Monograms Galápagos Highlights with Ecuador's Amazon(ISQC)
12 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, this 12-day vacation includes another natural wonder—the Ecuadorian Amazon! Your Ecuador adventure kicks off with an overnight stay in Quito, followed by a flight to Coca. Here, you’ll board a canoe trip downriver to your Amazon lodge, your home base for the next three nights. In the company of a Naturalist Guide, you’ll explore this tropical rainforest ecosystem from canopy to forest floor. An amazing adventure in the Amazon. Then you’re off to the Galápagos Islands, where sea lions, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, tortoises, and more await you. As a Monograms guest, you’ll enjoy the guidance of a Local Host® in Quito to ensure your vacation is everything you want it to be. You’ll also 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.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 | EQUADOR | | | Welcome to Quito, where you will be met by your Local Host. | | Day 2 | QUITO–COCA–AMAZON LODGE. | | | Fly to Coca and travel by canoe trip downriver to your selected Amazon lodge, your home base for the next three nights. (B,L,D) | | Day 3 | AMAZON LODGE | | | At the Napo Wildlife Center: Your time in the Amazon accompanied by a Local Guide includes early morning excursions to parrot clay licks; dugout canoe rides in search of river otters, potoos, kingfishers, hoatzins, jacamars, hawks, and monkeys; and walks along the canopy platform to view spider monkeys, aracaris, toucans, blue and gold macaws, numerous species of tanagers, and the red-rumped cacique. In your free time, consider a walk through the jungle in search of interesting plants and colorful or well-camouflaged insects. You are also invited to join families of the Anangu indigenous community on their daily activities, such as harvesting bananas, coco, and manioc. (B,L,D) At the Sacha Lodge: During your stay, enjoy nature excursions with a Naturalist who introduces you to the Amazon. On the suspended rainforest canopy walk, your Naturalist points out many different species of vibrantly colored birds. Jungle walks show off the immense biodiversity and medicinal plants that have been used by the native cultures for hundreds of years. Visit the lodge’s butterfly house, one of Ecuador’s largest, and take a night walk or canoe ride with a Local Guide to discover creatures that can rarely be seen during the day! You will also cruise through the flooded forest in search of troops of squirrels, capuchin, and howler monkeys—and maybe even the incredibly well camouflaged 3-toed sloth. After fishing for piranhas, arrive at the Kapok Tree tower, perched 135-feet high. Get close-up views of birds as the sun sets on volcanic Mount Sumaco and the Andes. (B,L,D) | | Day 4 | AMAZON LODGE | | | At the Napo Wildlife Center: Continue your Amazon exploration. (B,L,D)At the Sacha Lodge: Continue your Amazon exploration. (B,L,D) | | Day 5 | 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) 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 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 Monograms Meals Buffet breakfast daily; 7 lunches; 7 three-course dinners
Monograms 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.
|
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!
|