Monograms Galápagos Highlights(ISQ)
8 Day Package from Quito to Guayaquil
Want a mind-blowing experience? The Galápagos Islands—with the help of Charles Darwin—revolutionized scientific thinking and changed the world’s view on long-held beliefs. If they could do that to the world, just imagine what they can do to you! And to help you have that mind-blowing experience, Monograms will handle the details and make it easy for you! On this 8-day vacation, we’ve arranged your hotel reservations, sightseeing, and meals (daily breakfast, four lunches, and four dinners). You’ll also have the services of a Monograms Local Host®, a local who is there for you in Quito to ensure your vacation runs smoothly and is everything you want it to be. Plus, on this vacation, a special feature is your stay at the award-winning Finch Bay Eco Hotel on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos, offering a private, seaside location, kayaking, snorkeling, bicycling, and boat excursions to the various Galápagos Islands.Your vacation begins in Quito, where your Local Host will welcome you and provide a set of materials to help you get settled. The next morning, after an included breakfast, we’ll pick you up at your selected hotel for a private sightseeing tour with a local expert, someone who will share insider stories and make sure you see the must-see attractions, including Independence Square and the Basilica of San Francisco Plaza Church. Then you’re off to the Galápagos Islands, where sea lions, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, tortoises, and more await you.Visit North Seymour Island, with the largest nesting site of the “magnificent frigate birds” in the Galápagos; the highlands of Santa Cruz, where tortoises can be seen grazing in the wild and where you’ll visit a local coffee, sugar cane, and cocoa bean farm; Santa Fé Island, where you’ll see California sea lions and a large species of land iguanas; Divine Bay on Santa Cruz, where we’ll keep an eye out for sea turtles, reef sharks, rays, blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas, and more; the Charles Darwin Research Station, established to conserve the natural habitats and protect the famous giant tortoises; and the Twin Pit Craters, geological depressions of volcanic material where Scalesia trees, ferns, orchids, and mosses can be seen. And don’t forget, throughout your stay you’ll be accompanied by Naturalists, experts who know the native flora and fauna and who help make the experience magical.Don’t forget your Monograms vacation includes arranged sightseeing and transfers! Think about all the time you save and the headaches you avoid and you’ve got yourself the perfect vacation!
Itinerary (2023)| Day 1 | ARRIVE IN QUITO, ECUADOR. | | | Arrive in Quito. | | Day 2 | 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 3 | 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)SPECIAL FEATURE: Named after the famous Darwin’s finches that are abundant in the surroundings, the Finch Bay Eco Hotel offers a private seaside location surrounded by mangroves. Amenities include a bar, lounge, restaurant, outdoor pool—and beachfront access. All rooms offer twin beds, private restroom, and air-conditioning. Guests will enjoy daily boat excursions to various Galápagos Islands, kayaking, snorkeling, bicycle rides in town, and viewing the local flora and fauna. | | Day 4 | 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 5 | 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 6 | 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 7 | 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 8 | GUAYAQUIL | | | Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B) |
Included Monograms Meals Buffet breakfast daily; 4 lunches; 4 three-course dinners
Monograms Pricing Details This vacation includes the following Intra-Vacation Air segments in the vacation price: 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.
|
Click Quote for a Monograms Vacations Tour Date to receive our low price tour quote
Monograms Tour Dates
We Sell the Same Escorted Tours. What makes us different is we sell to you for LESS!
|