We spent 10 days in the Galapagos in late September, split between two islands, Santa Cruz and Isabela. Santa Cruz is the most inhabited with 30,000 or more residents, whereas Isabela is only 3% inhabited, with just a few thousand residents.
From Quito we picked up a rental car and drove to Hosteria Papagayo, a 180 year old hacienda turned hotel near Cotopaxi National Park, for a 3 night stay in the Andean highlands.
We just spent 4 days exploring Quito, the first city on our South America trip. At an elevation of 9350 feet and right next to the equator, Quito also happens to be the best preserved colonial town in the Americas.