Rich in history, Quito’s historic heart is a living treasure, largest and best-restored “old city” in the Americas. Designated by UNESCO in 1978 a World Cultural Heritage Site, there are stunning churches, compelling museums, charming cobblestone streets, plazas rimmed with colonial mansions, culture around almost every corner and  in spite of all this, it has an approachable friendly feel. And best of all, the second highest capital in South America at 9,000 feet altitude, it has a spectacular setting at the foot of the 14,000 ft Pichincha Volcano

Charles Darwin called the Galapagos Islands “a separate center of creation.” Herman Melvine described them as “the Enchanted Islands.” The group of 15 major islands and dozens of smaller islets and rocks - all the result of volcanic activity - certainly appear to be out of this world. They are, in fact, an unpredicted wilderness, filled with extraordinary populations of unique species, which have developed apart from humans and their dominating influence, and they remain today a living laboratory of evolution where animals and birds have no fear of man. The Galapagos is one of the top nature experiences available on earth