Robert Fuller:
Wildlife Art & Photography Special – Central and Southern Islands  

Summary of Trip

• Led by top British wildlife artist Robert Fuller and Santiago Bejarano.
• Specially chartered private yacht in the Galapagos
• Timed to co-incide with the best light and with seabirds courting at their most intense in Galapagos
• Excellent photography opportunities
• Small group of up to 14 guests

A special small group trip to the Galapagos Islands accompanied by Robert Fuller together with Santiago Bejarano, one of the top Galapagos Naturalists who will be joined by top local guides ensuring an unrivalled level of service.  Our journey starts in the Pacific coast of Ecuador, from here we fly to the Island of Santa Cruz were we spend the night at the Galapagos Safari Camp which we use as a base to explore the highlands of Santa Cruz island, before we embark on our cruise -  a private charter on a luxury motor yacht visiting some of the most spectacular islands in this remarkable archipelago. 

The trip is designed for people who want to learn and experience as much as they can about Ecuador and Galapagos and coincides with the time when the seabirds in Galapagos are courting most intensely.  As it is our own charter, we can be up earlier and out on the islands than most other groups and stay longer in order to maximize the best light and wildlife viewing conditions.

Central and Southern Islands A great variety of islands and a superb mixture of Galapagos wildlife. You will experience fascinating geological scenery, pristine white beaches and enjoy some very good snorkelling opportunities (with sea lions in particular). One of the highlights is the beautiful island of Espanola, where from April through December it is home to the Waved Albatross.

Details

• 10-day trip begins and ends in Guayaquil
• 8 days/7 nights on board the yacht, 1 hotel night in Guayaquil, 1 hotel night at the Galapagos Safari Camp in Santa Cruz Island.  
• Tour Cost £3,450 per person, excluding international flights. Includes all accommodation, guide services, meals, transport, internal flights Guayaquil-Baltra-Guayaquil, non-bottled soft drinks.
• Flights from the UK to Quito and Guayaquil start at around £850. We can help guests co-ordinate their international flights which are available from local UK airports.

Outline Itinerary
7th May – Arrive Ecuador - Ecuador’s coast
8th May –Guayaquil – Baltra – Santa Cruz
9th May - 16th May – Galapagos Cruise

NOTE:

Land cost includes:

• Return domestic flights from Guayaquil to the Galapagos Islands.
• All accommodation meals and soft drinks in mainland Ecuador and aboard the yacht in the Galapagos.
• 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 the Galapagos.

Land Cost Does Not Include:

• International airfare
• Galapagos National Park Entrance Fee ($100 per person)
• Alcoholic beverages. Gratuities

Single Supplement:

If you prefer your own room, there is a single supplement cost of £190 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

7th May – Arrive Guayaquil The KLM flight direct from Amsterdam arrives mid-afternoon into Guayaquil on Ecuador’s Pacific Coast. You will be met at the airport by Luis Die and taken to your hotel, the Guayaquil Hilton, a short drive from the airport. The afternoon free to relax. In the evening a pre-Galapagos dinner and briefing from Luis.

Luis Die: Luis has worked in Galapagos for over 20 years.  Originally from Spain he has a masters in Ecology from Madrid University and is recognised as a top Galapagos National Park Guide.  A wildlife photographer and naturalist Luis has had several books published on the Galapagos Islands. 

8th May – Galapagos – Santa Cruz Island – Luxury Safari Camp The next morning after breakfast together with Luis you return to the airport to take your flight to the Galapagos. You arrive at Baltra Island, and from here cross a small channel to take us to the Island of Santa Cruz where our transport awaits to take you to the Galapagos Safari Camp, your home for the night.

The service is fantastic and there is a definite wow factor as you open the main door of the main building and are presented with a glorious sweeping view of the western Galapagos Islands that the property overlooks. The overwhelming feeling is nature, beauty and relaxation.

In Tatler Magazine Travel Guide 2010 the Camp was named in the “101 Best Hotels in the World”. Since the Camp opened in 2008 it has been featured in Vogue, The Independent, Financial Times, twice in Conde Nast and was named one of the world’s ’12 Great Exotic Adventures’ by Harpers Bazaar.

Lunch will be waiting for you. After lunch, you head off in search of Giant Tortoises – the Highlands of Santa Cruz is one of the best places to see these magnificent giants in the wild. Dinner and overnight at the Safari Camp.

9th May – Highlands of Santa Cruz  As well as being one of the best places to see Giant Tortoises in the wild, the highlands of Santa Cruz are home to fascinating geological features, like lava tubes and the twin sinkhole craters of Los Gemelos, which are home to some 300 different fern species as well as a “forest” of Sunflowers and some elusive endemics like the Woodpecker Finch (one of only two bird species in the world to use twigs as tools), the Small Tree Finch, Vegetarian Finch and Galapagos Rail all found in the lush forest of Scalacia (Giant Daisies) that characterise the highlands of this island.

