Quito, Puerto Ayora, Isla San Cristóbal & Puerto Villamil: Best Itinerary Ideas

How many days do you need in Quito, Puerto Ayora, Isla San Cristóbal & Puerto Villamil?

• Most travelers spend 10-13 days in Quito, Puerto Ayora, Isla San Cristóbal, and Puerto Villamil combined
• Visiting Quito, Puerto Ayora, Isla San Cristóbal, and Puerto Villamil in 8 or 9 days is possible, but it will feel rushed
• With 14 or more days, most travelers choose to add more stops to their trip
• The most common extensions are Baños, Cotopaxi, and Yasuni National Park

How Many Days to Spend In Ecuador

Recommended Itineraries for Quito, Puerto Ayora, Isla San Cristóbal & Puerto Villamil

Recommended Itinerary for 12 Days

Experience the best of Quito and the Galápagos Islands on this thrilling 12-day itinerary. Featured on ABC's Good Morning America, the trip starts and ends in Ecuador's vibrant capital city, where you'll enjoy two full days of sightseeing. The rest of the adventure happens in the Galápagos, where you'll explore several islands, spot rare birds in the wild, snorkel with penguins, and see giant tortoises up close. Read more

Recommended Itinerary for 13 Days

From Quito at the equatorial center of the world, begin your journey to the Galápagos Islands, which you'll explore by boat, kayak, bike, foot, and swimming. See blue-footed boobies and swim alongside sea turtles on Isla Española and snorkel at the lion-shaped rock formations of Kicker Rock. Kayak through Tortuga Bay's mangrove forests and hike on islands uninhabited by humans on this adventure-full itinerary. Read more

Extended Itineraries

10-Day Itinerary Including Baños & Cotopaxi 

Adventure awaits on this exhilarating 10-day journey through Ecuador. Starting in the country's rugged Andean highlands, you'll hike and horseback ride through a landscape of towering volcanoes, crater lakes, and dramatic waterfalls before hopping over to the Galápagos to discover some of the most remarkable biodiversity on earth. Explore uninhabited islands, snorkel with sharks, and get your adrenaline pumping as you rappel deep into a dormant volcano. Read more

15-Day Itinerary Including Yasuni National Park

Nature lovers will adore this journey through Ecuador, which takes you to the Amazon rainforest and the Galápagos Islands. Start in Quito, where you'll tour the city, take a cooking class, and visit the equator. Then, take a day trip to an Indigenous market and volcanic crater lake before heading into the Amazon for some wildlife spotting and a visit to a Kichwa community. Return to Quito and fly to the Galápagos, where you'll see giant turtles, snorkel with marine wildlife, try paddleboarding, and hike up a volcano. Read more

How to travel between Quito, Puerto Ayora, Isla San Cristóbal & Puerto Villamil

The natural paradise that is the Galápagos Islands isn't just a must-visit destination in Ecuador, it's one of the world's most wonderful and important natural sights, containing wildlife that you simply cannot find anywhere else. Traveling there from Quito is usually via Guayaquil, the big port city in Southern Ecuador, which sits much closer to the islands. Arrival on the islands is normally through the airports of Isla Santa Cruz or Isla San Cristóbal. Read more