This is a Global Expeditions Travel Club Trip:

The group will travel July 29 - August 6, 2010

Experience the wonder of the Galapagos Islands on this affordable Land Based 9 day Global Expeditions Travel Club group tour to Ecuador.

You wanted an affordable way to visit these amazing islands and we delivered! We even added a leisure day so you can take an optional SCUBA diving or snorkeling tour of these world-renown, warm and life filled waters.

Join us as we explore the islands that spawned the very theory of our evolution. And since Charles Darwin’s famous visit back in 1835, the land remains just as pristine. In the Galapagos, near perfect red and white sand beaches still dot the islands, coastlines remain dominated by giant mangroves, ocean waters continue to flourish with multicolored life forms, and animals continue to behave as though man were no enemy. It is this purity, this innocence, this very magnificence that truly makes the Galapagos the enchanted islands that they are today.

On this very unique and exciting group tour we combine an exciting land-based hotel stay and thrilling daily yacht explorations of the amazing Galapagos Islands, with guided tours through the best of Quito (a UNESCO World Heritage City) and a visit to the beautiful port city of Guayaquil.

In the Galapagos, we’ll explore 4 different islands (Bartolome, Santa Cruz, Seymour, and Isabela Islands) via daily yacht excursions, where we will witness an amazing diversity of animals. At night we will relax in a comfortable land-based hotel.

In Quito, we'll tour through the best of this wonderful city, the surrounding countryside, and we'll have a chance to experience the thrill of standing on the equator.

This group tour is an excellent, affordable, land-based way to visit these amazing islands while making some amazing friends along the way. It is action packed and is sure to provide you with incredible memories and lasting friendships. And at this price, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything equal!


Make Friends. Travel the World. The Global Expeditions Club is a unique and exciting social travel club open to anyone interested in traveling to exciting destinations around the world with other like-minded adventurers. Membership is free. Please see The Global Expeditions Club website for more details about the club.

B: Breakfast | L: Lunch | D: Dinner

Brief Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive in Quito
Day 2: Tour of Quito (B)
Day 3: Fly Quito to Galapagos. Baltra & Santa Cruz Islands. (B, L, D)
Day 4: Yacht cruise to Isabela Islands. (B, L, D)
Day 5: Yacht cruise to Bartolome Island. (B, L, D)
Day 6: Yacht cruise to Seymour Island. (B, L, D)
Day 7: Free day. Optional SCUBA or snorkeling. (B, D)
Day 8: Santa Cruz Island. Fly to Guayaquil. (B)
Day 9: Trip Ends. Transfer to Guayaquil airport. (B)


Detailed Itinerary:

Day 1:
QUITO, ECUADOR

Arriving in Quito, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Here you will meet your fellow Global Expeditions Club members who will soon become your friends.
Overnight in Quito.


Day 2:
QUITO (B)

In the morning we will be met by our guide and we’ll head out on a five hour tour of the Ecuadorian capital city of Quito. Declared a World Heritage City by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), Quito is undoubtedly among the most attractive Latin American cities. Although it lays on the equator, the city is located high in the Andes, resulting in weather that is warm and comfortable during the day and cool at night. The morning tour will focus on the best of Quito and its rich cultural legacy, ornate facades, and dazzling gilded altars. We will visit Independence Square, the Archbishop’s palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and Panecillo Hill for a panoramic view of the city.

After lunch we will visit the famous Equatorial Monument where we’ll have the chance to see a quintessential colonial model village located at the Equatorial Line, marked by geographers as latitude 000’00”. Here you can stand in two hemispheres at the same time. Following a visit to the equator, we’ll go to a delightful local museum which focuses on Ecuador’s varied ethnic groups from the Galapagos to the Amazon.

Overnight in Quito.


