Colombia & Ecuador · 12 days · Easy to moderate
12-Day Colombia and the Galápagos
The combination the big operators sell at twelve to seventeen days — with one difference that decides the quality of half the trip. They build the Colombian side themselves and buy the Galápagos from someone else. We are that someone else: the islands are the part we run, with our own licence and our own guides.
Short answer
12-Day Colombia and the Galápagos is a 12-day, 11-night Colombia & Ecuador itinerary starting in Cartagena and finishing in Baltra airport, Galápagos, for private. It is quoted on request, because the price moves with dates, party size and hotel category. On top of that sit the mainland–islands flight and US$230 per adult in mandatory fees, which no operator is allowed to include — US$200 for the National Park, US$20 for the transit card and US$10 collected at the pier on Isabela. Every day of it is published below, and we rebuild it around your dates at no extra cost.
Highlights
- Colombia first at sea level, the islands second when you want the pace to drop
- The Galápagos land-based: a hotel each night, a different island by day
- The island half operated by us directly — not subcontracted
- Bogotá to Quito is under two hours, so the connection costs you an afternoon, not a day
Day by day
- Day 1
Arrive in Cartagena
Private transfer, and the evening free. The walled city is at its best after six.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Not included
- You sleep at
- Cartagena
- Day 2
The walled city
On foot early, indoors through the middle of the day, Getsemaní at night.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Cartagena
- Day 3
The Rosario Islands
Private boat out to the park, back for dinner.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch
- You sleep at
- Cartagena
- Day 4
To Medellín
An hour north-west and 1,495 m up. Cable cars in the afternoon.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Medellín
- Day 5
Guatapé
A full day: the rock, the flooded valley by boat, the painted town.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch
- You sleep at
- Medellín
- Day 6
Comuna 13, then Bogotá
The neighbourhood in the morning with a local guide, the afternoon flight to Bogotá.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Bogotá
- Day 7
Bogotá and on to Quito
The Gold Museum in the morning, then under two hours in the air to Quito. A gentle evening: tomorrow starts early.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Quito
- Day 8
Quito to the islands
The morning flight to Baltra, the Itabaca channel, and the road across Santa Cruz with a stop in the highlands for the giant tortoises.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Puerto Ayora
- Day 9
A day on the water
A full-day navigable tour to an uninhabited island with a National Park naturalist — the day that makes a land-based trip worth it.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch
- You sleep at
- Puerto Ayora
- Day 10
To Isabela
The speedboat crossing, and Las Tintoreras in the afternoon among the white-tipped reef sharks.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Puerto Villamil
- Day 11
Los Túneles
The lava arches, and the best snorkelling in the archipelago.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch
- You sleep at
- Puerto Villamil
- Day 12
Home
Back to Santa Cruz and Baltra for the mainland flight.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- — last day, you fly home
What is included
- Eleven nights in named hotels in both countries — named on the quote
- All transfers, inter-island crossings and private ground transport
- Private guiding in Colombia; National Park–licensed naturalists in the Galápagos
- Day-boat excursions with snorkelling equipment in the islands
What is not included
- International flights, the internal Colombian flights and the Quito–Galápagos flight
- The Galápagos National Park fee (US$200) and the INGALA transit card (US$20)
- Meals not listed
- Travel insurance
- Tips
Per person in double occupancy. Final price depends on your dates, party size and hotel category — high season and single occupancy carry supplements. Full breakdown →
When to do this trip
December to February is dry across Colombia and calm in the islands — the best overlap. July and August work too.
Good to know before you book
- Group size
- Private
- Starts
- Cartagena
- Ends
- Baltra airport, Galápagos
- Pace
- Easy to moderate
- Passport
- Valid at least six months beyond your arrival date. Entry requirements →
- Insurance
- Not included and not optional in our view. Medical evacuation from the islands or the rainforest is expensive.
- What moves the price
- Hotel category, private versus shared guiding, your dates, and party size — a solo traveller pays the room, not half of it. We break the whole thing down in the Galápagos price index.
- If we have to change something
- Weather, park regulations and flight schedules occasionally force a swap. We tell you before you travel, not on the day, and we replace like with like.
Who this trip is not for
We would rather lose the booking than sell you the wrong week. These are the reasons people come back from this itinerary disappointed, and all of them are predictable before you pay.
Anyone who wants the islands from a cabin
This is the land-based version. It reaches the central and southern islands; Genovesa and Fernandina need a boat that sails overnight. If those are the point, a cruise is the honest answer.
Anyone with ten days or fewer
Twelve is the floor for this. Compressed, it becomes four airports and a lot of regret.
If any of those describe you, tell us — there is almost always a version that fits, and it is usually not more expensive.
Questions about this itinerary
How long is the 12-Day Colombia and the Galápagos?
12 days and 11 nights, starting in Cartagena and ending in Baltra airport, Galápagos.
How difficult is it?
Easy to moderate. Group size: Private.
When is the best time to do this trip?
December to February is dry across Colombia and calm in the islands — the best overlap. July and August work too.
What extra costs should I budget for?
Per person in double occupancy. Final price depends on your dates, party size and hotel category — high season and single occupancy carry supplements.
If this one is not quite it
