Galápagos, Andes & Amazon River Cruise Family Walking & Hiking Tour - Older Teens & 20s

In order to fully experience the best of three incredibly diverse regions of Ecuador, this trip involves an ample amount of travel to and from the Ecuadorian mainland, the Amazon and the Galápagos Islands (including two round-trip flights, one of which requires us to get going as early as 5 a.m.). We take commercial flights on one or more of the following planes, depending on your departure date: twin-jet planes operated by LATAM Ecuador or Avianca, and twin-jet or turboprop planes operated by Tame Airlines or Avianca.

The wildlife in the Amazon is at its liveliest early morning, late afternoon and evening, so our activities line up accordingly, allowing optimal animal encounters in the cooler hours while giving you some time to relax midday. Galápagos activities are a full morning and a section of the afternoon, leaving you with a good portion of the evening to enjoy the hotel and the local town.

The main form of travel for activities in the Amazon and Galápagos is by boat. Our Amazon ship cruises on calm river waters while our Galápagos boats sail through open ocean, so bring medication if you're prone to motion sickness.

The Amazon and Galápagos Islands are fascinating places, yet at times logistically challenging, especially with national park regulations in the Galápagos. Itinerary changes are quite common. In the Amazon, our daily itinerary is based on scheduled sailing and port arrival times, which in turn are determined by the naturally shifting water level of the Napo River. Low water levels result in slower sailing, extra cruising time or possible shifts in activity timing. As a result, some days have more opportunities for land exploration while others have a little more sailing time. Should any unforeseen change happen during your river cruise, we'll work closely with the Anakonda's captain and staff, who are very experienced in going with the flow. And if we encounter changes to planned activities, your Trip Leader will be at the ready to adjust or find alternate activities.

Although Galápagos is part of Ecuador, the islands can feel worlds away from the mainland, including slow or no internet connectivity and ATMs possibly running out of cash. Service at hotels and restaurants can lack a sense of urgency when compared with other regions. Your best bet is to sit back, relax and soak in the island way of life.

Some hikes on this trip are remote and do not intersect with roads. Vehicles or boats will get us to and from the trailheads, but the nature of these trails is such that we won't see our vehicles along the route. Ample trail support in the form of water, snacks and encouragement is provided by your Backroads leaders and local guides.

We provide plenty of hiking options and ample trail support so that you can hike at your chosen pace throughout the trip. However, in the Amazon and Galápagos, in accordance with the national parks' environmental protection regulations, hikers must stay in designated areas and be accompanied by our local naturalist.

During the river cruise portion of your trip, the Anakonda ship is your floating luxury hotel, letting you visit many locations along the Amazon's Napo River without having to pack up your bags! We've limited our Backroads group size to 20, but just like any hotel, we'll be sharing the ship with other guests. This 40-passenger ship is custom-designed with inviting common spaces so you'll have room for relaxing and socializing with other guests.

In contrast to our usual land-only based trips, which have similar room categories, the Anakonda offers two suite stateroom categories: Deluxe and Standard. The four top-tier Deluxe Suites often fill fast so book as early as possible if this is important to you.