Nov 01 2009
Amazon and Galapagos Natural Wonders of Ecuador
Ecuador is a small country, but has a huge amount of diversity and different landscapes, ranging from the Andes Highlands, the Coastal Lowlands, to the Amazon jungle and Galapagos Islands. This combination tour itinerary takes you from the lush rainforest filled with colorful flora and fauna, to a Galapagos cruise where you’ll have the chance to snorkel with marine life and explore the unique geology and wildlife of the islands.
Begin your trip in Quito, the capital city, lset in a valley between snow-capped Andean peaks. Quito is divided into an old and new quarter, and we work with a variety of hotel styles in the city. It’s worth a stay of two nights so you have a chance to explore the monuments and visit the Equator Monument.
Then, take a short flight to the Amazon jungle, where you can spend four or five days exploring trails through the forest with your naturalist guide, fishing for piranhas (or swimming with them!), visiting local communities, visiting parrot clay licks, and watching for wildlife from observation towers and canopy walks. Lodges are comfortable, and have amenities like private terraces with hammocks, electricity, fans, and running water, and work with sustainable principles to preserve the environment.
After the Amazon, continue to the Galapagos Islands for an exciting cruise of four, five or eight days. Each day you’ll have an early start, and then two island visits with your naturalist guide. You’ll often have the chance to snorkel after the land visit, where you’ll see the colorful marine life of the Enchanted Isles, and have the chance to swim with white-tipped reef sharks and playful sea lions. Because there are few natural predators in the Galapagos, animals are startlingly unafraid of humans, and you can get up close and personal with a blue-footed booby doing a mating dance, huge colonies of marine iguanas, or to ancient giant tortoises.
We work with a wide variety of Galapagos yachts, all visited by our Travel Consultants, and all adhering to the highest levels of safety and environmental standards, as well as working with top guides.
Ask us about customizing this trip with a Galapagos yacht to match your travel preferences, and the best Amazon program.
