Itinerary Expand allQuito to Guayaquil Day 1 Start Quito.Land Only clients should aim to arrive at the hotel this afternoon/evening. Free transfers are available for all clients. A local guide will welcome you to Quito and explain the schedule for the next few days.Accommodation: Hotel Casona de la Ronda (or similar) Day 2 Discover Quito at your leisure.Today is free to relax, recover from the flight and explore the fascinating city of Quito. Quito is the second highest capital in the world, standing at 2850m on the western cordillera of the Andes. It is one of the smaller and more attractive of the colonial capitals of South America. Because of the altitude visitors to Quito are advised to take it easy at first.Accommodation: Hotel Casona de la Ronda (or similar) Meals included: Breakfast Day 3 Fly to Baltra Airport on the Galapagos & Mosquera IsletMorning Fly to Galapagos: Transfer to Quito Airport and fly to Baltra Airport in the Galapagos Islands. Upon arrival to the Islands, you will pass through the airport inspection point to make sure that no foreign plant or animals are introduced to the island, and to pay the National Park Entrance Fee. Your guide will meet you, help you collect your luggage and escort you on a short bus ride to the harbour where a dinghy will be waiting to take you to the yacht.Afternoon Mosquera Islet: Galapagos Sea lions are true beach lovers and Mosquera offers beautiful white coral sand beaches that contrast with the blue water and attract numerous Sea lions. During a beach walk, you can observe numerous species of waders and sanderlings.Accommodation: Archipel I Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 4 Genovesa IslandMorning Prince Philip's Steps: Not only because of its historical English name (Tower) Genovesa has a royal touch. Follow in the footsteps of Prince Philip - Galapagos lover for many years - and visit this favourite birding spot with the largest breeding colonies of Red-footed and Nazca boobies and look for a remarkable Short-eared owl that hunts on foot!Afternoon Darwin Bay: As one of the outer islands and most exclusive places on the Galapagos, Genovesa is well worth last night's longer navigation. This compact site in the heart of its flooded crater shows the extreme varied coastal ecosystems of the Galapagos in miniature; nearly too much for a single day. Accommodation: Archipel I Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 5 Bartolome & SantiagoMorning Bartolome: This tiny volcano islet is just recently born out of fire. Enter its wild romantic setting of spatter cones and craters, and see the most famous panorama of the Galapagos. Afternoon Sullivan Bay (Santiago): Sullivan Bay is incomparable to any other visitor's site; setting foot at the recently solidified lava flow is like landing on the moon!Accommodation: Archipel I Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 6 Santa Cruz IslandMorning El Chato Reserve - Twin Craters: El Chato Reserve is a protected area and official part of the Galapagos National Park. It extends from Cerro El Chato as far down as the southwestern coast of Santa Cruz Island, where females lay their eggs.Afternoon Fausto Llerena Breeding Center: A tour at Fausto Llerena Breeding Center you can see the tortoises of Española Island, ending in the tortoise exhibit corral. Tortoises of this corral are accustomed to humans; it is an excellent spot to be photographed with them!Accommodation: Archipel I Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 7 Floreana IslandMorning Cormorant Point: Please don't expect flightless cormorants at Cormorant Point (they live exclusively in West Galapagos). Instead, you may have the only opportunity in the East to spot Galapagos penguins from the dinghy, or a flamingo lagoon against the pockmarked backdrop of extinct tuff cones and scented palo santo bushes.Afternoon Post Office Bay: Bring your postcards and post them in the peculiar traditional barrel on this historic site that seems to be located at the end of the world. These might arrive home quicker than you!Accommodation: Archipel I Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 8 Espanola IslandMorning Gardner Bay: Being one of the crown jewels of the Galapagos, Espanola gives you the exclusive opportunity to become an eyewitness of evolution.Afternoon Suarez Point: Espanola's west tip is a true birdwatcher's and photographer's dream. Feel as though you're within an exciting nature documentary and hike a short distance from some of the most colourful Marine iguanas.Accommodation: Archipel I Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 9 San Cristobal IslandMorning Pitt Point: Two wind sculptured tuff cones at Pitt Point constitute the easternmost end of the Galapagos and were the first sight of land of HMS Beagle with Darwin aboard.Afternoon Witch Hill: Enjoy a leisurely afternoon in the lovely setting of Witch Hill's crescent-shaped natural beach of soft powdery sand.Accommodation: Archipel I Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 10 Disembark San Cristobal; fly to Guayaquil and end.Morning Lobos Islet (San Cristobal): The Asylum of Peace hike goes past a mesmerising cave and visits a fascinating freshwater spring. La Loberia beach is an ideal spot to enjoy the ocean, as well as the cute Sea lions that live there.Afternoon transfer out to San Cristobal Airport: Assisted by the naturalist guide and some crew members, the dinghy will bring you and your luggage to San Cristobal, where we will take the airport shuttle. From here we fly to Guayaquil where it's possible to connect with international flights this evening from 6pm onwards. Meals included: Breakfast
Napo Wildlife Centre Extension (XGA) Code: XGA Spend three nights in a luxurious eco-lodge overlooking Anangucocha Lake, and experience one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet - the Amazon Rainforest. The Napo Wildlife Centre is one of the best eco-lodges in the Ecuadorian Amazon basin. Located deep within Yasuni National Park, Napo Wildlife Centre is perched on a hillside in the heart of the forest. Its small number of rooms and large private reserve means that visitors have excellent chances of spotting some of the many mammals living in the forest. In this region over 500 species of bird have been recorded, as well as numerous monkey species, tamarins, tapirs, sloths, jaguars (rarely seen), caimans and lizards. The detailed itinerary can be found here.Please ask your sales consultant for more details. Price from: £1739 (compulsory supplement of £840 for sole travellers)
EcuadorBritish passport holders do not need a visa for Ecuador. Very few other nationalities need a visa for Ecuador, but if you are in any doubt you should contact the nearest Ecuadorian Embassy.
