Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Depart USA – Arrival Quito.
Day 2: Quito. Our trip starts in Quito City, the capital of Ecuador. The city consists of the old colonial sector and the newer business section. Old Quito counts eighty-six churches and numerous little squares. The streets are steep and narrow and are flanked by colonial buildings with stately patios. The best way to explore this part of the city is by foot. The heart of the old colonial center is based around the Plaza Independencia, which is dominated by the great Cathedral. To the west, you find the Plaza San Francisco with the large church and the cloister of the patron saint of Quito, San Francisco. On these squares and on the small surrounding streets you encounter a cozy, busy atmosphere. There is live music, and the local Indians display their goods in colorful stands or on vibrantly colored carpets.
The cheerful, colored buses in Quito discharge acrid fumes. At these heights the diesel engines have great difficulty climbing the steep roads. New Quito stretches out in a northern direction of the center along wide boulevards. The most important is the Avenida Amazonas where you find many busy terraces next to the souvenir shops. Here you also find a variety of restaurants. In the city parks, El Ejido and El Alameda you will discover a cozy atmosphere. On weekends many of the local families spend their free days going for walks in the parks here, playing sports, listening to music or picnicking. A taxi ride brings you to Vergen de Las Americas that tower high above Quito. From here you have a beautiful view over the city and on a clear day you can see the snowcapped tops of the volcanoes that surround Quito.
Day 3: Quito – Otavalo – Cuicocha - Cotacachi (Indian Farm). On our way to the indigenous market town of Otavalo, we’ll visit the Coshasqui Indian Ruins and the Cotacachi town, famous for is leather clothes, where there is plenty of opportunity to shop. We’ll also visit the beautiful Cuicocha Lake and San Antonia de Ibarra before arriving at our hotel in Otavalo.
Day 4: Otavalo – Markets – Quito City. Otavalo is a sleepy Indian village. In the morning we’ll begin with a visit to the animal market, one of the biggest and most colorful India markets in South America. Indians from the surrounding villages come here to sell their goods. The market is spread out over several squares. Even though many tourists have visited these markets over the last years, the Otavaleños, recognizable by their long black ponytails down their backs, have stayed true to their culture. This authenticity guarantees that this market remains very special. We will visit the beautiful Mojanda Lakes before we return to Quito in the late afternoon.
Day 5: Quito – Baltra (morning flight) Visit Black Turtle Cove.
Day 6: Visit North Seymour Island AM, Plazas Island PM.
Day 7: Visit Lobos Islands Am Interpretatoin Center PM Tijeretas..
Day 8: Visit Espanola Island.
Day 9: Arrival at Baltra ISaland AM. Vist Gemelos. Transfer. Flight Baltra-Quito.
The Isla Espanola is also known by the English name, "Hood". To get to the shore you must wade through the clear seawater for a short distance. A so-called "wet landing" is often witnessed by sea lions, who hardly react to your arrival. It is claimed that the animals on the Galapagos Islands barely developed an instinctive fear of people since the islands are practically uninhabited. On Espanola, you can also admire the Galapagos Albatross. The breeding season begins in early spring and the rest of the year the spastic chicks stumble around the weather beaten lava surface of the island. An estimated 12,000 couples breed here every year. Outside the breeding season, you can see the albatross over the ocean along the shores of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. But the birds always return to these rocks in the Pacific Ocean where they were born. During a walk (watch where you step!) in the neighborhood of Punta Suarez, you will most likely come across the blue-foot Galapagos penguins. We have lunch at the beach where you have time to do a little snorkeling.
Floreana is especially infamous for its first inhabitants, most of whom died a mysterious death. Only the offspring of the Witmer family survived. The lagoons between the bays are the homes for huge flocks of flamingos accompanied by many other bird species. Post Office Bay is actually the historic post office of the Galapagos archipelago. There used to be a barrel filled with mail and every passing ship would pick up mail for their destination.
On the north side of the island, you find cultivated land. This is where most people live, raising cattle and growing coffee, even though living on the Galapagos Islands is not encouraged. On the south side of the island, spread throughout many low-rise buildings, are the research laboratory and the work place of the Darwin Research Station. The fact that the turtles from various islands vary in shape inspired Darwin, and helped him to develop his influential theory of evolution documented in his book, On the Origin of Species.
We spend the night in a hotel on the island, and the next morning we make the crossover to Baltra for the flight to Quito, where we depart the following day for home.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Prices:
- Land only package: $ 2520
- Price from New York: $ 3215
- Price from Los Angeles: $3270
- Price from Miami: $3020
Price Includes: The Ecuador portion of this trip is booked on a private or semi-private basis with guide assistance. On the yacht in the Galapagos, there will be a total of 16 passengers. Within the listed dates, the itinerary may be reconfigured depending on the yacht that is booked. Departure days vary with the yachts. You also have an option to upgrade to higher class yachts. Price is subject to the boat which is booked.
Price Excludes: Estimated $375 additional expenses for entire trip, to be paid on trip by traveler. This amount includes $100 Galapagos entry fee an Ingala circulation card ($10) and around $275 for meals (while not on boat), in-city transport and entrance fees in Ecuador. Flight surcharge applies to trips with flights departing in June, July, August and December. Also not included are any exit tax, tips or insurance.
Also see tour packages in:
South America
Ecuador
Boating and Sailing
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