Globus Independent Galapagos at the Finch Bay Resort with Ecuador's Amazon(ISQ2)
12-Day Package from Quito to Guayaquil
How deep is your love of adventure? Is it deep enough to follow the course of Charles Darwin to discover your own love affair with the wildlife paradise of the Galápagos Islands? If so, this Independence by Globus vacation in Ecuador is pointing you in the right direction. Ignite your independent spirit on a canoe trip downriver from Coca to the comfort of your lodge the Amazon Rainforest, where you’re in good hands with a Naturalist guide to explore the jungle from its rainforest canopy to the forest floor. Be awestruck by the wealth of wildlife that thrives in this tropical wilderness. Explore the historic heart of Quito and depart for parts unknown where blue-footed boobies, giant tortoises, and diving iguanas of the Galápagos give new meaning to mind-blowing discoveries. You’ll stay at the award-winning Finch Bay Eco Hotel on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos, offering a private, seaside location to kayak, snorkel, bike, and take boat excursions to the various Galápagos Islands with expert Naturalists. Sail upon pristine waters to discover the perfectly evolved creatures who thrive on this volcanic archipelago. Stroll the sand where sea lions bask and albatross brace against the updrafts above the cliffs. Sail, snorkel, and simply stay in a state of astonishment through the sanctuaries of spectacular species on North Seymour, Santa Fé, and Santa Cruz Islands. Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station where conservationists work to protect the gentle giants for which the islands are named. You’ll also find the I-time you deserve to fall in love with adventure again!
Itinerary (2024)| Day 1 | ARRIVE IN QUITO, ECUADOR | | | Welcome to Quito, where your hotel is available for mid-afternoon check-in. | | Day 2 | QUITO–COCA–AMAZON LODGE | | | • Fly to Coca where you will be met by your Naturalist. • Travel by motorboat down the Napo River with opportunities to spot birds like herons, kingfishers, and others. • Next, transfer to a canoe and float through narrow channels looking for monkeys as well as large birds like toucans, parrots, or even macaws.• Arrive at your Amazon lodge located on Añangu Lake surrounded by pristine rainforest. • Tonight, enjoy a welcome drink, briefing, and dinner. (B,L,D) | | Day 3 | AMAZON LODGE | | | • After an early breakfast, journey to a parrot clay lick where 11 different species of parrots, parakeets, and macaws can be seen on a daily basis. • Later, walk to a local community where you are invited to join families of the Anangu indigenous community on their daily activities, such as harvesting bananas, coco, and manioc. • Take a Naturalist-guided walk through the jungle in search of interesting plants and vibrant or well-camouflaged insects.(B,L,D) | | Day 4 | AMAZON LODGE | | | • This morning, ascend a canopy tower over 100 feet above the forest floor at the top of a Ceiba tree. From here, you can view spider monkeys, aracaris, toucans, blue and gold macaws, numerous species of tanagers, and the red-rumped cacique. • After lunch at the lodge, explore lakes and creeks on a dugout canoe in search of river otters, potoos, kingfishers, hoatzins, jacamars, hawks, and monkeys. (B,L,D) | | Day 5 | AMAZON LODGE-COCA–QUITO | | | • Depart your Amazon lodge and fly from Coca to Quito today. • The remainder of your afternoon is at leisure. (B) | | Day 6 | QUITO | | | • Your included private city tour showcases the rich legacy left by the Incas and the Spaniards. See Independence Square, dominated by its formidable cathedral, San Francisco Plaza Church, and the Basilica with its marvelous stained-glass windows. (B) | | Day 7 | QUITO–BALTRA–NORTH SEYMOUR–SANTA CRUZ | | | • Fly to Baltra in the Galápagos. • Upon arrival, board a yacht bound for North Seymour, an island teeming with life. You might have to give way to a passing sea lion, marine iguana, or blue-footed boobies that nest here. As you walk along the shore, see large flocks of pelicans in a dive-bomb feeding-frenzy, and one of the Galápagos’ largest nesting sites of the magnificent frigatebird. In the bushes you can see the males up close with their puffed-up scarlet throat sacs. • Return to the yacht and continue to the Finch Bay Hotel. (B,L,D) | | Day 8 | SANTA CRUZ. EXCURSION TO THE HIGHLANDS | | | • Transfer to the lush highlands of Santa Cruz to a farming area called El Manzanillo on the edge of the Giant Tortoise Reserve. Here, tortoises can be seen grazing year-round, along with woodpecker finches, mockingbirds, and flycatchers. • After lunch, visit a local farm, where coffee, sugar cane, and cocoa beans are grown, harvested, and prepared. • Return to the hotel and perhaps spend time on the private beach. (B,L,D) | | Day 9 | SANTA CRUZ. EXCURSION TO SANTA FÉ | | | • Board a yacht bound for Santa Fé, where you will see the endemic Santa Fé land iguana and the large opuntia cactus forest. The beach area is covered with California sea lions, and the coastline is an excellent location for snorkeling with sea turtles. (B,L,D) | | Day 10 | SANTA CRUZ. EXCURSION TO DIVINE BAY | | | • Today’s adventure takes you to wildlife-rich Divine Bay on Santa Cruz Island. Marine iguanas, herons, noddy terns, blue-footed boobies, and tropicbirds are commonly seen here. You may explore by boat or, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can take to the sea by kayak. Keep an eye out for sea turtles, rays, and reef sharks as you cruise the tranquil waters. • Return to the hotel for lunch, followed by an afternoon visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station, established to help conserve the Galápagos’ natural habitats and protect the area’s famous giant tortoises. (B,L,D) | | Day 11 | SANTA CRUZ–BALTRA–GUAYAQUIL | | | • Depart the hotel this morning and visit the Twin Pit Craters en route to Baltra. These great depressions of volcanic material were formed by a long process of slow sinking of the ground, where exceptional Scalesia trees, ferns, mosses, and orchids can be seen in the surroundings. • Then, fly to Guayaquil on Ecuador’s Pacific coast and transfer to the hotel for your final night in Ecuador. (B) | | Day 12 | GUAYAQUIL | | | Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B) |
Included Globus Meals Buffet breakfast daily; 7 lunches; 7 three-course dinners
Globus Pricing Details This vacation includes the following Intra-Vacation Air segments in the vacation price: Quito/Coca; Coca/Quito; Quito/Galápagos; Galápagos/Quito. Galápagos package does not include Galápagos National Park entrance fee and transit card ($120 value) but are additional and mandatory. These fees will be added to your Vacation Estimate.
Globus Notes Galapagos Islands itineraries are fully subject to change.Maximum elevation on tour is 9,350 ft. in Quito.
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