11 NIGHTS/12 DAYS
DAY 1: MONDAY
Transfer Inn Quito and transfer to the hotel. Check Inn and briefing by your guide.
DAY 2: TUESDAY
QUITO AND THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD
The Centro Histórico is an extensive colonial center built over the ashes of what was the capital of the northern half of the Inca empire until the Inca general Rumiñahui burnt it to the ground rather than surrender to the Spanish conquistadors.
The world´s first city named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1978, Quito's Centro Histórico will transport you back and forth between centuries as you meander down its cobblestone streets and pedestrian walkways. At the beginning of the 20th century, all of Quito fitted within the boudaries of Old Town. Today, it is just a small slice of Quito, but undoubtedly the sector richest with history. Some of Ecuador's most famous battles and executions took place in the plazas that now peacefully bustle with tourists, beggars, and locals out for a stroll.
After our visit to the OldTown is completed we drive north to the Middle of World.
The Middle of the World City and its monument of the Equator are a popular site for locals and a must stop for tourists visiting Ecuador. Located approximately 20 minutes to the north of Quito, the site straddles the equator. Here you can, among other things, place one foot in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern hemisphere. And yes, you weigh less here at the equator. Among the attractions here are an Ethnographic Museum, a Planetarium, a fantastic miniature model of Quito, handicraft stores and restaurants. On weekends, Mitad del Mundo's central plaza is host to varied musical and cultural presentations.
After your visit is completed we stop for a tasteful Ecuadorian lunch.
DAY 3: WEDNESDAY
OTAVALO
Departing from Quito we set route for Otavalo through the Panamerican Highway where along the way you can visit different places such as Calderón city, which is specialized in making Masapan figurines. You will pass through Cayambe, site of the rose exporting plantations and the San Pablo Lake. We arrive into the famous Otavalo Town, site of the largest Indian market in Latin America. Otavalo is busiest during Saturdays and Sundays but any day is great to do shopping. The Otavalenos are famous for their entrepreneurship and textile industry. Lunch.
On the afternoon we visit Cuicocha lake at the base of the Cotacachi volcano. Cuicocha Lake is set on a collapsed crater of the volcano and it’s a wonderful place to take pictures of the amazing Andean landscape. On the way back to Quito, we stop at Cotacachi town, famous for its leather works. Here we will make a brief stop for anyone interested in shopping for leather goods, such as jackets, boots, etc. Return to Quito.
DAY 4: THURSDAY
After breakfast, transfer to Quito’s airport for flight to the Galapagos.
San Cristobal – Loberia
Also Known as Chatam, this island of 558 sq km is the fifth largest in the archipelago and has the second largest population. The provincial capital of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is found on the south west point of the island.
PM: Arrival in San Cristobal Airport and greeting by our naturalist guide. Transfer to the Monserrat Yacht (approx 10 mins).
Check in and Lunch on board
On the afternoon, we visit Lobería where you can see a big sea lion colony and marine iguanas. This will be a great introduction to our voyage through the Galapagos Islands.
DAY 5: FRIDAY
Española Island
This Island, often called by its English name of Hood, is the most southerly in the archipelago. It is a medium sized island of 61sq km and there are two visitors sites.
Punta Suarez, lies at the western end of the island. A wet landing is necessary. There is a trail of about two km in length which takes the visitor trough a beach full of marine iguanas, by masked and blue–footed booby colonies before reaching the main attraction, the waved Albatros colony.
Gardner Bay is a beautiful white sand beach at the east end of Española. It is reached with a wet landing and there is good swimming, and a sea lion colony. An islet rock, a short distance away, provides with good snorkeling. You can often see white – tipped reef sharks around it.
DAY 6: SATURDAY
Santa Fe – Plazas
Santa Fe is a 24sq km island lies about 20km southeast of Santa Cruz and is very popular for day trips. Its English name is Barrington. There is a good anchorage in an attractive bay on the north. A short 300 meter trail takes you to on of the tallest stands of opuntia cactus in the island to look out for land iguanas. Other attractions include a sea lion colony, excellent snorkeling, marine iguanas and of course birds.
