EcoAdventures, Inc. 2009 Travel Agents' Fam Trip #2 To Ecuador & The Galapagos Islands 8 Days/7 Nights - Quito and the M/V Galapagos Explorer II Cruise with a Special Optional 6-Day Post-Trip Extension to Kapawi Jungle Lodge Detailed Itinerary - Rates - Application form - Terms & Conditions These are unescorted 'FIT' Fams. On each of the departure dates we have two cabins reserved, so space is extremely limited. An optional pre- or post-trip extension is also quoted to Kapawi Jungle Lodge, with a special travel agent discount, and other pre- or post-trip extensions can be quoted upon request. 2 Departure Dates: March 05-12, 2009 April 09-16, 2009 Cruise nature's laboratory, the Galapagos Islands, “where nature left the book open.” Your deluxe, 100-passenger cruise ship will take you around this ecological wonder. You will also experience the colonial past of Ecuador, exploring the magnificently restored Old City. Then you will have the opportunity to extend your adventure for further ecological exploration into Ecuador’s vast rainforests, staying in the upscale Kapawi Jungle Lodge. Click here for Galapagos Weather Conditions and Wildlife Cycles

Special Features      •3 nights Quito in the deluxe JW Marriott Hotel with tax and breakfast      •All airport/hotel/airport transfers via private vehicle with guide      •All tips to porters at the airport and hotels      •Half-day Colonial Quito City Tour via private vehicle with hotel inspections      •5-day/4-night Galapagos Cruise on board the deluxe M/V Galapagos Explorer II, Classic Cabin      •Round-trip airfare Quito/Galapagos/Quito      •Galapagos tax and INGALA Visa fee      •Galapagos Fuel Surcharge      •Trip Interruption Insurance

Day by Day Itinerary

Day One, Thursday: Home City to Quito
International Airfare is NOT included. You will be met by our local representative upon arrival at the airport and transferred to the deluxe JW Marriott Hotel Quito.

Day Two, Friday: Colonial Quito City Tour
Quito's new image delights all visitors. Quito's Colonial downtown area, the largest and best preserved architectural space in all of the Americas, has been completely restored and has just celebrated the 25th Anniversary of its declaration as a World Cultural Heritage Site. A slow drive will take you through romantic plazas and past impressive public and religious buildings. You will visit the highlights of old Quito, including Independence Square, La Ronda, and La Compania. Finally, drive up Panecillo Hill for a panoramic view of the city and surrounding snow-covered volcanic peaks (weather permitting). Special hotel site inspections will also be provided. (B)

Day Three, Saturday: Quito to the Galapagos Islands
You will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to the airport and assisted with checking in for your flight to the Galapagos islands. Arrive at the new facility on Baltra Island, where your crew will meet you and escort you to your anchored ship. Once on board, you will have an orientation followed by a lifeboat drill. In the afternoon you will visit Dragon Hill where a new visitors center has been opened by the Galapagos Islands National Park administration. After a dry landing at a dock, the walk takes you to a hypersalinic (saltier than the ocean) lagoon behind the beach, often frequented by flamingos, common stilts, pintail ducks and other species of birds. A short walk up the hill rewards you with a great view of the bay and a nesting site of land iguanas. Many of the iguanas that nest here have been re-established by the Charles Darwin Research Station. You will return back to the ship for a welcome cocktail and dinner. (L, D)
NOTE: The $100 per person Galapagos National Park Tax is included in your tour cost.

Day Four, Sunday: Bartolome Island & Egas Port, Santiago (James or San Salvador) Island
Make a dry landing at Bartolome. On this young island, which is inhospitable to most plants and animals, you will feel as though you were walking on the moon. You will also have the opportunity to climb thirty minutes up a steep slope to the summit of Bartolome's dormant volcano. Pause along the way to marvel at lava bombs, spatter cones, and cinder cones. At the summit, gaze out across a panoramic view including famous Pinnacle Rock (an eroded tuff cone), tropical fish in crystal clear water, and perhaps, penguins, as well. On the other side of the island, encounter sea turtles and White-tipped Sharks. Then, the afternoon, stroll along the shore at Egas Port, Santiago Island (James) to look for octopi, starfish, and other sea life in the tide pools. At low tide, catch a glimpse of marine iguanas feeding on exposed green algae. Watch also for Great Blue Herons, Lava Herons, oystercatchers, and Yellow-crowned Night Herons. Finally, visit the grottos (deep pools of clear water) to view fur sea lions, which once lived on the verge of extinction. (B, L, D)

Day Five, Monday: Espinoza Point, Fernandina Island & Vicente Roca Point, Isabela Island
This morning, disembark at Espinoza Point, Fernandina Island, the youngest and most pristine island in the Galapagos, located in the western region of the archipelago. On Fernandina, find the largest Galapagos colony of marine iguanas, hundreds in number, basking in the sun along the rugged shoreline. Watch sea lion harems with resident bulls, as the bulls carefully guard their territory; and see Flightless Cormorants build their nests on the point, while Galapagos Hawks fly overhead. Look for the remnants of recent lava flows that stretch around the coast. After lunch, sail to Vicente Roca Point on the northern shore of Isabela Island. Here, natural erosion and the collapsed cone of Ecuador Volcano have formed dramatically carved cliffs and a system of rookeries and canals that are a geological wonder. This area also promises the highest probability of seeing whales any time of the year. (B, L, D)

Day Six, Tuesday: North Seymour Island & Black Turtle Cove, Santa Cruz Island
Spend the morning on North Seymour Island, a low, flat island created by the uplift of a submarine lava formation. Hundreds of Magnificent Frigate Birds (a species distinct from the Great Frigate Bird) display their red pouches during mating season and nest along side Blue-footed Boobies in a grove of Palo Santo trees. In the afternoon, anchor at the entrance to Black Turtle Cove, a mangrove swamp on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island. Enter by panga, or Zodiak, into a number of small, elusive passageways, as you follow your expert guide. This is a great place to see large schools of Golden Rays, Green Sea Turtles (they are on the rare and endangered species list), White-tipped Sharks, and Galapagos Sharks, as well as Lava Herons, Yellow Warblers, and a variety of other bird species. (B, L, D)

Day Seven, Wednesday: Interpretation Center, San Cristobal Island and Return to Quito
Arrive on San Cristobal Island this morning for a visit to the impressive Interpretation Center, which opened in 1999. Take this opportunity to gain a more complete understanding of the natural and human history of the Islands. Afterward, proceed to the airport for your return flight to mainland Ecuador. Transfer to the JW Marriott Hotel for overnight. (B)

Day Eight, Thursday: Homeward bound
Transfer to the airport for your flight home. (B)

Click here for Galapagos Weather Conditions and Wildlife Cycles

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Fax completed form to 408-465-8177

EcoAdventures, Inc.
15105 Concord Circle, Suite 220
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
CST #1011294-10
800-326-5025
408-465-8181
Fax: 408-465-8177

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