Ecuador & Galapagos
Visiting Quito "Queen City of the Andes" and cruise around the Galapagos Islands aboard deluxe yacht "Eric", "Flamingo" or "Letty" (7 nights cruise)
INCLUDING:
Meeting and transfer service.
Tours as noted in itinerary including entrance fees and English speaking guides.
Hotel selected for 3 nights including room taxes and service charges.
The 8 day/7 night Galapagos Cruise aboard the Yacht Eric, Flamingo or Letty.
Meals as noted in itinerary B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner.
Airfare from Miami to Quito and San Cristobal Island .
Tips to airport porters.
NOT INCLUDED:
Services not mentioned in itinerary. Passport fees. USA departure tax $232 (Inc. USA airport tax/security/fuel surcharges). Galapagos National Park Tax upon entry of $100.00: Airport departure tax of $3.00 in Quito and $30.00 in San Cristobal Island. Insurance. Tips to hotel porters, and naturalist guide in Galapagos.
* As of Aug.01, 2007…..The new international departure tax in Quito will be USD40,80 per person, Guayaquil however will remain at USD26,00 per person.
DEPARTURE DATES:
Independent departures every Sunday. Please call for availability.
DEPOSITS:
US$300,00 per person at the time of booking. Final payment is due 60 days before departure.
INSURANCE:
Through Insure America, cost for this program starts at US$305-340. Please see information on back page.
CANCELLATIONS:
Please go to:
Meeting and transfer service.
Tours as noted in itinerary including entrance fees and English speaking guides.
Hotel selected for 3 nights including room taxes and service charges.
The 8 day/7 night Galapagos Cruise aboard the Yacht Eric, Flamingo or Letty.
Meals as noted in itinerary B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner.
Airfare from Miami to Quito and San Cristobal Island .
Tips to airport porters.
NOT INCLUDED:
Services not mentioned in itinerary. Passport fees. USA departure tax $232 (Inc. USA airport tax/security/fuel surcharges). Galapagos National Park Tax upon entry of $100.00: Airport departure tax of $3.00 in Quito and $30.00 in San Cristobal Island. Insurance. Tips to hotel porters, and naturalist guide in Galapagos.
* As of Aug.01, 2007…..The new international departure tax in Quito will be USD40,80 per person, Guayaquil however will remain at USD26,00 per person.
DEPARTURE DATES:
Independent departures every Sunday. Please call for availability.
DEPOSITS:
US$300,00 per person at the time of booking. Final payment is due 60 days before departure.
INSURANCE:
Through Insure America, cost for this program starts at US$305-340. Please see information on back page.
CANCELLATIONS:
Please go to:
Details
- Tour Operator
- Tara Tours
- Offer
- Offer valid through 12/31/2008
- Duration
- 11 Days
- Escorted
- Escorted - No
| Day | Destination | Description |
| Day 1 | Deaprt Miami | FRI. MIAMI-QUITO : Depart Miami for Quito, Ecuador. After going through customs and immigration, you will be transferred to hotel selected.(B) |
| Day 2 | Quito | SAT. QUITO : Afternoon drive along the northern residential section and see the impressive Parliament Building. Then stroll downtown to visit the colonial temple and monasteries designated by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. Visit San Agustine Convent with its colonial cloisters, coffered ceilings and vast collection of paintings. Continue to the Independence Plaza flanked by the Cathedral, Presidential Palace, Municipal Building and Archbishop's Palace. Next, visit the great church and Monastery of San Francisco with the Virgin of Quito at its main altar. Your scenic tour ends at a lookout point with a great view of Quito.(B) |
| Day 3 | Galapagos | SUN. QUITO-GUAYAQUIL-BALTRA-GALAPAGOS : Morning transfer to the airport for flight to Guayaquil and Baltra Island. Reception and transfer to the private yacht Eric (carries only 20 passengers in 10 double cabins with private bathrooms and air conditioning). This afternoon, visit Bachas Beach where we enjoy a subtle introduction to the Galapagos with a beautiful beach and opportunity to snorkel. A visit to Black Turtle Cove consists of a panga ride through a series of mangroves surrounded by coves. Here we can see sea turtles mating (September to February), white-tipped sharks, spotted eagle rays and yellow cow-nosed rays. (B, L, D) |
| Day 4 | Darwin Bay | MON: Darwin Bay- Prince Philip's Steps, Tower Island : We spend the entire day on TOWER (Genovesa), one of the most spectacular Islands in Galapagos. After a wet landing on Darwin Bay's coral beach, wind your way past tide pools where swallow-tailed and lava gulls gather. Enter a forest of mangroves where colonies of great frigatebirds nest. The males inflate their red-throated pouches to attract females that fly overhead. After swimming or sea kayaking, take a panga ride along the jagged shoreline. See the beautiful red-billed tropic bird. At Prince Philip's Steps, find storm petrels and the elusive short-eared owl, and watch the famous red-footed boobies nesting in palo santo trees.(B, L, D) |
| Day 5 | Rabida | TUE: Cerro Dragon-Rabida : This morning explore the newsly open site called Cerro Dragon (Dragon Hill) on the north end of Santa Cruz. Follow a footpath to endemic land iguanas. Once part of the Darwin Station's breeding program, these repatriated iguanas display orange-yellow skin and large spines along their backs. Walk quietly to keep from startling pink flamingos that feed in the salt-water lagoon. Along the trail, keep your eyes open for Darwin Finches and Yellow Warblers. From the top of Dragon Hill, enjoy a majestic view of the bay. In the afternoon, disembark on RABIDA Island (Jervis) located off James Island. Rabida sports the most diversified volcanic rocks of all the islands and why it's often called the geographic center of Galapagos. The dark-red beach originated from the erosion of volcanic stones. Follow a trail leads to a salt-water lagoon, and, hopefully, observe Greater Flamingos as they feed. Brown Pelicans nest in the mangroves at the far side of the lagoon. After your walk, don a mask and snorkel and slip into the ocean for some undersea excitement.(B, L, D) |
