9 days - October 14-22, 2010
$1995 ppdo, includes air from LAX!
FINALLY, AN AFFORDABLE, SENSIBLE WAY TO EXPERIENCE THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS!
Day 1: Los Angeles/Quito, Ecuador. Your exciting adventure begins in Los Angeles as you board your regularly scheduled flight from LAX to Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Upon arrival early in the afternoon, tour this vibrant city, a UNESCO World Heritage site. View the historic Legislative Palace, Independence Plaza, and 16 th century San Francisco Monastery, and the Equatorial Monument (latitude 000’00), where you can straddle the two hemispheres at the same time! Following the tour, proceed to your First Class hotel and check in with assistance. DANN CARLTON HOTEL
Galapagos Sally Lightfoot Crab
Day 2: Quito. Day at leisure. Optional tour into the Andes Mountains for spectacular sightseeing (volcanos, lakes, condors) and a visit to Otavalo Market for bargain shopping. Otavalo is home to tribes of indigenous craftspeople and is the center of a thriving Indian handicraft industry. (B)
Day 3: Quito/Baltra Island/Santa Cruz Island (Galapagos). Transfer to the airport for your flight to Baltra Island. From Baltra, a short ferry ride connects you to Santa Cruz Island, where you will take a motorcoach to Los Gemelos, the volcanic craters of the island. Here you can walk inside an extinct lava tunnel and explore the remaining Scalesia forest, home to Vermillion Flycatchers and Large Tree Finches, as well as Giant Tortoises. Continue to the Charles Darwin Research Station for a guided tour. Transfer to your ecology lodge situated on Port Ayora. (B) SOLYMAR HOTEL
Days 4-7: Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos. Santa Cruz island is situated in the center of the Galapagos Archipelago and covers an area of 98,555 hectors. On this single island one can traverse seven different vegetation/temperate zones to find a diversity of fauna and wildlife. Get up close to land and marine iguanas, giant tortoises and Galapagos finches, sharks and sally-light foot red crabs, sea lions, pelicans, and countless exotic birds including the blue-footed boobie. There are beautiful beaches and lagoons, as well, like Garrapatero Beach where flamingos and black necked ducks can often be spotted; or Tortuga Bay, where the black turtle comes to lay its eggs.
The Solymar Hotel
Your eco-lodge is ideally situated on Port Ayora, where the waters are teeming with birds, mammals, fish, crustaceans, and reptiles. It is not uncommon to awake and see a variety of animals surrounding your hotel’s swimming pool (they have never been exposed to predators, and are thus quite approachable). There is a Mediterranean atmosphere in Port Ayora, with many open-air restaurants, markets, shops, and tour operators that offer snorkeling and diving expeditions as well as boat excursions to the other Galapagos islands. You may question the wisdom of leaving Santa Cruz Island, however, when in fact most of the same species of animals exist locally. The choice is yours—Galapagos ala carte!(B)
Day 8: Galapagos/Guayaquil. Morning flight to Guayaquil, Ecuador’s second largest city.Overnight. GRAND HOTEL (B)
Day 9: Guayaquil/LAX. Morning free for optional sightseeing. This afternoon, depart for LAX, arriving that evening. (B)
EXTEND YOUR VACATION WITH FOUR DAYS IN PANAMA CITY $495 ppdo
Because your return flight to Los Angeles connects in Panama City, you have the opportunity to do a stopover and experience Panama’s incredible energy. A.C.T.’s package includes 3 nights at a 5-star hotel with daily breakfast, transfers, taxes, plus a half-day Panama City and Canal tour. Opt to book a tour from our menu of interesting excursions, including to historic Portobello and/or to Chagres National Rain Forest, where indigenous Embera-Drua Indians reside.
