Metropolitan Touring announces immersive new travel adventures across mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands
New travel adventures across mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands
Monday 1st November 2021 saw the much-awaited removal of Ecuador from the UK’s travel red list, making it one of the final seven countries UK travellers are now able to explore without the need for a lengthy hotel quarantine on return home. With both mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands open to all travellers from the UK, the country is well and truly back on the map for intrepid holiday adventures for the year ahead.
From the beginning of 2022, Metropolitan Touring, Ecuador’s foremost DMC and pioneers of sustainable travel to the Galapagos Islands over 50 years ago, is set to launch new travel experiences across its portfolio, which is entirely carbon neutral and includes trailblazing Mashpi Lodge, Quito mansion house Casa Gangotena, beachfront Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel and a small fleet of expedition cruise ships.
Forest-to-Coast Wellness Holiday
From January 2022, Mashpi Lodge and Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel will come together to launch a new ‘Forest-to-Coast’ wellness package. Guests will begin their journey immersed into the magic of the Ecuadorian cloud forest at Mashpi Lodge, where days start with self-guided sunrise yoga on the open deck. Over three days guests will recalibrate in nature with knowledgeable Naturalist Guides, through birdwatching excursions where they’ll have the chance to spot hummingbirds, woodpeckers, tanagers and parrots; ethnobotanical hikes along some of the reserve’s unique nature trails; and bracing wild swims at a nearby waterfall followed by al fresco massages. Guests will be able to learn more about the healing qualities of local plant life at the Life Centre, where conservationists have established an area for growing medicinal plants to be used in herbal infusions; whilst meals will be taken from Mashpi Lodge’s new wellness menu which incorporates healing ingredients abundant to the local area.
A short flight across to the Galapagos Islands will welcome guests to the secluded Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel on Santa Cruz island. Guests will embrace active exploration of the island, including private SUP lessons, surfing, kayaking, mountain biking and excursions on board the hotel’s own Sea Lion yacht, spotting some of the archipelago’s most famed residents. Guests can find peace at the new spa, where unique treatments are inspired by the surrounding landscape, and come nightfall, naturalist guides will lead a newly-introduced stargazing session. Foodies can opt for a chef-led tour of the pioneering Chakrita Lab, where barrel containers allow for the vertical growth of herbs, vegetables and edible flowers, otherwise unable to grow in the Galapagos. Guests can learn more about the healing properties held by each of the plants and sample them via the hotel’s new plant-based menu.
To book: The Forest-to-Coast Wellness experience with Jacada Travel starts from $7,800 per person including: three nights’ accommodation at Mashpi Lodge including all meals, activities and one waterfall massage; three nights’ accommodation at Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel including all meals, two massages and stargazing; two nights accommodation at Casa Gangotena in Quito; internal transfers; and domestic and international flights.
Private island-hopping travel in the Galapagos
From March 2022, Metropolitan Touring will offer a completely private land-based island-hopping itinerary in the Galapagos Islands. A dedicated private guide and private light aircraft and yacht charter ensure that guests will see the very best of a destination more commonly associated with groups and cruise itineraries, while remaining in their own family or friendship group. The journey begins with three nights on Isabela Island, where guests will reside at the luxurious Scalesia Lodge home to just 16 safari-style tents surrounded by lush forest and spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. Expert guides will lead private excursions to many of Isabela’s more remote regions which are inaccessible to cruise passengers, including traversing along the rim of the active Sierra Negra Volcano and exploring the Tintoreras Islets, where white tipped reef sharks bask in shallow water and Galapagos penguins nest in volcanic crevices.
A spectacular private light aircraft flight affording a memorable birds eye view of the archipelago will whisk guests over to Santa Cruz Island, for four nights at the secluded Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel. Guests will enjoy private charter excursions onboard the hotel’s Sea Lion yacht, spotting colourful frigate birds and throngs of scaled iguanas on neighbouring isles; kayaking through some of the region’s most remote bays; and walking with monolithic tortoises in the Santa Cruz highlands. Come nightfall, a range of private beachfront dining experiences await, and local guides will lead private stargazing workshops, where guests will have the chance to spot nebulae in startling clarity thanks to the region’s minimal light pollution.
To book: Journey Latin America (020 8747 8315, journeylatinamerica.co.uk) offers an eight-night programme including the private Galapagos experience and one night at Casa Gangotena in Quito, all transfers, domestic and international flights, from £7,864 per person, based on two sharing.
Hurtigruten x Metropolitan Touring
Setting sail in January 2022, Metropolitan Touring has announced a new partnership with Hurtigruten Expeditions, as the world leader in exploration travel expands its global offering to the Galapagos Islands for the very first time. As part of the partnership, one of Metropolitan Touring’s expedition ships, the MS Santa Cruz II has been fully renovated and a Science Area - a Hurtigruten hallmark – has been be added. Guests onboard the 90-passenger expedition vessel will embark on in-depth six-night journeys across the Galapagos, taking in the very best flora and fauna across the archipelago. With both companies sharing common values in investing in sustainability, all sailings will be carbon neutral and guests will contribute directly to the protection of biodiverse forests in northwest Ecuador, named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2018.
To book: Hurtigruten Expeditions (020 3993 1104, www.hurtigruten.co.uk) offers an 11-day Galapagos itinerary from £7,595 per person, including the six-night expedition cruise to the Galapagos Islands on a full-board basis, three nights in Quito, all transfers, domestic and international flights, a cultural tour of Quito and nature tour of Cotopaxi National Park. Based on two sharing.
