Ecuador is a fascinating country home to the Galapagos Islands and one of the most wildlife-rich sections of Amazon Rainforest. There are some fantastic luxury tours in Ecuador, including galapagos cruises, luxury galapagos hotels, rainforest cruises, and luxury rainforest lodges.
Here, we will mention our recommended luxury tours in Ecuador to make the most of your time in this incredible country.
Jump straight to our summary of the top 10 luxury tours in Ecuador
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Galapagos & Amazon Combination Tour
Combine two of the most famous attractions in Ecuador on a luxury cruise of the Galapagos Islands and the luxurious and award-winning La Selva Lodge in Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest. Enjoy guided expeditions to see a wide range of animals, plants, and some beautiful scenery. After your expeditions, enjoy delicious cuisine and comfortable accommodation on both the cruise vessel and rainforest lodge.
For the Galapagos Islands, you will enjoy a very comfortable cruise aboard the Ocean Spray or Cormorant luxury catamarans. We will mention these in the own right further down this list. On either of these luxury cruises, enjoy spacious staterooms and relaxing common areas. These vessels offer the most stability and are two of the most luxurious vessels for the Galapagos.
In addition to enjoying comfortable cruises, head out for walks on the islands with your naturalist guides to see some of the famous and iconic wildlife. You can also explore on guided kayaking tours and snorkeling adventures. The animals you’re likely to see include the famous marine iguanas, Galapagos finches, blue-footed boobies, sea lions, and many more. You will also visit some beautiful bays with different colored sand, snorkel with many colorful fish, and hear the fascinating stories of the Galapagos.
In addition to exploring the incredible Galapagos Islands, you will also explore Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest from La Selva Lodge.
La Selva Lodge is an award-winning luxury lodge in Ecuador’s rainforest. From La Selva Lodge, enjoy some fantastic guided tours in the rainforest to find a range of animals and plants. Your guide will help you spot several different rainforest monkeys, colorful birds, caiman crocodilians, bromeliads, colorful plants, and tall emergent trees.
The lodge offers delicious food in the restaurant and bar, which also provides fantastic views of the surrounding rainforest. As La Selva Lodge also offers a spa, you can then enjoy a massage or relaxation treatment after your excursions.
The Amazon Galapagos Combo Tour
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The Petrel Galapagos Cruise
The Petrel Galapagos Cruise is one of the most luxurious vessels to cruise the Galapagos Islands. The catamaran offers luxurious comfort, more stability than other vessels, safety, and expert guides for the Galapagos. From the Petrel Cruise, enjoy guided expeditions on the Galapagos Islands to find the famous and iconic wildlife. Enjoy walking tours on the islands, snorkeling the waters to find colorful fish, kayaking experiences, and a relaxing cruise.
The Petrel Galapagos Cruise offers a range of different itinerary options, including 5-day, 6-day, and 8-day cruises. There are also different ‘A’ and ‘B’ cruises, which visit different islands. We recommended contacting the cruise directly using the below tour bubble and their page on TourTheTropics.com to ask to see both itinerary options. This will help you you make the best choice of cruise.
The itineraries including visiting the different Galapagos Islands to see a range of iconic and famous wildlife. Spot the marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, Galapagos finches, sea lions, and the famous giant tortoises. In addition to the animals, you will visit the beautiful bays, enjoy fantastic beaches, and take in the scenery. See the different ecosystems, such as colorful reefs, mangrove forests, and the impressive volcanoes. You can also visit the Charles Darwin Research Center to see the work they are doing to help protect this incredible area. -
La Selva Lodge
An award-winning luxury rainforest lodge for the rainforest of Ecuador, La Selva Lodge & Spa offers some fantastic guided excursions and very comfortable accommodation.
La Selva Lodge is located by the wildlife-rich Lake Garzacocha with some fantastic lake and rainforest views. For example, you can enjoy delicious cuisine and cocktails in the lodge bar and restaurant while looking out through the wraparound windows over Amazonia.
The lodge is Rainforest Alliance certified and offers guided tours of the Yasuni National Park. This is the jewel in the crown of Ecuador's rainforest and continues to set records for wildlife diversity. Enjoy heading out with your naturalist guide into the rainforest to find many different monkeys, toucans, parrots, fascinating reptiles, brightly colored butterflies, and tall emergent trees. Your guide will teach you about the animals and plants you will see and talk about the region.
La Selva Lodge is based on a traditional bamboo design in keeping with the surrounding communities. There are 19 suits in total, which offer different styles to accommodate families, couples, and single travelers. These are then broken down into the Scenic Suites, Superior Suites, and Family Suites. The family suites are larger and offer an in-deck private tub to relax with a drink while enjoying the rainforest.