| Day 6 | Fernandina Island | WED: Tagus Cove, Isabela - Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island : This morning, we visit Tagus Cove, ISABELA. Six volcanoes flowed together and formed Isabela, the largest Island in Galapagos. On a nature walk, discover a salt-water lagoon, a scenic overlook, and a spectacular view of lava fields, volcanic formations and the ocean. Note graffiti dating back to the 1800's is written on the rocky cliffs. Explore Tagus Cove in pangas or sea kayaks and find Galapagos penguins and other seabirds. After lunch, we cross the Bolivar Canal and disembark at Punta Espinoza, FERNANDINA. Located in the western part of the archipelago, Fernandina is the youngest and most pristine Island found in Galapagos. Hundreds of marine iguanas, the largest colony in Galapagos, bask in the sun along the rugged shoreline. Observe sea lion harems with resident bulls carefully guarding their territory. Flightless Cormorants build their nest on the point and Galapagos Hawk fly overhead. Evidence of recent lava flows formed by an active volcano stretch their way around the coast. (B, L, D) |
| Day 7 | Bartolome | THU: Puerto Egas, Santiago-Bartolome : This morning, stroll along the shore at Puerto Egas, SANTIAGO (James) looking for octopus, starfish and other sea life caught in the tide pools. At low tide, catch a glimpse of marine iguanas as they feed on exposed green algae. Watch for great blue herons, lava herons, oystercatchers and yellow-crowned night herons. Our walk ends at the grottos, deep pools of clear water where we encounter fur sea lions once on the verge of extinction. On Bartolome, it seems like we are walking on the moon. This young Island is inhospitable to most plants and animals. After a dry landing, climb 30 minutes up a steep slope to the summit of a once active volcano. Pause along theway to marvel at lava bombs, spatter cones and cinder cones. From the top, gaze out across a panoramic view including the famous "Pinnacle Rock", an eroded tuff cone. Down below, crystal cleat water invites you to snorkel with schools of tropical fish. Penguins often swim in this area. On the other side of the Island encounter sea turtles and white-tipped sharks. (B, L, D) |
| Day 8 | Santa Cruz Island | FRI: Highlands-Darwin Station, Santa Cruz Island : This morning, climb aboard a bus and take an excursion to the highlands of SANTA CRUZ Island. Watch the scenery change as we wind our way through all seven vegetation zones found in Galapagos. From June to January you can find giant tortoises on a private farm in the highlands. The rest of the year, we visit Los Gemelos "The Twins", a pair of large pit craters where we find the bright red male vermilion flycatcher. Afterwards, we head to "the tunnels", the largest lava tubes found in Galapagos. After lunch, we visit the Charles Darwin Research Station. Scientists from all over the globe work at the station and conduct biological research from amatomy to zoology. Get your picture taken with the giant tortoises. Observe year-old tortoises and learn about the captive-breeding program. Next, stroll through the town of Puerto Ayora (population: 10,000) -the largest town in the Galapagos. Buy souvenirs, mail postcards and absorb local charm in the social heart of the Islands.(B, L, D) |
| Day 9 | Espanola (Hood) | SAT: Gardner Bay / Punta Suarez, Espanola (Hood) : This morning, step onto Gardner Bay, ESPANOLA (HOOD). Walk along seemingly endless stretches of sandy beach where you'll find colonies of sea lions. Swim and snorkel with the sea lions and enjoy the colorful diversity of sea life near Gardner Islet. This afternoon, we disembark at Punta Suarez, ESPANOLA, where we witness the highest rate of "endemicism" in the Galapagos. Sea lions noisily green us as we land on their beach. Curious mockingbirds peck at our shoelaces. From April to November waved albatross perform their wild mating rituals only on Espanola. Colonies of blue-footed boobies engage in "sky-pointing" while masked boobies busily care for their young. Stunning swallow-tailed gulls and red-billed tropicbirds take shelter under the cliffs. Other species endemic to Espanola include Darwin's Finches, Galapagos Doves and Galapagos Hawks. Observe a unique specie of marine iguana identified with traces of red and green colorings. Colorful sally lightfoot crabs crawl along the shoreline near to the famous "blow hole".(B, L, D) |
| Day 10 | Quito | SUN: Daphne Major-Baltra-QUITO : This morning, we cruise the small islets of Daphne major and minor for good views of these partially-eroded tuff formations. We arrive to Baltra in time for your early flight back to the QUITO on Tame Airlines. Transfer to your hotel (B) |
| Day 11 | Return USA | MON. QUITO-USA : Transfer to the airport for flight to Miami and homeward bound. |
- Dates/Pricing
- Disclaimer
- RATES Valid all year, except from Jun.18 to Aug.15 (add $80 pp); and from Dec.09to 31 (add $190 pp).
NOTE: Rates are based on Iguana Deck (lower berth). For Boobie or Dolphin Deck please add US$300.00 per person
ADD-ONS & VIA AMERICAN AIRLINES:
For same package add $140 from ORL,TPA, JAX, FMY and Zone 1; $190 from ATL; add $230 from BDL, BOS,BWI, EWR, NYC, PHL, RDU, WAS, + Zone 3 - - Add $290 from CHI, CLE, DTT; - Add $320 from DEN, DFW, HOU, MSY, SJU ZONE 2 & 4; Add $390 from LAX, SFO + ZONE 5; Add $410 from Zone 6. RATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME.
