Cloud Forest, Andes and Galapagos - 2014

Summary of Trip

• Specially chartered private yacht in the Galapagos
• Experience some of best and easiest birding in the world
• Led by top guides in Galapagos and Ecuador
• Small group of up to 15 guests

A journey that takes you from the tropical cloud forests literally buzzing with humming birds, to Ecuador’s Avenue of Volcanoes with its dramatic scenery and colourful markets, then onto Galapagos for an eight day cruise on a luxury motor yacht visiting some of the most spectacular islands in this remarkable archipelago. The trip will be fully escorted by Santiago Bejarano, one of the leading naturalists in the Galapagos, together with expert local guides.

Details

• Trip begins in Quito and ends in Guayaquil
• 8 days/7 nights on board the yacht, 2 hotel nights in Quito, 1 night La Carriona, 2 nights Septimo Paraiso.
• All meals included.

Outline Itinerary
17th May – Arrive in Quito
18th May - 21nd May – Cloud Forest
22nd May – Saquisili - Avenue of Volcanoes
23rd May - 30th May – Galapagos

NOTE:

Land cost includes:

• Return domestic flights from Ecuador to the Galapagos Islands.
• All accommodation meals and soft drinks in mainland Ecuador and aboard the yacht in the Galapagos.
• All transport and guide services
• The price is based on 2 people sharing a double room.
• $10 Galapagos Migration Card.
• The services of expert local naturalists and all transport in mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos.

Land Cost Does Not Include:

• International airfare
• Galapagos National Park Entrance Fee ($100 per person)
• Alcoholic beverages
• Gratuities
• Services not detailed

Single Supplement:

If you prefer your own room, there is a single supplement cost of £240 per person for the time in mainland Ecuador. All boat cabins must be shared, except by special arrangement.

 

If you would like any more information or to chat over the details of the trip we would be delighted to help. Telephone 01482 872 716 for more information or email us today.

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Itinerary

Download: Detailed Itinerary

17th May We can help book your international flight with KLM – which allows you to fly from your local airport via Amsterdam arriving in Quito mid-afternoon. The group will then be met at the airport in Quito and taken to our hotel – Hotel Quito, which has one of the best locations in Quito with beautiful views across the city on one side and the valley of Tumbaco on the other. A light evening meal together.

18th May - 21st May – Cloud Forest After breakfast we set straight off to the Andes to the west of Quito and the area of Mindo. Approximately 1 ½ hour drive, the cloud forest here has some of the best and easiest birding in the world that will thrill both the novice and experienced birders alike! It also has the highest diversity of epiphytes (plants that grow on top of other plants) of anywhere in the world, along with an array of orchids and other stunning tropical flora, including a host of butterflies and moths (which we get to photograph during a visit to a butterfly farm, as well as around the lodge). The forest, boasts some 9,000 species of plant with over 320 bird species recorded in the valley near to our lodge, Septimo Paraiso.

The area around the lodge has easy trails and a hummingbird feeding area outside which is literally buzzing with hummingbirds. The location of our lodge also allows us to visit some of the best reserves in the area like Mindo, Los Bancos and the Milpe Sanctuaries. For those who wish to we will be visiting a nearby Cock of the Rock lek, with a chance to see and photograph these rare and beautiful birds.

After breakfast on 21 May we set off to the Equator Monument then onto Quito for a tour of the historical old section of the city. Declared a world heritage site by UNESCO the historical centre of Quito has some beautiful colonial buildings and gives a real taste of Andean culture. In the afternoon we will drive on to a beautiful 200 year old colonial hacienda in the valley of Los Chillos called La Carriona where we spend the night.

22nd May– Avenue of Volcanoes After breakfast we drive south through Ecuador’s Avenue of Volcanoes, with spectacular scenery punctuated by snow capped peaks and onto the Saquisili market, to see their main market day.

This market, which is where the Indian communities from the region trade their produce, will provide you with a colourful and fascinating glimpse of Andean culture as they trade everything from llamas and sheep, to pots and pans. We then head back to Quito, to the Hotel Quito. Evening meal together with a pre-Galapagos briefing.

23rd May - 30th May – Galapagos Islands After breakfast we take our flight to the Galapagos Islands, arriving to Baltra airport at around noon. From here we will be transferred to our private yacht, the Tip Top III, a spacious and comfortable motor yacht which was fully refurbished in 2008, which has a fantastic friendly crew and is run by one of the oldest families in the Galapagos.

The next glorious 8 days will be spent cruising the Galapagos:

23rd May – Santa Cruz - Charles Darwin Research Station The Charles Darwin Research Station offers a great chance to learn about the work being done to conserve and protect the islands wildlife. For some visitors (depending on the time of year) this is the only time to see Giant Tortoises and certainly the closest range opportunity. It is also a great chance to see the Tortoise Rearing Centre.

Activities: Walking
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Dry landing
Highlights & Animals: Giant Tortoises, Land and Marine Iguanas, Mockingbirds, Darwin Finches.

