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 & Fausto Llerena Breeding Center (Santa Cruz)Morning 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 Fausto Llerena Breeding Center (Santa Cruz): 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 4 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. Accommodation: Archipel I Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 5 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 past the most colourful Marine iguanas. Accommodation: Archipel I Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 6 San Cristobal IslandMorning Pitt Point: Two wind sculptured tuff cones at Pitt Point constitute the easternmost end of 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 7 San Cristobal IslandMorning Lobos Islet: 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 Interpretation Centre: The Interpretation Centre gives a perfect explanation of this unique archipelago. Its exhibition helps you learn what makes this archipelago so unique. Information panels, pictures, documents, maquettes, and dioramas tell background and conservation stories about the islands.Accommodation: Archipel I Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 8 South Plaza & Santa FeMorning South Plaza: Popular South Plaza is not to be missed! This bizarre 'Jurassic islet' is the best place to see the emblematic 'Galapagos dragons', which crawl across it. Afternoon Sante Fe: Sante Fe is another crown jewel of the Galapagos, where the pale Barrington land iguana and practically every other creature is unique to the archipelago or this island alone.Accommodation: Archipel I Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 9 North Seymour & Chinese HatMorning North Seymour: North Seymour is another highlight of your cruise. In the archipelago’s most extensive seabird breeding colony you can walk just a short distance from frigatebirds and Blue-footed boobies.Afternoon Chinese Hat: Though recently born out of the fire the volcanic islet Chinese Hat does not appear to be any more inhospitable than Bartolomé and lunatic Sullivan Bay. This tiny, rusty-coloured islet just begins to sprout. You arrive just in time to witness the next chapter about colonisation by pioneers!Accommodation: Archipel I Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 10 Disembark Santa Cruz; fly Baltra to Guayaquil and end.Morning 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 transfer out to Baltra Airport: Assisted by the naturalist guide and some crew members, the dinghy will bring you and your luggage to Baltra, 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.
November 9, 2021 Indulge in a year of foodie adventures with our top gastronomic tripsFrom Finnish kotas to the Winelands of Stellenbosch, our 2022
December 16, 2020 Our Most Wanted Trips of a LifetimeWith plenty of time to dream about all those memorable and unique adventures you've always wanted to take, we’ve coll
December 10, 2020 10 Cool Creepy Crawlies Found in the Amazon RainforestWidely considered among the most remarkable natural attractions on the planet, the Amazon River Basin is home to the
Galapagos Wildlife Cruise - Cachalote Explorer 25 reviews The best of the Galapagos islands' scenery and wildlife Wildlife Activity level: Leisurely Ages: 16+ 17 Days from $12,979 USD Guided (Incl. Taxes) View More Details
Galapagos & Amazon - Cachalote Explorer 19 reviews Ecuador's contrasting ecosystems, from the Amazon jungle to the Galapagos archipelago Wildlife Activity level: Leisurely Ages: 16+ 15 Days from $11,199 USD Guided (Incl. Taxes) View More Details
Galapagos: In Darwin's Footsteps 11 reviews A unique trek amid the volcanic Galapagos archipelago Walking & Trekking Activity level: Leisurely / Moderate Ages: 16+ 14 Days from $7,549 USD Guided (Incl. Taxes) View More Details