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ECUADOR & THE GALAPAGOS

Overview

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This 11-day cruise vacation lets you sample the natural wonders of Ecuador and the Galápagos. Your trip begins in Quito with guided sightseeing of the Legislative Palace and the 16th-century San Francisco Monastery. Have your photo taken in front of the Equatorial Monument, "the center of the world." Next, fly over the Pacific to Baltra Island to embark on an exciting 8 days of cruising among various Galápagos Islands aboard the La Pinta yacht. During your cruise, visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and see incredible plants and animals native to the area. Depart the Galápagos for Guayaquil, where you will have time at leisure to reflect on your South American journey.

City Highlights
QUITO
Sightseeing with a Local Guide, Legislative Palace, San Francisco Monastery, La Compania Church, Workshop and Museum of Oswaldo Guayasamin, Equatorial Monument, welcome dinner.

GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS
Seven nights cruising the Galápagos National Park aboard the La Pinta, Charles Darwin Research Station, guided sightseeing each day with a local naturalist, and a special farewell dinner.

ALL INTRA-TOUR FLIGHTS

Examples of Islands visited:

NORTH SEYMOUR ISLAND:
Nesting colonies of magnificent frigate birds, blue-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls and also sea lions and marine iguanas.

HOOD ISLAND:
Most southeastern island featuring eroded lava terrain. See Galápagos sea lions, lava lizards, Nazca boobies, and the only island with a Waved Albatrosses colony (May-December). Also see the famous blowhole!

FLOREANA ISLAND:
See flamingos that inhabit a brackish-water lagoon, and other birds like ducks, stilts, and sandpipers. Great snorkeling provides close-up views of the marine life like sea lions, rays, sea turtles, and possibly the Galápagos penguin. This island is also the site of Post Office Bay where you learn about the human side of the islands, its early inhabitants and the adventures of pirates and whalers.

SANTA CRUZ ISLAND:
The second-largest island boasts the largest human population, giant tortoises in the wild, and the CHARLES DARWIN RESEARCH STATION. The highlands are great for birdwatching, walking through a Scalesia forest and seeing the twin pit craters Los Gemelos.

TOWER ISLAND:
Due to its northern isolation and the effect of northern currents, this island's ecosystems are quite different from others. Possessing the most seabird diversity, you will find frigate birds, red-footed and masked boobies, gulls, herons, finches, mockingbirds, and the short-eared owl. Good snorkeling is found here too - along with hammerhead sharks!

ISABELA ISLAND:
On the northwest of Isabela, secluded Tagus Cove was in past centuries a favorite anchor for pirates and whalers old graffiti can still be found. The vegetation in the area includes the unusual Palo Santo trees - these white-barked trees are leafless and look dead most of the year. A walk takes you to the back of Darwin Crater, filled with salt water and one of Isabela's six volcanoes. Galápagos penguins, flightless cormorants, sea turtles, marine iguanas, and wild, giant tortoises are a few species that call this island home.

FERNANDINA ISLAND:
The youngest of all islands is home of continuous volcanic activity and recent black lava flows. Considered by many to be one of the most pristine islands in the world due to the absence of introduced mammals. Fernandina has a very unique environment with the highest density of marine iguanas, sharing their space with sea lions, Sally Lightfoot crabs, hawks, penguins and the flightless cormorant.

BARTOLOMÉ ISLAND:
The most photographed view of islands in the Galápagos is seen here with Pinnacle Rock. A great place for swimming and snorkeling with its numerous schools of tropical and subtropical fish, sea lions, sharks, rays, sea turtles, and Galápagos penguins.