaf, gilded plaster and wood carving, it is among the most significant examples of Spanish Baroque in South America. The City Museum tells of everyday life in Quito through the centuries, and the Basilica del Voto Nacional is the largest neo-Gothic basilica in the Americas – its tower offers views over the city and El Panecillo hill. In the Bellavista district is the Capilla del Hombre – the museum dedicated to Oswaldo Guayasamín.

Overnight: Quito – Casa Las Plazas (Standard) / Mama Cuchara (First Class) / Casa Gangotena (Luxury)

Meals: breakfast

A full-day private tour. We begin in the Historic Centre – one of the first UNESCO sites in the world. We pass through Plaza Grande with the presidential palace, the cathedral and the archbishop's palace, enter San Francisco de Quito with the masterpieces of the Quito School of the 17th and 18th centuries, and climb El Panecillo for a 360-degree panorama over the city.

Then we reach the Equator. At the Intiñan Museum there are interactive experiments that can only be done here – such as balancing an egg on a nail. At the Middle of the World monument, built in honour of the 18th-century French geodesic mission, we can take a photo with one foot in each hemisphere.

Finally we return to La Compañía church – a Baroque masterpiece with a volcanic-stone façade and an interior covered in gold.

Overnight: Quito – Casa Las Plazas (Standard) / Mama Cuchara (First Class) / Casa Gangotena (Luxury)

Meals: breakfast, lunch

A full-day private excursion. In the morning we visit Quilotoa lagoon – a crater lake of an extinct volcano about 3 kilometres across. Its waters shift through shades from blue and turquoise to green and even yellow, depending on the weather and the season. We can walk down to the shore of the lake and climb back up. For those who find the climb difficult, locals offer mules and horses for an extra fee.

On the way back we pass through Tigua – a village known for its sheepskin paintings and masks. Then we enter the Zumbahua market – a large Quechua community famous for its market, where animals, handicrafts and fruit and vegetables from the Andes are traded.

Note: the Zumbahua market operates on Saturdays only. If the day does not coincide, we will stop at other places along the route.

In the evening we spend the night at a hacienda in the Cotopaxi area.

Overnight: Cotopaxi – Hacienda La Cienega (Standard and First Class) / Hacienda San Agustín de Callo (Luxury)

Meals: breakfast

We set off early along the "Avenue of the Volcanoes" toward one of Ecuador's best-known symbols – the Cotopaxi volcano. At 5,897 metres above sea level it is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and stands at the centre of the national park that bears its name.

At the entrance our guide tells us about the flora, fauna and history of the volcano. Then we go to Lake Limpiopungo (3,850 m) and walk through the páramo – the grassy landscape of the high Andes, where we may see hummingbirds, wild horses and other animals. The volcano is just a few steps away and, if the weather is clear, we can see all of it.

We have lunch and return to Quito in the afternoon.

Overnight: Quito – Casa Las Plazas (Standard) / Mama Cuchara (First Class) / Casa Gangotena (Luxury)

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Transfer to the airport and flight to Baltra Island (included in the price). In the Galápagos we meet our naturalist guide.

Our first stop is the Twin Craters – formations created by the collapse of the surface layer above underground chambers. Then we go to a ranch in the highlands of the island, where we watch giant tortoises in their natural habitat, and walk through a lava tunnel. We have lunch at the ranch.

In the evening we are accommodated in Puerto Ayora.

Overnight: Santa Cruz – Hotel Fernandina (Standard) / Ikala Galapagos (First Class) / Finch Bay (Luxury)

Meals: breakfast, lunch

Today we set out by boat to another island of the archipelago. The excursion is a group one and includes walks, swimming, snorkelling or simply relaxing on beautiful beaches. The specific island depends on availability – the options are Bartolomé, Santa Fe, South Plaza and North Seymour.

On Bartolomé we climb to the top of the island, from where lava cones and tunnels can be seen, and the beach offers snorkelling among colourful fish and sometimes penguins and sea turtles. Santa Fe is a flat island formed by the uplift of the ocean floor, with a grove of tall cacti and the endemic Santa Fe land iguana. South Plaza consists of two small islets with iguanas, sea lions and birds. On North Seymour there are colonies of frigatebirds and blue-footed boobies.

Note: transfers to and from the hotel depend on the boat's logistics. We will be informed in advance.

Overnight: Santa Cruz – Hotel Fernandina (Standard) / Ikala Galapagos (First Class) / Finch Bay (Luxury)

Meals: breakfast, snack on board

We set off on foot to Tortuga Bay – one of the most beautiful beaches of the archipelago, with a long strip of white sand along the south coast of Santa Cruz. It is suitable for swimming, sunbathing or simply watching the ocean.

Then we visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, founded in 1959. At the visitor centre we learn more about the archipelago's ecosystems and the efforts to protect its species, and in the station's grounds we see giant tortoises and land iguanas.

In the evening we return to Puerto Ayora.

Overnight: Santa Cruz – Hotel Fernandina (Standard) / Ikala Galapagos (First Class) / Finch Bay (Luxury)

Meals: breakfast

Transfer from Santa Cruz to Baltra airport and flight to Quito (included in the price). From there we continue on our return route to Bulgaria.

Meals: breakfast

Eight days. Colonial gold in Quito, a lake in a volcano's crater, a snowy summit above the clouds and giant tortoises that look at us as if we were the strange ones. Ecuador showed us how many different worlds can fit into a small country.

Until the next adventure!