2 weeks in Ecuador with the Galápagos

Two weeks is a mainland first act and an island second act. A cruise replaces the second act. It does not fit beside it.

1. Days 1–3 · QuitoThe landing, a quiet first day for the altitude, then the old town or Mitad del Mundo.
2. Day 4 · One highland dayCotopaxi or Otavalo, not both. The booking pages are Cotopaxi and Otavalo.
3. Days 5–6 · Cuenca, or a second Quito nightIf the flights to the islands leave from Quito, do not strand yourself in the south. If they leave cleanly from Guayaquil, read the safety chapter before you build a night there. Airside transit is the UK exception. A city night is not.
4. Day 7 · Fly to the islandsQuito or Guayaquil to Baltra, for Santa Cruz, or to San Cristóbal. Same-day connections are the ones that work. The entry chapter and the fee chapter are the paperwork: transit card before the island flight, park fee on arrival.
5. Days 8–12 · Two islands, not fourSleep on Santa Cruz or San Cristóbal, and add Isabela only if the boat is a reputable one. The island-hopping guide is the method. Day tours from Santa Cruz are the booking page.
6. Days 13–14 · Back to the mainland, then homeA night in Quito if the international flight is the next morning. Do not book the island flight and the flight home on the same afternoon.

The Galápagos chapter is the wildlife and the rules. The cost chapter is why this week costs more than the highland week, without a made-up total. The best time is how the garúa months differ from the warm ones.

Sources: island airports and the split between a cruise and a land base are the ones in the Galápagos chapter. Fees are not repeated here. The coast stays off the route for the reasons in the safety chapter.