Travel Review: Tour of Ecuador & The Galapagos Islands, Quito, Santa Cruz Island, Amazon, Catamaran Cruise, Wildlife Photography

We enjoyed every aspect of the trip.  Quito is an interesting city with highlights of the Old City, the Fundacion Guayasamin, la Calle Ronda, great restaurants, and friendly helpful people.  The Galapagos Islands were fantastic, with animals and birds that were easy to see, approach and photograph, great food and service aboard the catamaran yacht, and several wonderful days on Santa Cruz Island with the Galapagos Conservancy's turtle research station, dining at the Puerto Ayora street kiosks at night, and travel to the lava tubes, turtle "farms" and North Seymour Island.  On Santa Cruz Island we stayed at a delightful hotel, which was perfectly located on the water, with very nice rooms and a great breakfast buffet. We found the lodge in the Amazon to be outstanding, with great rooms, wonderful food, knowledgable naturalists and guides, and several daily excursions for jungle hikes, lagoon and river canoe trips, viewing from above the canopy in an observation tower, and a visit to a native village.