You spend the morning with Luis exploring and photographing this area, then late morning the group will meet up with Robert Fuller and Santiago Bejarano for the next stage of your journey.

Charles Darwin Research Station  After lunch we then travel down to the town of Puerto Ayora for our afternoon visit to the Charles Darwin Station, which offers a great chance to learn about the work being done to conserve and protect the islands wildlife. It is also a great chance to see the Tortoise Rearing Centre and the famous Lonesome George.   From here we then join our yacht, the Tip Top III who is harboured in the port - 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 yacht accommodates 16 passengers in 10 double cabins each with private shower and toilet. Just some of the luxuries you'll enjoy on the yacht's three decks are wall-to-wall carpeting, air conditioning, a TV, a VCR, a full sound system, an inviting dining room, a fully equipped bar, a library filled with a variety of reading materials, a spacious sundeck, and snorkelling equipment. Moreover, each of the craft's homey cabins is outfitted with a private bathroom with both hot and cold water, a personal safe, and a wardrobe. The vessel is also equipped with the most advanced navigational and safety equipment, all of which meets or exceeds international Coast Guard safety regulations.

10th May – Santa Fe  The island is home to its own unique species of Land Iguanas (Conolophus pallidus). Amazing landscape dominated by very tall and wide perkily pear cactus. The swimming and snorkelling around this island is also wonderful, with sea lions, rays and a host of colourful fish.

South Plaza 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 (Opuntia) cactus. The walk along the sea cliffs is a wonderful experience, with Audubon’s 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!

11th May – Sombrero Chino  A great chance to swim with sea lions and if we are lucky, Galapagos penguins in the crystal clear waters around this huge cinder cone which is shaped like a Chinese hat (hence its name!). It is also a fantastic location for sea lions and an incredible volcanic landscape with the brightly coloured sally lightfoot crabs in stark contrast against the black rock.

Rabida  A red sandy beach with sea lions and nesting Brown Pelicans, which sometimes afford a rare glimpse of chick feeding.  A short walk from the beach is a sea water lagoon, where flamingos can sometimes be seen.  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.

12th May – Black Turtle Cove  A beautiful mangrove lagoon on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island.  The yacht anchors just outside the cove and you enter on a dingy, paddling through the calm water which is a resting site for Green Sea Turtles (they are on the rare and endangered species list). A wonderfully quiet journey, through a beautiful and unique habitat and with good luck as well as the marine turtles you will see different types of sharks and schools of Golden Rays swimming just below the surface, whilst yellow warblers sing from above.

Cerro Dragon  You visit an area in the western-side of Santa Cruz Island which has seen a remarkable recovery of its land iguana population in recent years thanks to the work of the Galapagos National Park and Charles Darwin Research Station.

13th 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 the ongoing 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’ll 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.

14th May – Espanola  (Hood)  This island is one of the highlights of any visit to Galapagos (it is Santiago Bejarano’s favourite island). Espanola is the southernmost island in the Galapagos, and is considered 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 in their bright colouring, and the lava lizards are distinctive too.

Espanola is home to thousands of nesting seabirds between April and November, with the Waved Albatross, perhaps the most spectacular of Galapagos birds, returning to Espanola by the thousands in late March to perform their amazing mating dance and produce the next generation. Almost the entire population breeds on this island April through November; they spend the rest of the year at sea.

There will also be Blue-footed Boobies, and Nazca boobies along the path as we walk through the island. The island is also home to a spectacular white sandy beach at Gardner Bay which is a favourite with sea lions which we will also visit.

15th May – San Cristobal – Punta Pitt  Located in the northwest of the island, this is a large eroded ash cone with dramatic volcanic scenery and is home to a large colony of sea lions, as well as red-footed boobies, blue-footed boobies and Nazca boobies.

San Cristobal – Cerro Brujo The striking, eroded tuff cone was one of the first sites visited by Charles Darwin, it is has a beautiful white coral sand beach where you can take a leisurely walk (depending on time of year) visited by Brown Pelicas, 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 by ‘panga’ or small dingy where you can explore a tunnel that goes all the way through the eroded rock formation.

16th 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 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.

Baltra  we return to the islet of Baltra today – for those of those returning to the UK today, you will fly back to Guayaquil where you can take your flight back to the UK which departs early evening.   For those of you who wish to extend your journey with some time visiting the Andes or Amazon rainforest or mainland Ecuador, you fly back to Quito where the next stage of your adventure will begin!

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.

Accommodation

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.