GALAPAGOS ISLANDS ADVENTURE

The Galapagos Islands are on nearly every committed traveler’s life list of places therefore after much deliberation, and with input from naturalists and guests, we have tailored a unique Galapagos adventure that no-one else offers. These islands where creatures have never learned fear of humans offer an authentically unique experience that will forever change the way you think of wildlife. To explore this natural paradise that Charles Darwin called “a little world within itself” we charter a small yacht (only 15 passengers) that combines comfort and flexibility of route. We bring along kayaks to add the dimension of intimate exploration that paddling silently close to shore provides. Traveling from island to island we’ll disembark everyday to hike otherworldly volcanic landscapes and have amazing up-close (really up-close) encounters with wildlife. In the water we’ll explore by kayak and snorkel turquoise water with penguins, sea turtles and playful sea lions. We feel that history, culture and science are all important for truly understanding the islands so we’ve added a very special VIP tours of Quito’s Old Town (the Islands and the Old Town are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites) and the Charles Darwin Research Station.

“You walk among clattering four-foot marine iguanas heaped on the shore... You swim with penguins; you watch flightless cormorants dance beside you, ignoring you, waving the black nubs of their useless wings. There is always some creature going about its beautiful business...The animals are tame. They have not been persecuted, and show no fear of man. You pass among them as though you were wind, spindrift, sunlight, leaves.” 

- Annie Dillard, - Life on the Rocks: the Galapagos

ECUADOR
Galapagos Islands Adventure

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11 days
May 29—June 8, 2008
November 13—23, 2008



easy hiking and kayaking, snorkeling, bird
and wildlife watching.

3 nights boutique hotel in Quito, 7 nights luxurious yacht - private cabins with en-suite bathrooms.

Quito
US $ 4190
Single Supplement US$550

Day 1: Arrive in Quito, check in to our boutique downtown hotel in the Old Town district.

Day 2: After breakfast we take a tour of Quito’s fabulous colonial heritage. Tofino Expeditions has special access to private colonial buildings not open to the public. Briefing in the evening and a welcome dinner in one of the cities best restaurants

Day 3: Tour Santa Cruz Island highlands and see wild roaming giant tortoises. Board our motor yacht and set sail for South Plaza Island for an ideal introduction to the Galapagos. View sea lions and marine iguanas this small island and watch swallow-tailed gulls, Audoban’s shearwaters and Red-billed Tropic birds wheeling above the surf sprayed cliffs.

DAY 4: Cross the Equator on the overnight cruise to Genovesa Island where there are huge colonies of sea birds and excellent snorkeling.

DAY 5: Head to Fernandina Island, the most volcanically active island in the archipelago to find wonders of nature: Flightless Cormorants, marine Iguanas and Galapagos Penguins. More great snorkeling and a chance of seeing Sperm whales.

DAY 6: Reach Santiago Island and explore the intricate shoreline by kayak. In the afternoon sail to Bartolome Island and hike to the island’s 600 ft. high summit for great views and photography.

DAY 7: Academy Bay and the the Darwin Research Station to get a special VIP tour. Explore the highlands of Santa Cruz Island and look for giant tortoises.

DAY 8: The flamingos of Floreana Island followed by a visit to Devil’s Crown, a half submerged crater with crystal clear water. Sea turtles and huge schools of brightly colored tropical make the ‘Crown a snorkeler’s paradise.

DAY 9: From anchorage in a protected bay paddle the spectacular reefs and lagoons of Espanola Island and visit a white-sand beach with hundreds of basking sea lions. Cruise the north shore of Espanola to visit a nesting area of Waved Albatrosses.

DAY 10: After breakfast, transfer to San Cristobal for the flights to Quito. After hotel check in there is time explore the Quito's charming old town.

Day 11: Flights home.

Detailed Itinerary - ECUADOR: Galapagos Islands
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