This exciting vacation lets you sample the natural wonders of Ecuador, including the Galápagos Islands and the Amazon Jungle. From Quito, fly to Coca and travel by canoe to your Amazon lodge for a 3-night stay that include a rainforest canopy walk, a guided night tour, a cruise through the flooded forest, and visit of Kapok Tree Tower. Return to Quito for guided sightseeing, have your photo taken at the “Center of the World,” and spend time at leisure in Guayaquil. Fly over the Pacific to San Cristobal Island, where you’ll embark on an exciting 4-day cruise among various Galápagos Islands. Then, spend two nights on Santa Cruz Island at the Finch Bay Hotel, where an expert Naturalist introduces you to indigenous plant and animal species found only in the Galápagos. Also visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and choose from a menu of à la carte activities—a remarkable adventure!
Itinerary:
Day #1 Arrive in Quito, Ecuador. Welcome to Quito, the capital of Ecuador and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site.
Day #2 Quito–Coca. Fly from Quito to Coca and travel by canoe to your Amazon lodge. The Ecuadorian Amazon is the world’s largest remaining tropical rainforest, where more life hums, buzzes, chatters, and bubbles than anywhere else on the planet. One Amazonian tree can host more ant species than all of the British Isles put together, one hectare of forest boasts almost as many frog species as all of North America, and the great expanse of jungle contains more than 20% of the earth’s vascular plant species. Here you can find a monkey small enough to sit on your fingertip, an 8-pound toad, a spider that eats birds, and the world’s largest snake—the 30-foot-long anaconda. (B,L,D)
Day #3 Amazon. Today, begin on the suspended CANOPY WALK, boasting views of the rainforest canopy, where your Naturalist will point out many different species of vibrantly colored birds. Continue through the jungle below and learn of the medicinal plants and immense biodiversity that have been used by the native cultures for hundreds of years. After a picnic lunch in the primary forest, return to the lodge by canoe. Tonight, accompany your Local Guide on a night walk or canoe ride to discover creatures rarely seen during the day—you many even spot a caiman or two! (B,L,D)
Day #4 Amazon. This morning you may opt to visit a parrot clay lick, a site where parrots and parakeets by the thousands can usually be seen. Later, depart on a Napo River CRUISE through the flooded forest in search of the varied wildlife. Here you will have a good chance of seeing troops of squirrel, capuchin, and howler monkeys—and maybe even the incredibly well-camouflaged 3-toed sloth. After time spent fishing for piranhas, arrive at the KAPOK TREE TOWER, perched 135 feet high. Get close-up views of birds as the sun sets on volcano Mount Sumaco and the Andes. (B,L,D)
Day #5 Coca–Quito. Return to Coca, where you will board your flight to Quito. (B)
Day #6 Quito. Enjoy a day at leisure in Quito and join Day 1 of your Ecuador and Galápagos trip. (B)
Day #7 Quito. An included sightseeing tour showcases Quito’s treasures: the historic stone murals of the LEGISLATIVE PALACE, Independence Plaza and the 16th-century SAN FRANCISCO MONASTERY, the Jesuit’s LA COMPANIA CHURCH with its stunning golden altars, and the impressive paintings at the WORKSHOP & MUSEUM of Oswaldo Guayasamin. Have your photo taken in front of the EQUATORIAL MONUMENT, the “Center of the World.” This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner. (B,D)
Day #8 Quito–San Cristobal–Galápagos Islands (Embarkation)–Cruising. A morning flight to San Cristobal, one of the remote Galápagos Islands. Upon arrival, board the sleek Santa Cruz and enjoy four days of CRUISING among various Galápagos Islands. Each day, travel ashore to the remote islands with your expert Naturalist who introduces you to the unique fauna living free and fearless of man. Today, visit San Cristobal Island, where Charles Darwin first set foot in the Galápagos back in 1835. This island is home to seabirds like blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, herons, and frigatebirds. Also look for the Chatham (San Cristobal) Mockingbird and Chatham Lava Lizard—both species are endemic to this island and seen nowhere else in the Galápagos. (B,L,D)NOTE:The ship’s itinerary may vary according to Galápagos National Park policies and regulations, weather conditions, and seasonal changes to create the perfect cross-section of sites visited.
Day #9 Cruising: Galápagos Islands. Your exploration continues on Española (Hood Island), one of the oldest islands in the archipelago. Here you will see the famous blowhole as well as unique sea bird colonies, including the waved albatrosses (April-December), Nazca and blue-footed boobies, and Darwin’s finches. Also, look for red, green, and black marine iguanas and a rookery of sea lions right at the landing site. This afternoon, visit a brackish-water lagoon on Floreana, where you may observe greater flamingos, pintail ducks, common stilts, herons, and sandpipers. For marine enthusiasts, this is a great place for snorkeling! (B,L,D)
Day #10 Cruising: Galápagos Islands. This morning brings you to the youngest island, Fernandina. Having no introduced mammals, Fernandina has a very unique environment and the highest density of marine iguanas. Sharing their habitat are sea lions, Sally Lightfoot crabs, and hawks. In the afternoon on Isabela Island, enjoy coastal exploration by panga along the cliffs of sunken Ecuador Volcano. Your Naturalist guides explain the dramatic geology of the area with remains of lava flows and tuff stone layers. This is the nesting place for flightless cormorants, the only birds in the world that have changed from flying birds to diving birds. Wildlife here includes sea lions, Galápagos penguins, blue-footed and Nazca boobies, and noddy terns. (B,L,D)
Day #11 Galápagos (Disembarkation)–Santa Cruz–Finch Bay Hotel. This morning, disembark on Santa Cruz Island, where your Naturalist introduces the island’s lush and vibrant green highlands, pit craters, lava tunnels, the Scalesia forest, and the giant tortoises’ wild habitat. After checking in at the Finch Bay Hotel, visit the CHARLES DARWIN RESEARCH STATION, established to help conserve the Islands’ natural habitat and protect the famous giant tortoises. (B,L,D)
Day #12 Galápagos. Finch Bay Hotel. Named after the famous Darwin’s finches abundant in the area, the Finch Bay Hotel offers a private seaside location surrounded by mangroves. Outings today include a list of activities that allow you to have a “Galápagos à la carte” adventure. Choose a walk to Tortuga Bay, a 6-mile-long coralline beach, mountain bike up in the highlands, or swim or snorkel right off the beach. Tonight, enjoy the view of the bay at your farewell dinner. (B,L,D)
Day #13 Santa Cruz–Baltra–Guayaquil. Transfer to Baltra for your return flight to Guayaquil, where you’ll enjoy free time this evening. (B)
Day #14 Guayaquil. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)