In addition to the fantastic rainforest walks, you can enjoy canoeing the lake, climbing the tall canopy tower, visiting the Yasuni clay lick to see parrots and parakeets, and the lodge spa for a massage or relaxation treatment after your rainforest adventures.
4, 5 days+La Selva Lodge
El Coca, EcuadorLa Selva Lodge is an award-winning Amazon Rainforest lodge in the Ecuadorian jungle and is regarded as the premier eco-lodge in the Ecuadorian Amazon....
- Luxury Lodge, Canopy Tower
From $ 1,570
/ person -
The Ocean Spray Cruise
The Ocean Spray is a luxury catamaran cruise for the Galapagos Islands. Enjoy some fantastic island tours to see the famous and iconic wildlife. Spot the marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, giant tortoises, and visit the Charles Darwin Research Center to see the work they are doing to protect this incredible group of islands.
The Ocean Spray is one of the most luxurious cruises for the Galapagos and offers very comfortable, large suites, spacious living areas, security and more stability than many other vessels. Also, the cruise is equipped with kayaks and snorkeling equipment for island exploration.
Aboard the Ocean Spray, you can also find a large sundeck to relax with a drink from the bar, a jacuzzi, and of course the comfortable suites and relaxation areas. The suites also feature their own private balcony so you can get a little closer to fantastic views.
On the different Ocean Spray itineraries, you will enjoy guided tours of the islands. See the beautiful bays, beaches with different colored sand, and the fantastic wildlife. The itineraries include 4-day, 5-day, 6-day and 8-day options that included different sights and attractions. There is also a 15-day mega cruise to really make the most of the area.
4, 5, 6 & 8 daysThe Ocean Spray Cruise
Baltra Island, EcuadorAboard the Ocean Spray Cruise, you will embark on a memorable journey through the mesmerizing Galapagos Islands. The 16-passenger luxury catamaran of...
- Luxury Cruise, Guided Galapagos Tours
From $ 4,190
/ person -
The Cormorant Cruise
A similar cruise to the Ocean Spray, both the Cormorant and Ocean Spray are often offered interchangeably. The Cormorant is a luxury-class catamaran for exploring the Galapagos Islands. Enjoy the Cormorant’s jacuzzi, large sundeck, and spacious cabins. Each cabin includes its own private balcony and large, comfortable beds.
There are different itineraries to choose from. These include the 4-day, 5-day, and 8-day cruises, which also offer different ‘A’ and ‘B’ options that visit different islands and visitor sights. The Cormorant also offers a 15-day in depth cruise of the archipelago if you have the time.
The itineraries then include guided land walks to see the islands and wildlife, snorkeling tours, kayaking adventures, and cruises from island to island. Each of the islands are sometimes home to their own set of wildlife, bays, and interesting sights. For example, Santa Cruz offers the Charles Darwin Research Center to see giant tortoises, Floreana is a great place for snorkeling, Española has beautiful beaches, and San Cristobal is a great place to see marine iguanas, pelicans, blue-footed boobies, and sea lions.
If there are specific things you want the best chance of spotting, make sure you send the cruise an inquiry using the page on TourTheTropics.com to look over different itineraries. -
The Red Mangrove Hotel
The Red Mangrove Hotel provides luxury accommodation on the Galapagos Islands. The hotel is positioned among the mangrove ecosystem of Santa Cruz and provides some fantastic views. You can even see iconic Galapagos wildlife directly from the hotel.
The hotel doesn’t just offer very comfortable accommodation, but also a range of package tours to explore and enjoy the Galapagos Islands. Visit different area to see a range of wildlifeYou have a choice of suite options at the Red Mangrove Hotel. There are 17 comfortable suites and rooms in total, which include the ocean-view suites and superior rooms. The hotel also offers the lodge restaurant and a large deck, which you can share with the visiting sea lions. Not only a great place to enjoy up close experiences of these magnificent animals, but this is also a great place to spot Galapagos birds and other wildlife.
Each of the package itineraries from the Red Mangrove Hotel includes breakfasts and lunches mentioned in the specific itineraries. Enjoy itineraries to see both the marine and land iguanas, sea lions, blue-footed boobies, beautiful bays, interesting rock formations, flamingos, and the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center.
From the hotel, you can then enjoy some fantastic views of the mangroves and also of Puerto Ayora Bay.
The Red Mangrove Hotel
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The Napo Wildlife Center
The Napo Wildlife Center is a very comfortable lodge for Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park in the country’s wildlife-rich section of Amazon Rainforest.
Enjoy some fantastic guided tours from the Napo Wildlife Center into the Amazon to find a diversity of plants and animals. There are many trails around the lodge, a tall canopy tower, and lakes to explore.
