BudgetTravel

The Real Deal: Six nights' accommodations, meals, sightseeing tours, and regional airfare from $1,260 per person.

When: Ongoing.

Details: Airport/hotel transfers in Quito and the Galapagos, hotel taxes, airport taxes and fuel surcharges for flights to/from the Galapagos, breakfast daily in Quito, and all meals in the Galapagos are included. Airfare to/from Ecuador is not included. An additional $100 per person Galapagos National Park Tax must be paid by cash or credit card upon arrival at Baltra Airport (tax is $50 for children under age 13). For general guidelines on evaluating deals, click here.

Book By: No deadline; based on availability.

Contact: Marnella Tours, 866/993-0033, marnellatours.com.

The escorted tour begins with two nights at the Four Points Sheraton in Quito's downtown business district near Carolina Park and a roughly five-hour guided tour. Highlights include the Presidential Palace, the baroque Church of La Compania, the art & crafts gallery of Tianguez, and a drive to the top of El Panecillo hill overlooking the city. The second part of the tour takes you to the Equatorial Monument, which marks the border between the Eastern and Western hemispheres (and makes a nifty photo-op!). You'll also check out the  Ethnographic Museum located inside the monument..

Next you'll board domestic carrier TAME for the two-and-a-half-hour flight to the Galapagos' Baltra airport, with a connection in Guayaquil. You'll spend three nights at the 22-room Hotel Silberstein in the town of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, a short walk from the Charles Darwin Research Station--home to large tortoises--and the beach. Full-day tours of Plazas, Punta Carrion, Seymour Island, and Bachas are included.

The trip ends in Quito with a final night at the Four Points Sheraton. For more information on what to see and do in Ecuador, visit the official website, ecuadortouristboard.com.

What Makes This a Deal? The most popular way to visit the Galapagos is by cruise, which is virtually guaranteed to be more expensive. Marnella Tours, for instance, offers a package with a three-night cruise costing at least $400 more per person. You'll also save about 10-15 percent on the hotel stays and you'll luck out on the TAME flights to/from Galapagos. (Marnella Tours has negotiated rates lower than those typically charged to foreigners who book through TAME's website.) And then there is the convenience of one-stop shopping. Marnella Tours has pulled together all the pieces, from the airport/hotel transfers to English-speaking guides for the sightseeing tours.

Getting There: The lowest round-trip fares we've found to Quito in early February are: $420 from Miami (Avianca Aerovias); $516 from Chicago (multiple carriers); $526 from New York City (Avianca Aerovias); $532 from Los Angeles (Avianca Aerovias); and $689 from Houston (multiple carriers).

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