24th May – Santa Fe his is the oldest of the Galapagos islands. Its paradisiacal bay offers great possibilities to swim and snorkel in crystal clear waters. A hike inland offers a great chance to see a species of Land Iguanas (Conolophus pallidus) which is endemic to Santa Fe Island. In the same area you’ll also see a forest of giant prickly pear cactus. After your visit you can swim and snorkel both inside and outside the bay.

Activities: Hiking, Snorkel
Difficulty: Moderate
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Highlights & Animals: Santa Fe Land Iguanas, Sea Lion colony, Galapagos hawks, Mockingbirds, giant prickly pear cactus (the tallest in Galapagos). Snorkel: Sea Lions, Reef Sharks, Parrotfish, Surgeonfish.

South Plaza is the best island for observing Land Iguanas, along with Cactus Finches, Tropic Birds and Sea Lions. One of your first stops will be through a small “forest” of Prickly Pear Cactus. The walk along the sea cliffs is a wonderful experience, with Galapagos Shearwaters and Red-billed Tropicbirds gliding by. Towards the end of the walk is a bachelor Sea Lion colony, with a battle-scared collection of old bulls in various states of recuperation or total retirement!

Activities: Hike (1.5 mi / 2 ½ km)
Difficulty: Moderate
Type of Landing: Dry landing
Highlights & Animals: Land Iguanas, Sea Lion colony, Galapagos Shearwaters, Swallow-tailed Gulls, Nazca Boobies, amazing landscape with cliffs.

25th May – Chinese Hat or Sombrero Chino Located just off the southeast tip of James Island, this island owes its name to its shape. A truly beautiful island, surrounded by crystal clear waters, this is great location for Sea Lions. Perhaps more than any other site, this islet gives you a sense of Galapagos volcanic origins as the beautiful white beach gives way to an almost primeval landscape of volcanic rubble.

Activities: Hiking 0.4 mi. Snorkelling & Kayak
Difficulty: Easy / Moderate
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Highlights & Animals: Walk along the shore visiting a small colony of Galapagos Sea Lions. Penguins. Snorkel: Penguins, Reef sharks, Parrotfish, Puffers.

Rabida A red sandy beach with Sea Lions and nesting Brown Pelicans, which some afford a rare glimpse of chick feeding. There is a short walk inland which offers great views of the beach and lagoon. Years ago Flamingos where regularly seen at the salty lagoon, but nowadays this is a rare sight. Geologically Rabida is said to have the most diversified volcanic rocks of all the islands. It also provides a great opportunity to snorkel with Sea Lions and has a great diversity of near-shore and pelagic fish.

Activities: Wet landing. Hiking 0.5 mi. Kayak and Snorkelling
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Highlights & Animals: Red sand beach, coastal lagoon, Galapagos Sea Lions, Seasonal colony of Brown Pelicans, Galapagos Hawk. Snorkel: Sea Lions, Butterflyfish, Parrotfish, Eels.

26th May – Black Turtle Cove (Caleta Tortuga Negra) A beautiful mangrove lagoon on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island. The yacht anchors just outside the cove and you will enter on a dinghy, paddling through the calm waters of the lagoon, which is a resting site for Green Sea Turtles. A wonderfully quiet journey, through a beautiful and unique habitat. With good luck as well as Marine Turtles you will see different types of Sharks and schools of Golden and Eagle Rays swimming just below the surface, whilst Yellow Warblers singing from above.

Activities: Boat tour in a lagoon, wildlife observation.
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: No landing
Highlights & Animals: Lagoon surrounded by mangroves. Sharks, Rays, Sea Turtles, Pelicans and Blue-footed boobies.

Cerro Dragon After a dry landing, the walk will take you along the edge of a salt water lagoon behind the beach where you can often see Flamingos, Pintail Ducks, Common Stilts and other bird species. A short walk inland, offers a great view of the bay and a nesting site for Land Iguanas, many of which were repatriated back to Cerro Dragon by the Charles Darwin Research Station, after their near-extinction due to feral dogs and cats.

Activities: Hiking 1.5 mi. Snorkelling
Difficulty: Moderate
Type of Landing: Dry landing
Highlights & Animals: Coastal lagoon with variety of water birds: Herons, Stilts, Pintail Ducks, Oystercatchers, Flamingos. Giant Cactus, Land Iguanas, Darwin Finches, Mockingbirds. Snorkel: Parrotfish, Puffers, Snappers, Sea Turtles.

27th May – Floreana This is the Island where Charles Darwin discovered for the first time about the different varieties of Giant Tortoises in the Galapagos. This morning we will be following his footsteps, in the highlands of Floreana – in search of the Medium Tree Finch, found nowhere else in the archipelago, as well as seeing a variety of Giant Tortoises that are part of theongoing project to repopulate the island with tortoises by the Galapagos National Park – a great chance to see these magnificent giants in semi-wild conditions.

Floreana - Punta Cormorant At Punta Cormorant you will walk on an olivine beach (a mineral known for its olive-green quality, that is found in meteorites, the moon and mars as well as on earth), visit a large lagoon where Great Flamingos sometimes nest, and walk over to Flour Beach, a beautiful white sandy beach to look for Green Sea Turtle nests.

