Thanks to the city’s preservation of its diverse cultural past, UNESCO declared Quito the first of its World Heritage sites in 1978. The city is beautifully situated in an Andean valley at 2,850 metres (9,350 ft), making it the second-highest capital city in the world. Take a look around this marvellous city before spending the night at a centrally located hotel.

After breakfast, we depart the hotel and drive to Quito Airport for our flight to the Galápagos Islands (via Guayaquil).

Upon arrival at Baltra´s airport, we meet the local representative and board a bus for the short transfer to Itabaca Channel, which separates Baltra Island from Santa Cruz Island. Here, we board a small ferry that crosses the azure waters of the channel to Santa Cruz, a journey that takes about five minutes.

On the other side, we travel through a rural agricultural area surrounded by wild landscapes and many different species of flora and fauna. We may well spot the finches that are famous for being the basis of Darwin’s theory of evolution.

See the famous Galápagos land tortoises in their natural environment and learn how private ranches help protect these special creatures and their habitat. Tortoises of all different ages and sizes gather here: small young ones with shining carapaces and older ones with weathered and worn shells. Lunch will be served in the highlands.

Afterwards, we continue to our hotel in the town of Puerto Ayora. Once settled, we walk to the nearby Charles Darwin Research Station, which hosts educational museums on both the history and development of the Galápagos Islands, and protection of their natural heritage. Native giant land tortoises can also be observed. Many different tortoise species exist in the Galápagos and the station is the only place where most of the species reside at one site.

The afternoon is at your leisure to explore small yet picturesque Puerto Ayora and its many shops with local arts and crafts. We later enjoy dinner at the hotel´s cosy restaurant.

Breakfast at hotel. We then transfer to Baltra airport for the flight to mainland Ecuador. En route to the airport, we stop at 'The Twins' or 'Los Gemelos' - two impressive volcanic depressions in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island.

A packed lunch is served on the flight from Baltra Island to Lima (via Guayaquil). At Lima airport, we meet our local representative who transfers you to your hotel in the city. Dinner and overnight.

From Paracas, we explore the nearby uninhabited Ballestas Islands. The shores here have a range of wildlife, including sea lions, turtles, dolphins, pelicans, Peruvian boobies and Humboldt penguins. Paracas is also the near to Pisco valley, the site of mysterious Nazca lines and geoglyphs, which you can see on an optional excursion.

Matarani is a gateway to Arequipa, an exceptionally beautiful city with hectares of immaculate parks and gardens, and views of the dormant, snow-capped El Misti volcano. The UNESCO-listed historic centre is a treasure trove of impressive colonial architecture built with ashlar volcanic stone, inspiring Arequipa’s other name ‘The White City’.

Enjoy two peaceful days at sea as we make our way south to Valparaíso. The Expedition Team recaps our voyage and continues their lecture programme.