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Sealion - Isabela
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Flightless cormorant - Isabela
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Galapagos Flycatcher - Santa Cruz
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Tortuga Bay - Santa Cruz
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ITINERARY
(Subject to change according to weather and seasonal conditions)
The 4 night itinerary will be the same as the 5 night, just less one night on Isabela. Instead, you return the fourth day to Santa Cruz in the morning for the highlands tour.
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DAY 1: QUITO/GUAYAQUIL - SANTA CRUZ
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AM |
Ferry crossing to Santa Cruz Island (10 min-ride). Check-in Aventura Lodge.
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PM |
Snorkel with Sea Lions, Sting Rays and Baby Reef Sharks in the shallow, emerald waters of Tortuga Bay, then witness the nesting site of the famous Marine Iguanas. Welcome Cocktail. Dinner.
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DAY 2: SANTA CRUZ - FLOREANA
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| AM |
Breakfast. 8:00 AM
Depart Tortoise Quest Tour. This tour begins with a trip to the lavish, lush green "Los Gemelos" (The Twins), two enormous collapsed lava chambers - an awe-inspiring visual reminder of the power of nature.
Afterwards, we visit a 600-acre private reserve where the giant Galapagos tortoises freely roam, graze and sleep.
After visiting the tortoises, we'll take a 5-minute ride to the entrance of a 450 meter (1350 feet) illuminated lava tunnel. Stalagmites, stalactites, sulfur and mineral colored walls all await you on this uniquely Galapagos experience.
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Return to Aventura Lodge for Lunch.
2:00 PM departure for Floreana. Sailing time is 1.5 - 2 hours.
Visit to cove called "Luz del Dia" (Light of Day) where you will see penguins and sea lions on the steep, rocky shore and rays and tropical fish beneath the crystal-clear waters. Arriving on the dock, be greeted by amazing ruby red and turquoise colored Floreana marine iguanas.
7:30 PM Check in Floreana Lodge and BBQ Dinner
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DAY 3: FLOREANA - ISABELA
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| AM |
Breakfast. 8:00 AM
Departure in open-air bus that will transport you to the highlands of Floreana.
Walk up to see the Asilo de la Paz (Peace Asylum) where an artisan spring that attracted pirates, whalers and later settlers to Floreana is located.
See the Cueva de los Piratas (Pirate's Cave) where pirates carved temporary shelter out of the soft stone.
Cerro Pajas (Bird Hill) truly lives up to its name with a multitude of Floreana Finches. Visit a tortoise reserve where you can watch many of the giant tortoises up close and personal.
Departure at 11:00 AM for Isabela. Sailing time is 1.5 - 2 hours.
MID-DAY: Weather and tides permitted, as we approach Isabela by sea, we will cruise by Isla Tortuga loaded with frigates, blue-footed boobies and other birds that live by the sea.
Arrive in Isabela between 12:30 and 1:00 PM.
Arriving in the port is a visual feast with stunning green and turquoise waters so clear, you can see sea turtles, sea lions and penguins as though looking through glass.
Check-in Isabela Lodge, lunch.
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2:30 PM departure to Las Tintoreras and Bay Tour.
Walk through a jagged 'AA' lava field, passing abundant colonies of marine iguanas, to see a small canal full of resting white-tipped reef sharks.
The black, treacherous lava field, the emerald green sea, the forest green mangrove and the cloud capped volcanoes of Isla Isabela is the sort of afternoon backdrop you will not soon forget.
Once you return to the dock, you can snorkel this warm, shallow bay surrounded by mangrove, for an opportunity to see white-tipped reef sharks, sea lions, penguins and more.
Relax, Dinner 7:00 PM
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DAY 4: ISABELA - SANTA CRUZ
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Breakfast. 8:00 AM.
Departure for tour. We begin with a drive out of town along the most beautiful, white sand, palm lined beach in all of Galapagos, Long Beach.
This beach, straight from the cover of a travel magazine, stretches on for 3 kilometers before the National Park where we walk up the trail for astounding views from the top of Cerro Orchilla.
Visit the "Muro de Las Lagrimas" (Wall of Tears), a unique contruction built by the backbreaking of prisoners of a penal colony centuries before. The path to the Wall of Tears is abundant with lava lizards, the males are larger and striped and the females red-throated.
On your way back to town, you will visit a breeding center for the giant Galapagos Tortoises and the only place to view the rare, remaining flat backed (so-called 'tabletop' shells) Galapagos tortoises, many of which still bear the scars of volcanic activity from Sierra Negra.
11:00 AM, depart Isabela for Santa Cruz. Sailing time is 1.5 - 2 hours.
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Arrive in Puerto Ayora 12:30-1:00 PM.
Check in Aventura Lodge and Lunch.
Depart 3:00 PM for guided tour of the fascinating Charles Darwin Research Station.
After the Darwin Station, there will be some free time to shop for souvenirs or browse the shops along Charles Darwin Avenue.
Dinner 7:00 PM at the Aventura Lodge.
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DAY 5: SANTA CRUZ - QUITO/GUAYQUIL
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Depart 3 hours before your flight in order to arrive back at the Baltra Airport the requested 1.5 hours before your flight.
Transport and guide included from the hotel to the airport.
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RATES ARE PER PERSON AND INCLUDE
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- Local taxes (12% VAT and 10% service)
- Transfers IN / OUT
- Welcome cocktail
- Access to Private Terrace, wireless internet in rooms and social areas
- 4 Nights of accommodation at Aventura, Floreana and Isabela Lodge.
- All meals included in a fixed menu basis.
- Excursions with Bilingual Guide (English- Spanish).
- Navigation between islands.
- Use of bikes in Puerto Ayora
- 25% discount for children under10 years old.
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- Air ticket to /from Galapagos.
- Entrance fee to the Galapagos National Park ($100 International visitors, and $6 Ecuadorians).
- Control Visitor Card ($10).
- Personal expenses.
- Beverages.
- Gratuities and tips
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Please NOTE: The sequence of these programs may vary according to seasonal weather variations.
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