EcuadorThere are no mandatory vaccination requirements, however, if you have travelled to a country at risk of Yellow Fever prior to arriving in Ecuador you will be required to have a valid Yellow Fever Certificate with you. Recommended vaccinations are: Typhoid and Hepatitis A.If you will spend any time in the Amazon Rainforest we recommend a Yellow Fever vaccination. Please note that your certificate of vaccination may be inspected on arrival to this region.Malaria is also a risk in some areas of the country (including the Amazon Rainforest) so we suggest you consult a doctor for more advice. Dengue fever and/or Chikungunya are known risks in places visited on this trip. Both are tropical viral diseases spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for either, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Zika fever is a mosquito‐borne viral disease and a known risk in places visited on this trip. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, we therefore strongly recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites. PLEASE NOTE: All visitors to Ecuador will be required to show valid medical insurance on arrival and cannot enter the country without it.
Catamaran - Archipel I The Archipel I is a catamaran with an outside lounge and dining area, an inside lounge/bar area and a spacious sun deck, perfect for relaxing and observing the incredible Galapagos landscape. There are two cabins with double beds and six twin cabins with two single beds. All cabins have air conditioning and en suite bathrooms. Beach towels are provided and there are also two sea kayaks on board for passenger use.Please note that a lot of the travelling between islands is done overnight, so some cabin noise and movement should be expected.Boat specifications:Catamaran16 passenger capacity with 2 double cabins and 6 twin cabins. Crew: 9 + 1 naturalist guide Length: 27m Beam: 11m Virtual 360 Tour - Archipel I - https://catamaranarchipel.com/VR/ARCHIPELL.htmlSingle rooms can be arranged for a supplement for the two hotel nights in Quito, subject to availability – please enquire at the time of booking. Unfortunately, we cannot offer single cabins on board the boat in the Galapagos, and you will be paired up with another traveller of the same sex for the 7 nights on board.
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Reviewed March 2022 Debra .A Dream Come True Visiting the Galapagos Islands had been at the top of my wish list for as long as I can remember and this trip was everything I'd dreamt of. Every day brought special, close-up encounters with magnificent animals - male frigatebirds displaying their bright red chests, sea lions stretched out on the beach nursing their young pups or cheekily hitching a ride on the back of our boat and pairs of blue-footed boobies engaged in a courtship dance. The Archipel 1 is modern, spotlessly clean, spacious and comfortable with a friendly, hard-working and efficient crew. The food is excellent in quality, quantity and variety. The boat has the capacity for 16 guests, which enables everyone to get to know one another.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? There were many, but looking into the eyes of a 130 year old giant tortoise was a particularly special moment for me, as was lying on the top deck of the boat and watching a dozen or so frigatebirds flying just three metres above us.What did you think of your group leader? Our naturalist guide, Marvi, was born in the Galapagos and is a real expert on the islands. He is engaging, enthusiastic, organised and friendly.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Take a pair of sturdy shoes, such as walking boots or trainers. The terrain on some of the islands can be difficult, involving clambering over large, uneven and occasionally loose boulders. A water bottle and a sealable bag to keep your camera dry and free of sand are also essential.Is there anything else you would like to add? Storm Eunice led to my arriving in Quito a day later than scheduled, so unfortunately I wasn't able to take up any of the optional sightseeing trips in the city. The Casona De La Ronda hotel in Quito is quite simply gorgeous.
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