In addition to comfortable suites, the Napo Wildlife Center features relaxation areas, a small library, a restaurant, and a fully-stocked bar. The canopy tower is also a part of the main building, which makes it very accessible to observe the canopy and to see different colorful birds flying over the rainforest. The tower reaches 20 feet into the air and offers 360-degree views of Amazonia.
The Napo Wildlife Center provides private bathrooms with hot water, 24/7 solar electricity, ceiling fans, and very comfortable suites. In addition, each of the suites has its own private balcony for enjoying the rainforest from the comfort of your accommodation.
The Napo Wildlife Center is owned and operated by the Kichwa Añangu community and community members will be your guides to show you this incredible section of forest. Enjoy spotting several different monkeys, colorful birds, caiman crocodilians, large and attractive butterflies, and tall emergent trees. You will also visit the Yasuni clay lick to see colorful parrots and parakeets gathered at the clay.
The Napo Wildlife Center
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The Anakonda Amazon Cruise
The Anakonda Cruise is the only luxury vessel for Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest. From the vessel, enjoy guided tours into Amazonia to find a wide range of animals and plants. Your highly trained guide will help you spot several different monkeys, toucans, parrots, sloths, and caiman crocodilians when night spotting. You can choose itineraries of 4, 5, and 7 nights depending on how much time you have available. The cruise then heads deep into the famous Yasuni National Park, which has been found to contain one of the world’s highest amounts of species. The Anakonda vessel itself provides comfortable suites, which each have large beds, air-conditioning, and modern en-suite bathrooms with hot water. There are 18 suites in total, including 4 Deluxe Suites with their own private balcony. The vessel offers a jacuzzi, spa room, and an al fresco lounge. There is also a boutique store, a bar-salon, a solarium, the main indoor dining hall and a very spacious observation deck.
Throughout the Anakonda Cruise vessel, you can find large floor-to-ceiling windows to keep you connected to this incredible environment. On the Anakonda Cruise excursions, you will also visit the Yasuni Clay Lick to see parrots gathered at the clay and can climb a tall canopy tower. Not only a great place to observe the canopy, the tower is a fantastic place to spot toucans and parrots flying over the rainforest. There are also 10 kayaks on the vessel to paddle down the waterways of Amazonia.
4, 5, 8 daysThe Anakonda Amazon Cruise
El Coca, EcuadorThe Anakonda Amazon Cruise provides an immersive and unique experience of the Amazon Rainforest. Enjoy large and comfortable beds, a spa room, outdoo...
- Deluxe Amazon Cruise
From $ 2,845
/ person
The Top 20 Luxury Tours in Ecuador - Summary
And here is the above list again in summary form.
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The Amazon Galapagos Combo Tour
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Unavailable -
4, 5, 6 & 8 days
The Ocean Spray Cruise
Baltra Island, EcuadorAboard the Ocean Spray Cruise, you will embark on a memorable journey through the mesmerizing Galapagos Islands. The 16-passenger luxury catamaran of...
- Luxury Cruise, Guided Galapagos Tours
From $ 4,190
/ person -
4, 5 days+
La Selva Lodge
El Coca, EcuadorLa Selva Lodge is an award-winning Amazon Rainforest lodge in the Ecuadorian jungle and is regarded as the premier eco-lodge in the Ecuadorian Amazon....
- Luxury Lodge, Canopy Tower
From $ 1,570
/ person -
The Eco Galaxy Galapagos Cruise
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Unavailable -
The Red Mangrove Hotel
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4, 5, 8 daysThe Manatee Amazon Cruise
El Coca, EcuadorThe Manatee Amazon River Cruise is a fantastic cruise for adventures into the wonderful Yasuni National Park, one of the world’s richest areas for ani...
- Deluxe Amazon Cruise
From $ 2,865
/ person -
4, 5, 8 days
The Anakonda Amazon Cruise
El Coca, EcuadorThe Anakonda Amazon Cruise provides an immersive and unique experience of the Amazon Rainforest. Enjoy large and comfortable beds, a spa room, outdoo...
- Deluxe Amazon Cruise
From $ 2,845
/ person -
The Napo Wildlife Center
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Unavailable
Ash
Tour Advisor at TourTheTropics.comAsh Card is a frequent visitor to the Tropics and has a passion for helping visitors get the best experiences from tropical locations. Ash is a contributor and tour advisor at TourTheTropics.com. Feel free to contact Ash for tour help in the tropics. When not helping tourists with tours and info, Ash can be found traveling, on wildlife tours or salsa dancing. Ash has completed a BSc in Biology, a Master’s degree in Zoology, and has undertaken a research scholarship at a world-class university on animal behavior. He has published scientific research in the Australian Journal of Zoology and the Journal of Behavioral Ecology. His goal is to help a global society live in balance with the natural world.