When you’re in Ecuador, you can’t help but see the Andes. Standing guard over the city of Quito, their towering peaks are a majestic sight from sea level. But why stop there? On this enchanting pre-Galápagos adventure, we’ll journey from Quito to a painstakingly-restored 17thC hacienda for lunch and explore the lush valleys in its backyard (it’s a big backyard). Later, we’ll stop to shop in Otavalo’s bustling marketplace—the largest on the continent—take a vigorous hike around the rim of a 3-km-wide crater lake and explore the plethora of small towns that dot the Andean Highlands. Quite simply, it’s the best four-day warm-up stroll you’ll ever take.

• The Andes Pre-Trip is an add-on to our Galápagos Islands By Sea trip. Read more about this trip here.

Day 1 Stop for lunch at Hacienda Cusin, a restored 17thC hacienda full of antique furnishings and tapestries
Day 2 Negotiate a fair price for that one-of-a-kind sweater or blanket in South America’s largest and busiest market
Day 3 Walk the rim of the Laguna Cuicocha caldera, meet with a medicine-man and inspect the handiwork of one of Cotacachi’s famed leatherworkers
Day 4 Take an after-breakfast tour of historic Quito before meeting up with your fellow Galápagos-bound travellers