ECUADOR & THE GALÁPAGOS in 12-16 days
We have collaborated with friends and travel partners in Ecuador to design this fantastic adventure. Join David and Charlotte McGuffin on this trek exploring capital cities, lush mountains, jungles of the Amazon, and the Galápagos. Along the way, you’ll meet Indigenous people, photograph varied wildlife, visit historic churches, ancient temples and monuments, rugged mountains, waterfalls, and volcanoes, and cruise the Galápagos on our private chartered catamaran yacht, The Anahi.
We’ve designed the tour in three segments, allowing flexibility to hop on or off depending on your time and budget.
The tour begins with eight days of visiting Ecuador’s capital, Quito, the mountains, the Equator Monument and “Middle of the World,” the jungles of the Amazon, and the Chimborazo Volcano. Then, flying from the mainland to Baltra Island, we’ll board The Anahi, our private yacht catamaran, for a five-day adventure around the Galapagos. Enjoy seeing and photographing diverse and rare wildlife, sea life, flora, and fauna.
Still seeking more adventure in the Galápogos? Why not continue another four-days aboard The Anahi? It is the perfect opportunity to discover the extensive biodiversity of the Galápagos Islands and also a route that visits the places with the most significant history of the islands’ first residents.
Your Adventure Starts Here!
| PRICE FROM | DATES | |
|---|---|---|
| $7149 to $10,299 + air | Nov 1-10 (or 13), 2026 |  |
| EXTENSION Four Days $3150 | Nov 10-13, 2026 |
See Itinerary
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Single Room Additional Cost ~?
ITINERARY
DAY 1: QUITO- Dinner
DAY 2: OTAVALO- Lunch
DAY 3: QUITO- Lunch
DAY 4: YACUMA ECOLODGE- Lunch & Dinner
DAY 5: YACUMA ECOLODGE- Lunch & Dinner
DAY 6: BAÑOS- Lunch
DAY 7: RIOBAMBA – Lunch
DAY 8: GUAYAQUIL- Lunch
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DAY 9: FLY/ANAHI YATCH- Lunch & Dinner
DAY 10: CRUISE- L,D
DAY 11: CRUISE- L,D
DAY 12: CRUISE- L,D
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DAY 13: CRUISE/FLY/QUITO
DAY 14: CRUISE
DAY 15: CRUISE
DAY 16: CRUISE/AIRPORT/FLY
Itinerary specifics are subject to change.
INCLUSIONS
TBA
EXCLUSIONS
Anything not listed above in the “inclusions” area is not included in the cost of your tour.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
CANCELLATION POLICY
TBA
SIGN UP BY EMAIL OR POST
If you do not want to sign up online:
You may download a tour application and send it to us with payment.
-OR-
You may return it by:
- FAX 1-800-570-1351
- Email – info@davidmcguffin.com
- email – take a photo of the form with your smartphone and attach it to an email
- TXT – take a photo with your smartphone and TXT to 904-612-8149
KEY TO WALKING & ACTIVITY
Walking and Physical Activity: We have planned this trip to provide maximum tour experiences. The basic nature of Europe does require some degree of physical activity to get out and see the sights, especially in the big cities. To help you plan, we’ve included a daily projection of physical activity. Here is the key for our walking activity ratings:
Light – Walking done on level surfaces with some hills and elevation gains. Two miles or less of required walking during the day.
Moderate – Walking done on paved and gravel paths and cobbled city sidewalks. To enjoy the full tour experience, some uphill and downhill walking is expected, as is standing while viewing sights or museums. Four to six miles of walking per day.
Strenuous – Walking done on rugged and rocky paths and city-cobbled sidewalks. There will be steps and stairs. Up to three hours standing in museums or experience sites. Up to eight miles of walking per day.
Your Choice – No matter what your walking ability, we will help you find alternative ways to enjoy and experience all Europe has to offer. To get the most out of our tours, you should be able to operate at the light level every day with spurts of moderate and strenuous.
PRE-TOUR RESOURCES
Testimonials & Reviews of our ITALY Tours
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Thank you so much for such a lovely trip! I certainly enjoyed your guidance and care. The manner of care that you and Charlotte gave us was outstanding in every way. I, especially, appreciated your patience in my being so slow and tiring easily. After having fallen the week before the trip, I was so nervous that I would fall again.
The tours on our day trips to Florence and the other small towns gave such a wonderful insight into the history and culture of Italy.
My favorite place was Marcampo and meeting Claudia and her mom. The cooking class and the evening wine sharing were a highlight. Volterra had so much history I've never heard before. The views were so dramatic. Your selection of good restaurants took the worry out of finding a decent place to eat which all of my meals were excellent.
Your sharing somewhere special to you made the whole experience a lifetime event for me. I felt like family. You both are so very special in just being you!! Thanking you again for such a unique experience!
This was my first tour with David, likely not my last. We traversed incredible sites in Sicily. David made it easy, with informative dialogue and guides, and an outstanding driver, Paolo.
The Sicily tour was incredible! After touring with David, I felt that I had truly seen all that this special island has to offer: terrific historical sights, vibrant cities, incredible museums, majestic land and seascapes, as well as a delectable cuisine. Throughout the tour David was informative, hospitable and open to suggestions and adjustments. He has a very pleasant and accommodating persona and we were fortunate to have him as our escort. The guides he hires are excellent and really enhanced our experience. The only recommendation I have is to have a guide for EVERY excursion! Our driver, Paolo, was exceptional.
My wife and I traveled to Italy last month for David’s “Essence of Italy” tour and we had a great time. Traveling with David and Charlotte was so much easier not having to worry about our hotel, food, and transportation arrangements.
Due to the Jubilee and the Pope’s death, Rome was extremely crowded. We missed the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter’s Basilica because of the Conclave. We plan on returning to Rome with David to see these sites.
The train ride to Cinque Terre was fun with a lot to see. Once there, we were able to visit a few of the five villages using local trains. The views of the mountain villages next to the ocean were fantastic.
Our next stop was to the hilltown of Volterra in Tuscany. Now I know why David calls Volterra one of his favorite places. It’s really beautiful and has a lot of history. We would never have thought of visiting some of the locations David took us.
We finished our trip visiting Siena and Florence. The museums, Cathedrals, and famous historical sites were great to see.
Traveling with David, Charlotte and our group was very enjoyable. We have already booked our next trip with David in 2026.
Essence of Italy 10 days our first David McGuffin Tour and we were thankful to have David and Charlotte with us on this tour. Rome was quite the experience 2 full days of site seeing with the Vatican, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain to name a few all so beautiful, but a little over whelming with the crowds.
Our hotels in every location were quaint and lovely! Not having A/C is some of them was an adjustment , I definitely recommend you bring the portable fan that David mentions to bring we used it.
We really enjoyed our small group 10 people including our guides it was perfect. We had so much fun at our group dinners having a guide for the restaurants was definitely a plus, as well as what food to order.
Cinque Terre- Monterosso was my favorite village and Volterra the Tuscany area was also a favorite of ours! The tour guides in Rome (Guilai was amazing) and Volterra were informative and enjoyable as well as David and Charlottes information on each area.
We packed just like David suggested and we didn’t have any issues or problems handling our own luggage but we did do laundry once while there. David’s tour prep instructions were spot on.
We had the most enjoyable time making new friends and seeing beautiful Italy our next adventure is hopefully Greece!
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