Day 3:
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: BALTRA & SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS (B, L, D)

Getting an early start, we’ll be transferred to the Quito airport for our flight to the Galapagos. Arriving in the Galapagos, we will be met at the airport and transferred to a ferry which will take us to Puerto Ayora on the island of Santa Cruz. On our way to our hotel we will visit the beautiful Highlands of Santa Cruz Island.

In the afternoon we take a 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 charming stores along Charles Darwin Avenue.

Overnight in hotel on Santa Cruz Island.


Days 4:
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: SANTA CRUZ & ISABELA ISLANDS (B, L, D)

In the morning we will head down to the harbor for our first of three full day yacht tours.

Today’s yacht tour will go to the famous Isabela Island, which is chocked full of frigates, blue-footed boobies and other birds that rely on the sea for their food. Isabela also has more tortoises in the wild than any other island, including several sub-species that have evolved due to lava field barriers that limited their mobility to freely roam.

If you brought binoculars, this is a good time to pull them out. In Isabela the water 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.

If conditions permit, we will take an intriguing 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... if the tide is low, they are sometimes a mere 2 feet below the surface. The views from here are something you may carry with you for the rest of your life! The black, remarkable lava field, the emerald green sea, the forest green mangrove and the cloud capped volcanoes of Isabela are the sort of afternoon backdrop you are not likely to ever forget.

Overnight in hotel on Santa Cruz Island.


Days 5:
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: BARTOLOME ISLAND (B, L, D)

Returning to the harbor and our yacht once again, we will cruise to the picturesque island of Bartolome.

Bartolome Island is without a doubt the most photographed location in the Galapagos; and for good reason. Among the younger of the Galapagos Islands, it offers some of the most beautiful landscapes in the archipelago. This includes one of the most famous landmarks in the Galapagos; Pinnacle Rock, which is among the most frequently photographed vistas of this volcanic island chain.

Used as an important backdrop in the Hollywood movie "Master & Commander", this towering rock face is actually an eroded lava formation. Formed when magma erupted from an underwater volcano, the ocean cooled the hot lava and created this huge rock. Pinnacle Rock is considered to be the emblem of the Galapagos by many, and is one of the most recognizable sites here.

We will hike to the high summit of Bartolome to experience the truly stunning views of Sullivan Bay, Isla San Salvador (Santiago), Pinnacle Rock and Islas Daphne.

Along Bartolome's shore we should spot the many penguins, brightly colored tropical fish, white-tipped reef sharks, Galapagos hawks, turtles, etc. that call Bartolome home.

Overnight in hotel on Santa Cruz Island.


Day 6:
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: SEYMOUR ISLAND (B, L, D)

Our third day of yacht cruising will find us at either Seymour, Florena or Santa Fe Islands.

Condition will dictate our navigation, but regardless we will be treated to more of the wonders of the Galapagos Islands.

Overnight in hotel on Santa Cruz Island.


Day 7:
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: FREE DAY IDEAL FOR SCUBA OR SNOKELING (B, D)

Today is a full day at your leisure. Should you wish to see the equally amazing 'other side of the Galapagos', then today is your chance to take an optional SCUBA diving or snorkeling trip (extra charge and paid directly to the dive operator). A world renowned diving and snorkeling destination, this is an activity that shouldn’t be missed. If SCUBA or snorkeling isn’t your thing, then the day is yours to explore the town, do some souvenir shopping or relax by the hotel pool.

Overnight in hotel on Santa Cruz Island.


Day 8:
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS - GUAYAQUIL (B)

In the morning, after breakfast, you will be transferred back across the island to the airport for our flight to the port city of Guayaquil on the Ecuador mainland. Arriving in Guayaquil, we will be met at the airport and transferred to our hotel. In the evening we’ll all get together to recount our adventure and reminisce about all our new memories.

Overnight Guayaquil.


Day 9:
GUAYAQUIL - TRIP ENDS TRANSFER TO AIRPORT (B)

In the morning we bid heartfelt goodbyes to all our new friends and make plans for our next great adventure together! Our trip ends when we transfer to the airport for our international flights home.