Most international flights arrive in Quito in the late evening. Transfer to your hotel, our longtime favorite in the city, Casa Gangotena.

Spend the next two days exploring Quito, which has a large and well-preserved colonial center. Ornate homes and shops line the narrow, sloping streets, which periodically open onto plazas fronted by grand municipal buildings and elaborately decorated churches.

Start in the impressive Plaza Grande (also known as Plaza de la Independencia) and walk to the nearby 17th-century Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús. The interior is a riot of gold, with golden Moorish-style latticework encrusting the nave’s barrel vault and resplendent grapevine-clad columns framing niches with life-size statues of saints.

Afterward, perhaps visit the National Museum, rich with pre-colonial and Quito School art. The Gold Room is especially memorable.

Also consider taking part of a day to visit shops that sell items made exclusively in Ecuador. The handwoven Panama hats from family-owned Homero Ortega, chocolates from Chez Tiff Artesanal and colorful tapestries and handcrafted jewelry from Olga Fisch Folklore are ideal Ecuadorian-made gifts to bring home.

You could also visit the Casa Museo Guayasamín, the former home of Ecuador’s most important modern painter, Oswaldo Guayasamín, and the adjacent Capilla de Hombre, a grand gallery housing many of his large-format works.

Dine one evening at URKO, a top Quito restaurant, which serves beautifully presented dishes that encompass ingredients from the Andes, Galápagos, coast and rainforest, Ecuador’s main ecosystems. (See our Quito restaurant reviews here.)

After breakfast, meet your driver and transfer three and a half hours to Mashpi Lodge, a property set in a vast reserve of pristine cloud forest. This is part of the larger Chocó region, which ranks among the world’s biodiversity hot spots.

After you have lunch and settle in, hike through the forest to a waterfall. On our first excursion, our guide pointed out brown dwarf iguanas, red lady’s slipper flowers and a rare black umbrellabird resting on a branch not 50 feet away.

Spend two full days at the lodge (three is even better, if you have time). A cable car affords spectacular views over a series of valleys, and a well-priced spa is available for relaxing after your adventures. Try pedaling the unique “Sky Bike” along a cable through the forest canopy, observe a multitude of jewel-toned hummingbirds at a designated feeding area, visit a butterfly house and/or go on a night hike.

After one more excursion at Mashpi, return to Quito in time for lunch. Part fish market and part seafood restaurant, Zfood is under the same ownership as long-recommended Zazu. The casual, beachy aesthetic draws a chic crowd of in-the-know locals who come for the impeccably fresh ceviches and paella-style rice dishes. Afterward, relax at your hotel, or take a walk in the historic center before dinner.

In the morning, transfer 90 minutes to Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport, where an Aqua Expeditions staff member greets you before your flight out to the Galápagos Islands. On arrival at the airport on Baltra Island, Aqua staff escort you to a VIP lounge where you meet your naturalist guides. Continue on to the Aqua Mare, a luxurious superyacht that holds a maximum of 16 guests. Enjoy your first of many delicious Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) meals created by chef Erick Arreaga, under the consultation of renowned chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino.

The magnificent Aqua Mare offers an exclusive and immersive journey aboard one of the most luxurious vessels in the archipelago. The yacht’s stylish and contemporary design, its low passenger count and, most important, its incomparable service surpassed our high expectations. The seven days are spent exploring the wildlife-rich islands and snorkeling through clear waters observing penguins and sea lions.

For those preferring to stay on land rather than aboard a ship, meet a representative from one of our two recommended properties on Santa Cruz Island: either the overtly luxurious Pikaia Lodge or the more expeditionary (but still exceedingly comfortable) Galapagos Safari Camp. Take a minimum of three full days to explore the Galápagos from your chosen base. Both properties include excursions to nearby islands on two separate days, giving you the chance to see a wide variety of animal species on both guided hikes and snorkeling outings. You also have the option, without having to get into a boat, to visit attractions on Santa Cruz Island, where you can see massive sinkholes surrounded by endemic Scalesia forest and a ranch that is home to dozens of giant tortoises.

Disembark and fly back to Quito via Baltra Island. Transfer 90 minutes northeast of the airport to the Hacienda Zuleta situated in the Andean Highlands. A stay at this property provides an ideal transition back to city life from the otherworldly Galápagos.

Spend the next two days horseback riding across the 4,000-acre working farm; learning about the hotel’s Condor Huasi program, an internationally recognized conservation effort created to protect the critically endangered Andean condor; and participating in cheese-making, cooking and embroidery workshops led by local Latino and Indigenous communities.

After one more morning at the hacienda, transfer back to the airport and take a late flight out of Quito. Arrive home the next morning.