Amazon & Galapagos

Day notes

Arrive in Quito, or you have spent the night after an evening arrival.

You will be met on arrival atQuito Airport, and be assisted to your with flight to Coca - 40minute flight.

Coca is the gateway to toe exploring the Ecuadorian Amazon. On arrival in Coca, you are met by the Anakonda ground staff and transferred to the dock to board a motorized canoe for a 90-minute journey down the river, taking in the beauty of the Amazon, reaching the Anakonda Amazon Cruise in time for lunch.

On the Anakonda, you will be joined by expert local naturalist guides, who will provide an informative introduction to the Ecuadorian Amazon. Later you will have the opportunity to explore cruise ship and admire the rainforest landscape as you glide down the Napo River. After a delicious dinner, we will take a nighttime forest walk to hear the sounds of the rainforest and observe the nocturnal wildlife.

Traveling downstream to the Pañayacu River delta, embark on a canoe trip to Pañacocha Lake (“Piranha Lagoon” in the native Kichwa language), an ecosystem flooded by blackwater river water. The surrounding protected rainforest is home to primates and various bird species, which we will be able to spot during a walk with our guides. Enjoy an Amazon-style barbeque at a community camp, take part in aquatic activities such as kayaking and/or swimming.  Witness one of the most incredible sights on this side of the Western Amazon - the famous parrot clay licks. This unique place is rich in minerals and attracts hundreds of colorful parrots, parakeets and Amazon birds who meet up here to lick the clay which provides a healthy boost to their digestion. Visit the Kichwa women’s community project, where we will learn about the indigenous lifestyle along the Napo river and ancestral culture, as well as the opportunity to participate in the Charapas Turtle Conservation.

4 nights on board the Anakonda Amazon Cruise.

Day notes

Your journey on the Napo River ends this morning, with a boat ride up river back to Coca. On arrival in Coca, you are met by a driver and the Anakonda ground assistance for the 5 minute driver to the airport. Connect with a scheduled flight to Quito.

On arrival in Quito, you are met by a driver for the transfer to Hacienda Zuleta. Experience life in the foot hills of the Andes, and enjoy hikes, horse rides or bike rides through the farm. This stunning 17th century hotel is the working farm of the former Ecuador President - Galo Plaza Lasso. Hacienda Zultea features beautiful antique rooms, delicious home-grown Andean cuisine, and a wealth of activities to choose from. This is an intimate encounter with the Ecuadorean Andes.

Two nights Hacienda Zuleta

Day notes

After breakfast at Zultea, you will be transferred back to Quito Airport (1hr30min drive). On arrival in Quito, connect with a flight to the Galapagos. Arrive in the afternoon. You are met at the airport and assisted with the shuttle bus and ferry about to Santa Cruz Island. From there, your driver for a transfer up into the highlands and Galapagos Safari Camp.

Enjoy two days exploring Santa Cruz. Activities included will be snorkeling trips, kayaking, as well as encountering some of the most famous Galapagos wildlife such as blue-footed boobies, sea lions, brown pelicans, a variety of herons and white-tipped reef sharks.

There’s no better introduction to the Galapagos than to get on the water as soon as possible! We will glide through beautiful red mangrove forests and along lava rock cliffs on water so clear we can see the marine life in the shallows. Our ocean (sit on top) kayaks come in doubles or singles, and life jackets are provided. A support boat will escort us throughout our water activities to ensure safety and to provide water, snacks and towels between activities.

Two nights Galapagos Safari Camp.

Day notes

 After breakfast, depart for Floreana Island, which is a two hour speedboat crossing.

This peaceful island is home to the Galapagos’ smallest human population. Because only 150 people call Floreana home, it is the least developed and most natural of the four inhabited islands. It was the first inhabited islands in the Galapagos, and descendants of the original population still live here. Once a pirates’ lair, the island’s history is full of mystery and legends about its first inhabitants.

During your stay, you will be hiking, learning about the fascinating local history and also seeing some of the Galapagos’ special wildlife. You may see giant tortoises, frigate birds, sea lions, Darwin’s finches, petrels and marine iguanas, among other species.

The following day, you explore the Floreana highlands on an open-air bus (chiva) – an unbeatable, historic, and comfortable way to see the island.

On the way, your naturalist guide will share the colorful history of some of Floreana’s first inhabitants, such as the Wittmers (whose descendants still live on the Island), the ‘Baroness,’ and the pirates that once visited here. They will also tell us about the “Enigma of Floreana,” involving the mysterious deaths of several of the Island´s inhabitants. The enigma is a riddle from the 1930’s that has never been solved and was featured in the film “The Galapagos Affair.”

After driving into the highlands, you reach Asilo de la Paz (Peace Haven) where our hike begins. Walk up to this historic site, explore the pirate caves, and visit the freshwater spring that provides water for the entire Island, your guide sharing stories and history along the way. 

Two nights Floreana Lava Lodge.

Day notes

Today we take an early morning speed boat and transfer to Isabela Island where we will check into our hotel. 
 
Our Isabela adventure begins with a tour to the local giant tortoise-breeding center and on the way, we may catch a glimpse of pink flamingos feeding in a lake. Once at the Center our guides will explain the process of breeding and then releasing into the wild these giant slow-moving creatures whose Spanish name (meaning saddle) gave the Islands their present title. The breeding center is an important conservation tool and it is here that the islands’ giant tortoise population is presently recovering. 
 
In the afternoon we will continue with our tour to the Tintoreras, a group of small islands near the village of Puerto Villamil, that are named after the white tipped ‘Tintoreras’ reef sharks that swim in these calm waters. A Galapagos in miniature on the Tintoreras you will see almost all of the archipelago’s iconic wildlife: white tipped sharks, sea lions, turtles, rays, penguins, and of course pelicans and blue footed boobies. You will have a chance to snorkel in the bay – and don’t be surprised if some of the penguins or sea lions jump in to play alongside you in the water. 

Visit to Roca Unión, a small island full of life, where we’ll snorkel amid clouds of brightly-colored fish and watch sea lions and blue footed boobies from the surface. At Turtle Cove, a secret spot used by fishermen, that today is considered one of the island’s major attractions, there are plenty of opportunities to snorkel through a maze of small islands and arches (and for the experts, tunnels) in the company of fish, sea turtles and occasional white tipped sharks and rays. 
 
There are more opportunities to snorkel with sea turtles at Finado, and from our boat out on the open water, the chance to watch sea turtles and manta rays against a background of varied coastal beaches and rocky shores where sea turtles’ nest. 

Three nights Iguana Crossing
 

Day notes

Your journey ends, with a transfer Isabella airport– connect with a scheduled light air flight to Baltra Airport. Connect with your onward flight to the mainland - Quito or Guayaquil

Arrive Quito in the afternoon, and connect with your onward flights.

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