Activities: Hike (1.2 mi/2km)
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Wet landing
Highlights & Animals: An easy walk along a coastal lagoon where Flamingos are often found, along with Stilts and Ducks. White sand beach.

28th May – Espanola (Hood) This island is one of the highlights of any visit to Galapagos. Espanola is the southernmost island in the Galapagos, and is also one of the oldest. Numerous Sea Lions are seen here, plus hundreds of Marine Iguanas basking on the rocks. Espanola’s Marine Iguanas are unlike other Galapagos Marine Iguanas thanks to their bright colouring. Espanola is home to thousands of nesting seabirds all year, including Blue-footed Boobies, Nazca Boobies and Frigatebirds. 

Between late March and December the Waved Albatross, perhaps the most spectacular of Galapagos birds, returns to Espanola by the thousands to perform their amazing mating dance and produce the next generation. Almost the entire population breeds on this island during this time, and they spend the rest of the year at sea. 

Punta Suárez Regarding the amount of wildlife, this one of the best trails in the whole islands. Despite the difficult terrain, the walk is an absolute marvel, as from the beginning to the end you will see large quantities of Sea Lions, Marine Iguanas, Blue-footed and Nazca boobies, gulls, Galapagos Hawks and during most of the year, Waved Albatross. There are spectacular views of flying birds from the cliffs.

Activities: Hike (1.9 mi  / 3 km)
Difficulty: Difficult, rocky terrain
Type of Landing: Dry Landing
Highlights & Animals: Española Mockingbird, Nazca Boobies, Waved Albatross, Red-billed tropicbirds, lava lizards, Galapagos Hawk, Blue-footed Boobies, blow hole, amazing landscape.

Gardner Bay This beautiful bay is nestled between Gardner islet and the beautiful coral sand beach in Española. You will visit a spectacular white sand beach, home to one of the largest Sea Lion colonies in the islands, where you can also see endemic Española Mockingbirds and with some luck, Galapagos Hawks. 

Activities: Snorkelling and kayaking. Short hike along the beach (0.6 mi / 1km)
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Landing: Wet Landing
Highlights & Animals: White sandy beach, Sea Lion colony, Mockingbirds Galapagos Hawks. Snorkelling: colourful fish, Sea Lion nursery.

29th May – San Cristobal – Punta Pitt Located in the northwest of the island, this is a large eroded tuff cone with dramatic volcanic scenery and is home to a large colony of Sea Lions, as well as a few Red-footed Boobies, Blue-footed Boobies and Nazca boobies.

Activities: Uphill hike (1.5 mi / 2 ½ km), dinghy ride, snorkelling, kayaking
Difficulty: Moderate / difficult
Type of Landing: Wet Landing
Highlights & Animals: Wonderful landscape, Sea Lion colony, three possible species of Boobies. Snorkel: tropical fish, Sea Lions.

San Cristobal – Cerro Brujo This striking eroded tuff cone was one of the first sites visited by Charles Darwin. It has a beautiful coral sand beach where you can take a leisurely walk (depending on time of year) visited by Brown Pelicans, Blue-footed Boobies, and Swallow Tail Gulls as well as Marine Iguanas and Sea Lions. The beauty of this dramatic area can also be explored from the dingy, exploring caves and looking for sea birds.

Activities: Hike along the beach (1 mi / 1.6 km), dinghy ride, snorkelling & kayaking
Difficulty: Easy walk along the beach
Type of Landing: Wet Landing
Highlights & Animals: Beautiful rock formations, Sea Lions, shore birds, Land birds: Finches and Mockingbirds, snorkelling: Sea Lions, nice tropical fish, anemones.

30th May – North Seymour A great variety of Galapagos wildlife is provided in the loop trail on this small island. The highlight of your visit here will be the largest colony of Magnificent and Great Frigatebirds in the Galapagos as well as a colony of Blue-footed Boobies. In addition there are Sea lions, Marine Iguanas, Lava Lizards, Swallow-Tailed Gulls, and a few secretive, but very large Land Iguanas.

Activities: Hiking(1.5 mi/2.2 km), Snorkelling & dinghy ride
Difficulty: Moderate / difficult
Type of Landing: Dry Landing
Highlights & Animals: Land & Marine Iguanas, Frigatebirds, Blue-footed Boobies, Sea Lions, sea birds. Snorkelling: Rays, Reef Shark, fish, Garden Eels

Baltra we return to the islet of Baltra today – where you take your flight back to Guayaquil on the coast of Ecuador. Here we will go to the nearby Hilton for a light snack and the chance to relax, before you return to the airport for your flight to the UK late afternoon.

Please note: In Galapagos itineraries are unlikely to change significantly but are subject to change. Weather, wildlife breeding, instructions from the Galapagos National Park, specific abilities and interests of passengers as well as operational matters may cause your guide or captain to change the times or nature of your visits. Your guide will always endeavour to have the best itinerary for you within these constraints.

 

If you would like any more information or to chat over the details of the trip we would be delighted to help. Telephone 01482 872 716 for more information or email us today.