Plazas: These two small islands are just off the east coast of Santa Cruz. A dry landing on a jetty brings you to an opuntia cactus forest where there are many land iguanas. A one km trail circuit leads visitors through sea lion colonies and along a cliff top walk where swallow – tailed gulls and other species nest.
After returning on board, we cruise for Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island where you will have the chance to disembark on the evening after dinner.
DAY 7: SUNDAY
Santa Cruz Island
In the morning we visit Charles Darwin Research Station, where if we are lucky we can see famous Lonesome George, the last specie of its kind from Pinta Island. At the center, we will visit a Galapagos Tortoise breeding center, giant tortoises, as well as land iguanas. Here you can appreciate how tortoises from different islands evolved to adapt to their specific environments.
Return to the Monserrat for Lunch
On the afternoon we will board a coach to visit the highlands of Santa Cruz (35 mins) where we can see the famous Giant Galapagos Tortoises on the wild. Here we will be walking around their natural habitat while they roam through the plains. If there is the chance, we will also visit the Gemelos, two collapsed craters that remind us of the volcanic origins of the archipelago.
DAY 8: MONDAY
Today we visit Sullivan Bay and Bartolome
This morning we visit Sullivan Bay lava field where we can set foot on Santiago’s last volcanic eruption, nearly 100 years ago. Here we can find shapes and textures of trees, which once existed here and Hornitos caused when pockets of gas or water trapped under the lava exploded. The Sullivan Bay Lava is known a Panoehoe (Hawaiian for Rope). This thin-skinned lava's molten material cools down after an eruption causing the surface materials to buckle creating a rope like appearance. Panoehoe Lava is rare to the rest of the world except for the volcanoes of Hawaii and the Galapagos Islands.
Lunch
After resting on board the Monserrat, we visit Bartolome Island with an area of 1.2 sq km. From here we can see the most frequently photographed and hence most famous vista of the islands. There are two visitor sites and footpaths. One begins from a jetty (dry landing) from where we walk 600 meters to the 114 mt. summit of the island. The other visitor site is a small sandy beach in a cove (wet landing). Here there is good snorkeling and swimming and the opportunity to swim with the endemic Galápagos penguins which frequent this cove.
DAY 9: TUESDAY:
Today we visit Tower Island (Genovesa)
This 14 sq km island is known more often by its English name of Tower. The Monserrat cruises through the entrance of Darwin Bay into the flooded caldera of this extinct volcano to anchor in a naturally protected harbor. This island is well worth the long trip. It is the best place to see a red footed booby colony, as well as giving the opportunity to visit colonies of masked boobies, great frigate birds, red billed tropicbirds, swallow- tailed gulls, and many thousand of the petrels.
In the morning we will visit Prince Philip’s Steppes where we will follow a pathway along to visit the different bird colonies. And after lunch, we will visit the coral beach at the head of Darwin bay to do some more exploration as well as snorkeling and relaxation.
DAY 10: WEDNESDAY
Today we visit Bachas Beach and North Seymour.
This morning we will visit Bachas Beach, a white coral beach, favorite by sea turtles for a nesting site. Behind one of the beaches there is a small brackish water lagoon, where occasionally is possible to observe flamingos and other coastal birds, such as black-necked stilts and whimbrels. We will have a chance to swim and snorkel back to the Monserrat.
On the afternoon we will visit North Seymour Island. Here we will visit a circular trail leading through some of the largest and most active seabirds breeding colonies in the islands. Magnificent frigate birds and blue footed boobies are the main attractions.
DAY 11: THURSDAY
Sleeping Lion / Interpretation center
Early this morning we visit Sleeping Lion, a little rocky island which because of a fanciful resemblance to a sleeping lion, is named Leon Dormido. The English name, however, is Kicker rock. The island is a sheer walled tuff cone which has been eroded into two smaller rocks.
After our arrival to San Cristobal, we visit its Interpretation Center where we can walk through the Galapagos Islands’ volcanic origins, its first human settlements and the great challenges we face ahead.
Transfer to the airport to fly back to the mainland. Arrival in Quito or Guayaquil and transfer back to the hotel.
DAY 12: FRIDAY
Breakfast. Transfer to Quito or Guayaquil’s international airports for flight back to home destination.
End of services.
*Itineraries are subject to change without prior notice.
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