michelle_dorland

My husband, 7 yr old son and I are thinking of spending 9 days in Ecuador in Nov. We definitely want to go to the Galapagos-thinking of 5 days/4 nights there. Is it better to see the islands by doing a cruise or staying at lodges on 2 of the islands? One travel agent recommended a 100 person cruise since we will be traveling with a kid. Should we book a boat this size or a smaller boat? If we spend 1-2 days in Quito, we will have 2 days left. Where should we go or do for these 2 days? We enjoy being active and would like to see volcanoes or the rainforest. Any advice are appreciated.

mlgb

I think a land-based tour might work better with a 7 year old. I could see him getting bored during travel between islands, not to mention sea sickness issues.

You can still see a lot on Santa Cruz, nice beaches, iguanas, the tortoises. You can also book day trips, if possible I'd try to get North Seymour (very popular).

I'm not even sure it's worthwhile to go to a second island. You lose a lot of travel time.

Also look into with 5 days/4 nights you really are only going to get a half day the first day and very little the last day (most flights go back to the mainland in the morning). So I might add a day to the Galapagos. For cloud forest you can go to Mindo from Quito.

There are volcanoes all over the Galapagos...they are all volcanoes!

MontaniToursEcuador

Hey Michelle,

First off I think that choosing a cruise is a wise decision. I will respond to both of your posts here. The Santa Cruz II as a bigger boat has more space and amenities that your child may enjoy and they split up the groups so that it doesn't feel like you are on a tour with the full 90 other guests . Cruises navigate at night when compared to land tours that are about 2-4 hours in total. Another option is the ECOVENTURA cruise ships. They specialize in family vacations so that there are other kids on the ship as well. Other options for your extra days around Quito could be to go stay at a hacienda in Ibarra, the Hacienda Zuleta is a real working hacienda/farm with lots of activites or Mindo which is an opportunity for amazing bird watching and light hiking. Both are about 2 1/2 hours north of Quito. Hope the info helps and let me know if you have any other questions!

michelle_dorland

So, I think we have come up with a final trip plan:
Day 1: arrive in Quito at 11:30p and stay at Wydham airport hotel.
day 2: 9am pick up, go to Quilotoa lake for a hike then drive to Cotoapaxi and stay at Tierra del Vulcan.
Day 3: horseback ride and possible hike in Cotopaxi National Park, return to Quito around 3:30-4 for the evening. Will stay at the JW Marriott in Quito since I will have lounge access.
Day 4: go to Bellavista lodge for hiking and stay overnight
Day 5: at Bellavista. Return to Quito around 5.
Day 6: leave for the Galapagos in a 6:50am flight. Stay on the Nemo I. (I know this is a small catamaran with very small rooms, but my husband has always dreamed of a sailboat trip).
Day 6-10: Galapagos cruise
Day 10: back to Quito. Arrive in Quito around 3pm.
Day 11: free day to explore Quuito. Flight home at midnight.

Any tips on dealing with the altitude the first few days? Do anyone have any experience traveling to a high altitude place with a child? Any tips??

crellston

We spend a few nights in and around Quilatoa and certainly noticed the altitude there despite having been in Quito for over a month. Don't expect to do much hiking as you will almost certainly be breathless.

You can take a short walk around the rim - the views are breathtaking (literally and figuratively!). I would go for an earlier departure than 09.00 to try and make sure your driver gets you there well before midday as the clouds usually roll in most days around that time obscuring the view. Some photos from our time there on our old blog http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...2104/tpod.html

Alternatively you could walk down to the crater lake, but do book a donkey to take you back up to the rim. It is a long way back up at that altitude.

Lago Limpiopungo near the base of Cotapaxi make a nice hike. It is also high (over 4000m) but the walk is level and easy. On a clear day there will be fantastic views of Cotopaxi.
We were there a couple of months back - some photos https://accidentalnomads.com/2016/07...s-iconic-peak/

Generally speaking I think children fare no worse or better from altitude. The standard advice is to gradual increase altitude which clearly you can't do, and to sleep lower than the highest altitude you reach in the day - which you almost certainly are. Expect to be breathless and dont try to do too much hiking especially uphill. You should be fine for a short visit which is not overnight.

You could consult your doctor for a prescription for azcetalomide ( Diamox ) which can help - although I am not sure if it is suitable for children. General advice on dealing with altitude here
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Altitud...revention.aspx

Have fun. Ecuador is an amazing place

mlgb

A few ideas

Go to Mindo first, it might help with adjustment.

What about Lake Cuycocha near Otavalo instead? Check the elevations, it may be lower.

mlgb

Do they really 'sail' that catamaran, btw. Many of those cruises they use the engines even on the catamarans.

I had looked at Mary Anne which really is a sailboat, although they don't do short itineraries. By the time I found out that RoadScholar had cancelled a booking I made on Seaman Journey, the Mary Anne was full.

Hang20

We did the Quilotoa hike in July with my 12 year old and 2 14 year olds, all of whom are in excellent shape. we had been in Ecuador maybe days at that point. It is very cold and windy at the top. We left pretty early to get there and were glad we did. You basically hike down through volcanic ash, the dirt is very fine and actually pretty slippery. It warms up as you hike down (altitude). There was no way I was hiking back up and rode the horse back up. I highly recommend this! It was a hard hike back up for my family of well conditioned runners. With a 7 year old I might skip Quilotoa and try the lake mentioned above near Otavalo. It was on my list but we had to cut it out. That way you could also visit the market (much better than expected!) and the Condor rescue center, amazing bird show, REALLY.

We had planned a similar stay in Cotapaxi but the park was closed due to the volcano erupting. It was still venting steam when we saw it from Hacienda La Cienaga in July. Might want to be sure the things you want to do are available.

There are a lot of active things to do in Banos. You might enjoy that.

As far as seeing Quito when you fly back from Galapagos I would check the distances. We there were two flights back to Quito one at 12:45 and one at 1:45, just different airlines. Quito is maybe an hour from the airport and you have to either bring your luggage or figure out how to store it. You also have to plan to get back. Quito traffic can be really slow.

We did land based tours of Galapagos. I could see pros and cons of doing it both ways. I am working on a trip report. Will talk about this in detail. Good luck. Enjoy this beautiful country!