Cloud forest, Andes and Galapagos
22nd October – 9th November 2008
Land cost £2,850
Land cost £2,850 (plus international flight approx £700 - max. 15 passengers)
OUTLINE ITENERARY:
22 October - Depart UK
23 October - Arrive Quito - City Tour
24-26 October - Cloud forest
27 October - Antisana Reserve
28-30 October - Andes and Hacienda Zuleta
31- 7 November - Galapagos
8 November - Flight home
9 November - Arrive back in UK
Our own private yacht – TIP TOP III
A 19-day journey that takes us from rare tropical cloud forests literally buzzing with humming birds, to the high Andes of Ecuador and Hacienda Zuleta one of the few places in the world where you are virtually guaranteed to see wild Andean Condors. Then we journey onto Galapagos for an eight day cruise on a beautiful new motor yacht visiting some of the most spectacular islands in this remarkable archipelago. Santiago Bejarano will work together with Andres de la Torre, one of the best naturalist guides in mainland Ecuador for a winning team of experts for this trip.
22 Oct Depart from local airport for flight to Quito via Amsterdam on KLM.
23 Oct Arrive in Quito early in the morning. Time to relax and check into our hotel, then we will take a tour of the old colonial town of Quito . The old town was declared by UNESCO to be a World Heritage site in 1979 due to its beautiful colonial architecture. All of the old churches and most spectacular buildings are lit up once it becomes dark. Here we will have dinner in a leading local restaurant where we can sample some of the best of Ecuadorean cuisine.
24 -26 Oct Cloud forest: Early in the morning of the 24th we will be met by our expert local birding guide and will set off towards the cloud forests of the Mindo area and our home for the next three days. Located on the slopes of the Andes as they run down towards Ecuador’s coastal planes, large areas of the Ecuadorean cloud forest remain untouched by man and have one of the highest diversity of epiphytes (plants that grow on top of other plants) anywhere in the world, with an array of orchids and other stunning tropical flora. The forest we will be staying in, is less than two hours drive from Quito, yet boasts some 9,000 species of plant with over 320 bird species recorded in the valley near to our lodge, Sachatamia. The area around the lodge has lots of easy trails and is literally buzzing with hummingbirds with over 20 different species spotted in a single day. The place is quite simply spectacular. 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 and Rio Silanche Sanctuaries. Early in the afternoon of October 26th we drive back up to the Andes where we spend the nigh in a beautiful colonial hacienda in the valley of Los Chillos.
Oct 27 High Paramo of Antisana: We set of after breakfast to visit the beautiful high paramo region of the Antisana volcano. Spectacular vistas of a snow-capped active volcano with amazing birdlife such as Black-faced Ibis and Andean Condors.
Oct 28 - 30 Andes and Hacienda Zuleta After an early breakfast we will head across the Andes north of Quito to visit the hacienda Zuleta. The hacienda dates back to 1690 and is nestled in magnificent Andean scenery and home to a colourful Indian community. It will be our home for the next three days. Zuleta is also one of the few places in the world where you are virtually guaranteed to see wild condors. The place itself is exquisite, with great short hikes and horseback riding included for anyone wishing to explore the high-altitude grasslands and pre-Inca archaeological sites in the hacienda grounds. On the our last day at Zuleta we depart after breakfast to travel further north to visit the famous Indian market of Otavalo, the largest and most colourful Indian market in the Andes. Return to Quito in the afternoon of 13th. After a pre-Galapagos briefing in the Hotel, the rest of the afternoon and evening free to relax.
Oct 31 - 7 The Galapagos Islands: Flight to Galapagos Islands in the morning. Arrive in the islands around noon. The next eight glorious days will be spent cruising between the islands of the Galapagos Archipelago: The yacht we will use is a motor yacht called Tip Top III, a first class yacht launched in 2001 owned by a local family we have known for many years. The 98 foot yacht has room to relax both inside and out whilst we are cruising between the islands, with space for 16 people in eight cabins. It has great food, a friendly crew and all the rooms are en suite and have hot water. Over the next eight days we will be visiting the following islands:
South Plaza - A great island with a large population of Land Iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus), the chance to see the Cactus Finch alongside the Small and Medium Ground Finches. Along the cliff we have Red-billed Tropicbirds nesting and a large sea lion colony.
Espanola - Santiago’s and many other visitors favourite island with wonderful seascapes and the chance to see the beautiful Waved Albatross along with Blue Footed Boobies, Galapagos Hawk, Masked Boobies, Swallow-tailed Gulls, Lava Lizards, Marine Iguanas and sea lions . Gardener Bay on the island is one of the most beautiful beaches in the archipelago, with sea lions and its own Espanola Mockingbird. This island becomes more active as the afternoon goes on so we extend our stay here as long as possible.
Genovesa - A beautiful island, with the spectacular Darwin Bay, a huge flooded volcanic caldera, hope to Galapagos Fur Seas and Red-billed Tropicbirds. Here we have one of the best opportunities to see Red-footed and Masked Booby colonies along with a large storm-petrel breeding colony. We also see the resplendent Frigate Birds nest with more intensity than any other site we will visit.
Bartolomé - The home of a class Galapagos view of Pinnacle Rock and a population of Galapagos Penguins, which we get the chance to see above the water, and below for those who enjoy snorkelling.
Floreana - A stunning volcanic landscape, with lagoons that are home to flamingos, waders and a host of shore birds. Also home to the famous ‘Post Office Bay’.
North Seymour Island - Here we will visit a large Magnificent Frigate Bird colony and the Blue-footed Booby colony, alongside California Sea Lions, Marine Iguanas, Lava Herons, Lava Gulls, Brown Noddies and Swallow-tailed Gulls.
Santa Fe - The swimming and snorkelling around this island is wonderful, with sea lions, rays and a host of colourful fish. The island is also home to its own unique species of Land Iguanas (Conolophus pallidus)
Santa Cruz - One of the biggest islands in the Galapagos, here we will visit the Charles Darwin research station and the highland forests were we have our best chance of seeing magnificent Giant Tortoises in the wild.
7 Nov After an early morning visit in the Galapagos, we take our flight back to Quito arriving late afternoon. That evening we will visit a leading local restaurant with live Andean music for our farewell meal.
8 Nov Transfer to airport for flight home
9 Nov Arrive home
NOTE:
Land cost includes:
- Domestic flight from Quito to the Galapagos Islands.
- All accommodation in mainland Ecuador and aboard the yacht in the Galapagos. The price is based on 2 people sharing a double room. If you prefer your own room, there is a Single Supplement Cost of £160 per person for the land portion.. All boat cabins must be shared, except by special arrangement.
- All meals and non-alcoholic beverages in Galapagos and mainland Ecuador with the exception of the evening meal on April 15th.
- All transport in mainland Ecuador and the Galapagos.
- The services of a University-level Naturalist Guide conducting the land tours.
Land Cost Does Not Include:
- International airfare
- National Park Entrance Fee ($110 per person) Departure Tax from Ecuador ($37.60 per person)
- Alcoholic beverages.
