Bucket List Galapagos

Day notes

Upon arrival to Quito, your &Beyond representative will meet you and escort you to your waiting vehicle for the drive to your hotel.

Situated in a circle of Andean peaks, Quito is the world’s second highest capital, with arguably one of the finest settings in the world.  Originally settled by the Quitu tribe in the first millennium, Quito was an important part of the Inca Empire, before being destroyed and re-founded by Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Benalcázar in 1534. The colonial center - declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978 - is one of the largest and best preserved in Latin America. It is home to excellent museums, churches and art galleries. 

Meals will be under your own arrangements.

Day notes

Our city tour begins at downtown, passing through the modern section of Quito towards the city's historic district. Sit in Independence Square, flanked by the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace and City Hall. Stroll past El Sagrario Church and marvel at the exquisite stone facade of La Compañía Church. Visit the San Francisco Church, built over the ruins of an Inca Palace in the 16th century. Ride up the road to the Panecillo or the Itchimbia hills for a breathtaking view of Quito.  

During this tour you will have a wonderful chocolate tasting in Galeria Ecuador, there you will learn how to cultivate cacao plants, how begins the process to transform the cacao plant into delicious chocolate, the same that is usually use with Swiss chocolate, and then they sell as the one of  best chocolate in the world. Here you can find an interactive game, where kids and adults can practice how to sow cacao, and finally cultivate the cacao plant, after that, you will be provided by some cooking implements to prepare Chocolate Truffles, you will be provided by different ingredients such as cinnamon, salt from cuzco, chocolate nibs, peanuts, almonds, cacao, sugar, etc. A guide specialized in chocolate, will teach you how to prepare it with these ingredients, and you will have Truffles in a few minutes made by yourself.

After this special activity you will be driven to the Cafe Plaza Grande where you will have prepared another wonderful activity “Cooking Classes”, here you will have the opportunity to learn how to cook a typical Ecuadorian dish, a professional chef will be your teacher in this activity who will show you how to prepare "ceviche" and our famous "helado de Paila" (it is an ice cream made with fresh typical pulp fruits with rudimentary Ecuadorian tools, it is considered one of the most famous food in Ecuador). The Chef will tell you how to prepare the fish, shrimps, and all together will be served with a special sauce for ceviche made with tomato, onions, coriander, lemon juice, orange juice, and more spices. Once the ceviche is ready, you will continue with the Helado de Paila, where you will have to shake the pulp on a bronze recipient until getting the special flavor and distinctive of this typical ice cream. The lunch will be served after this activity.

Then we continue with Equatorial Monument, in the middle of the world, it was built as a tribute to the French scientists who determined the shape of the earth in the 1700s. Visit the Ethnographic Museum inside the monument, where the colorful way of life of the different ethnic groups of Ecuador is on display, or visit the Intiñan interactive museum, which shows the different theories of the Incas in determining the middle of the world.

Day notes

After breakfast you will be picked up and driven to the airport for taking a domestic flight to Galapagos Islands, by Guayaquil.

Upon arrival at the airport on Baltra Island, you will be transferred to the dock for aboard the Yacht

Santa Cruz Highlands — Visit the highlands of Santa Cruz Island for a special opportunity to view the islands’ most famous reptile: the giant tortoises in their wild habitat.  What a privilege to see an endangered species roving in this lush environment!  The vegetation of the area includes the Scalesia Forest (an endemic giant daisy tree) and birds such as the vermilion flycatcher will delight everyone with its scarlet feathers against an emerald green forest.  Look for Darwin’s finches (most of them from the tree-finch group), particularly the famous Woodpecker Finch. 

Charles Darwin Research Station and boarding yacht — We will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and Galápagos National Park headquarters to learn first hand of the conservation and research efforts in the islands.  There, you’ll see several subspecies of adult tortoises, lots of hatchlings, and learn of the repatriation programs that are saving several subspecies of tortoises and iguanas from extinction.  Later In the afternoon, we will board our yacht, for dinner and set sail on our Island cruise.

We will live aboard the yacht and spend as much time exploring the islands as park rules permit. Each night, we’ll travel on to the next destination.

Lunch and dinner are included

Day notes

After your breakfast, you will have an excursion at Española islands

Gardner Bay — We’ll stroll along a magnificent white sand beach where sea lions lounge, marine turtles nest, and the curious Española mockingbirds follow our every footstep.  We can take a brief swim on the beach or wait for an amazing snorkel in the company of schools of colorful fish, turtles, sea lions, and possibly small sharks along the underwater cliffs of Gardener-byEspañola, a small satellite islet.

PM — Punta Suárez — This is one of the Galapagos’ most famed visitor sites.  You’ll be dazzled by spectacular cliff views of pounding surf and seemingly unlimited populations of an amazing variety of seabirds.  Brightly colored marine iguanas and the largest lava lizards of Galapagos frequent the coastline and rest on the trail.  From the cliff top you’ll watch a blowhole spray water 30 meters in the air.  Española is the only island where you’ll see waved albatrosses and possibly observe their fascinating mating dance.

Day notes

After your breakfast, you will have an excursion at San Cristobal Island

Punta Pitt — Disembarking onto the small beach, visitors are confronted by the strong stench and cacophony of barking sea lions.  This is a bachelor colony, and most are exhausted from fighting and mating.  A steep gully leads up the cliff to a breeding ground for Boobies of all three varieties: Red-footed, Blue-footed and Nazca.  It’s the only place in the Galapagos where you can see all three species nesting together.  Two species of frigatebirds are also present, as are Swallow-tailed Gulls and Storm Petrels.  The view of sea lions from the top of the cliff over the beach is magnificent, as are the contours of the barren, wind-eroded peaks of the island.  The trail across the Punta Pitt site offers a closer look at the hardy vegetation that manages to thrive in this volcanic wasteland.  From Saltbush and spiny shrubs next to the beach the trail leads up to an area of Palo Santo trees, big yellow-green shrubs, tiny cacti and, in the dry season, carpets of red Vesuvius.

PM — Cerro Brujo & Kicker Rock — A short panga ride along the cliffs of Cerro Brujo will be followed by a visit to the lovely coral sand beach, frequented by waders and migrant birds.  Snorkelers will see an amazing array of sea life at Kicker Rock, often including manta rays, sea turtles, and sharks.  Non-snorkelers will enjoy a close cruise around dramatic Non-snorkelers will enjoy a cruise around the base of dramatic Kicker Rock, a 500 m vertical tuff cone.  The orange glow on the rock at sunset is one of the more dramatic sights in all of Galapagos

Day notes

After your breakfast, you will have an excursion at Santa Fe & South Plazas Island

AM — Santa Fé — After landing on a white beach usually covered with sea lions, we’ll walk into a giant Opuntia cactus grove where we’ll have the opportunity to see the endemic land iguanas.  The land visit will be followed by snorkelling and/or kayaking in the turquoise waters of the bay, full of sea lions, rays, urchins, eels, and fish of all colours.

PM — South Plaza — We will see another species of Galapagos land iguana as well as cactus finches.  Both North and South Plazas were formed by geological uplift and tilt to the north, with cliffs on their southern coasts.  On small islands like this, terrestrial and marine species interact more than on the larger islands, and the occasional hybrid iguana (land and marine) with its “zebra-like” stripes can often be observed.  The south-facing cliffs swarm with a myriad of bird species. Bachelor sea lions climb steep cliffs in the late afternoon to spend nights away from the larger dominant bulls.

Day notes

After your breakfast, you will have an excursion at Genovesa Island

AM — Darwin Beach — At the north side of Darwin Bay, this beach was formed by the rim of a sunken crater. Red mangroves along the hiking trail provide habitat for yellow warblers, yellow-crowned night herons, and pintail ducks.  The highlight of this site is the incredible abundance of Red-footed Boobies, Great Frigatebirds, Swallow-tailed Gulls, and Yellowcrowned Night Herons.  Although the most abundant booby in the islands, this is one of the few places visitors can observe Red-footed Boobies.

PM — Prince Phillip’s Steps — While riding in a panga along the base of the eastern cliffs of Darwin Bay, we’ll scour the cliff crevices for all kinds of animal life.  We’ll come to a rockfall that forms a natural staircase up the cliffs, known as Prince Phillip’s Steps or the “Stairway to Seabird Heaven.”  We’ll walk through massive colonies of Red-footed and Nazca Boobies and an extraordinary Palo Santo forest on the way to a lava ridge where thousands of Wedge-rumped Storm Petrels dart about while Short-eared Owls stalk them for prey.

Day notes

After your breakfast, you will have an excursion at Santiago & Bartolome Islands

AM — Sullivan Bay (Santiago) — We’ll walk across a recent lava flow and view its beautiful structural characteristics.  Formed in the second half of the 19th Century, the flow is too young for much plant or animal life.  It is the lava itself and the contrasting black pahoehoe flow and the reddish-yellow tuff cones that are the stars of this visit.  The colors and shapes of the lava are fantastic for photos.  

PM — