ECUADOR: GALAPAGOS ISLANDS &
ANDEAN HIGHLANDS ITINERARY:
Ages 7 and Up
Day 1 Depart U.S. / Arrive Quito
Days 2-4 Quito / Andean Highlands
Otavalo Market, Condor Project, Pen Pals, Craft Villages
Set out today for the Ecuadorian highlands, an area of forests,
farmland, villages and volcanic peaks a few hours from Quito.
Head straight to the famed Otavalo Market, where you can
experience the color and whirl of a regional market and shop for
local crafts, weavings, sweaters and Panama hats. Spend the rest
of the afternoon relaxing in the beautiful grounds of our
accommodations.
Visit Hacienda Zuleta for a tour of the Condor HUASI Project,
where Andean condors are raised for reintroduction to their
natural environment. If you’re feeling active, there is an
optional 4-mile hike from the community of Angla to Zuleta. Kids
will have the opportunity to meet their pen pals at Zuleta.
This morning we visit several nearby villages where you can
peruse local crafts and learn how weavers, hatters, and musical
instrument makers make their crafts. The afternoon is yours at
leisure. B, L, D
Two Galapagos Cruises Are Offered:
3-Night Cruise
Day 5 Quito / Galapagos Cruise: San Cristobal Island
Beach Exploration, Snorkeling
Fly to the Galapagos to begin your cruise. Board ship and
settle into your cabins. Your seagoing home is the M/V Galapagos
Explorer II, a 293-foot, first-class ocean-going cruise ship
that carries 100 passengers.
Comfortable cabins feature air-conditioning, private bathrooms
and a small sitting area. Experienced naturalists lead shore
expeditions to seek out wildlife and help us learn about the
fascinating natural history of these volcanic islands.
Visit Ochoa Beach, where you can hike a short trail to a
beautiful beach known for snorkeling, swimming, sea anemones,
beach vegetation, sea birds, seashore birds, lagoon birds and
mangrove trees. B, L, D
Day 6 Galapagos Islands Cruise: Española Island & Santa Cruz
Island
Wildlife Viewing, Hiking, Charles Darwin Research Station or
Santa Cruz Highlands
This morning we visit Española, southernmost island of the
archipelago. Because it is so isolated, Española has a large
population of indigenous wildlife. Look for sea lions surfing
the breaking waves and groups of iguanas basking in the sun.
Further inland, masked and blue-footed boobies nest beside the
trails. Hike a trail towards the cliffs to the Blowhole, a
fissure in the lava cliffs where seawater jets high in the air.
In the afternoon, we visit Santa Cruz Island, landing in Puerto
Ayora Town. You'll have a choice of two activities:
Visit Darwin Station to learn about the research conducted on
the island. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a Galapagos
tortoise breeding and rearing center, where tortoises of
different subspecies are prepared for reintroduction to their
natural habitats. Afterwards, you can stroll through Puerto
Ayora, largest town on the islands.
Board a bus for a 45-minute ride through changing vegetation
zones to the Santa Cruz Highlands. Here, about 40 giant
tortoises live in the wild. By approaching quietly, you can find
and observe a turtle on your own. B, L, D
Day 7 Galapagos Islands Cruise: Genovesa Island
Wildlife Viewing, Birding, Swimming, Snorkeling, Hiking
Visit horseshoe-shaped Darwin Bay, created by the curve of a
collapsed volcanic crater. Observe frigatebirds, red-footed and
masked boobies, wandering tattlers, whimbrels, lava gulls,
fiddler crabs, lava and black-crowned night herons. We may also
see yellow warblers on the beach and swallow-tailed gulls
swooping around the cliffs.
Prince Phillip’s Steps is the breeding ground for the red-footed
booby and the masked booby, and home to four species of finch.
Genovesa is also home to the indigenous Galapagos mockingbird
and the Galapagos dove. If there is time, you can snorkel at El
Barranco on the west side of Darwin Bay. B, L, D
Day 8 Galapagos Cruise: San Cristobal Island/Quito
Wildlife Viewing, Swimming, Walking
This morning you’ll visit the Interpretation Center. Donated
by the Spanish Government in 1998, this state of the art
facility offers a complete education on the Islands. B
After lunch we return to the airport and fly back to Quito. Say
goodbye over a special farewell dinner. L, D
Day 9 Return Flight to the U.S. from Quito
4-Night Cruise - Available on Select Dates Only
Day 5 Quito / Galapagos Cruise: San Cristobal Island
Beach Exploration, Snorkeling, Swimming, Hiking
Fly to the Galapagos to begin your cruise. Board ship and settle
into your cabins. Your seagoing home is the M/V Galapagos
Explorer II, a 293-foot, first-class ocean-going cruise ship
that carries 100 passengers.
Comfortable cabins feature air-conditioning, private bathrooms
and a small sitting area. Experienced naturalists lead shore
expeditions to seek out wildlife and help us learn about the
fascinating natural history of these volcanic islands.
Visit Cerro Brujo, a beautiful beach located on San Cristobal
Island, where you can hike, swim and snorkel. B, L, D
Day 6 Galapagos Cruise: Bartolome Island & James (Santiago)
Island
Wildlife Viewing, Hiking, Swimming, Snorkeling
Bartolome is an island of varied volcanic formations with a
350-foot summit and a fabulous 360º view. Land in a cove to see
a small colony of Galapagos penguins - the only penguins north
of the equator. Sea lions are also found here. Behind the beach
can be found red and white mangroves, salt bush, morning glory
and prickly pear cactuses.
This afternoon you’ll visit Puerto Egas on James Island, landing
on a black beach with eroded rock formations in the background.
Hike the trail where the remains of a salt-mining enterprise can
still be seen. Intertidal pools are home to a variety of
invertebrate organisms. Land iguanas are scattered around, and
the trail leads to the fur seal grottos, one of the only places
in the islands where fur seals can be seen. B, L, D
Day 7 Galapagos Cruise: Fernandina Island & Isabela Island
Wildlife Viewing, Hiking, Swimming, Snorkeling
Land on Fernandina Island at Punta Espinoza. Look for penguins
diving off the rocks into the water and sally lightfoot crabs,
herons, sandpipers and wimbrels. Marine iguanas are everywhere:
basking in the sand, swimming near the shore, grazing on the
exposed seaweed in the lava and blocking the way at the landing
dock.
Located on the northwestern tip of Isabela Island, the visit to
Punta Vicente Roca is completely by dingy, on a ride that skirts
400 to 500-foot cliff sides. Blue-footed boobies, masked boobies
and pelicans can be seen here and sea turtles and sea lions feed
along this shoreline. You’ll continue along the sheer cliffs to
a secluded cove where there is a large cave that allows for
snorkeling or sight seeing. B, L, D
Day 8 Galapagos Cruise: North Seymour Island & Baltra Island
Wildlife Viewing, Hiking, Swimming, Snorkeling
North Seymour is a small, flat island composed mainly of rocks
and a long sandy stretch where sea lions and marine iguanas hang
out next to the surf. The interior has a small Palo Santo tree
and Opuntia cactus forest with blue-footed boobies and
magnificent frigate bird colonies.
This afternoon we'll go for a panga ride inside a mangrove
lagoon to look for sea turtles, rays and sharks in the clear
calm waters. B, L, D
Day 9 Galapagos Cruise: San Cristobal Island / Quito
This morning we disembark the Galapagos Explorer II on San
Cristobal Island where we’ll visit the Interpretation Center.
Donated by the Spanish Government in 1998, this state of the art
facility offers a complete education on the Islands.
After lunch, we disembark the M/V Galapagos Explorer II and fly
back to Quito. Tonight we bid goodbye to Ecuador and our
traveling companions at a special farewell dinner. B, L, D
Day 10 Quito / Return Home
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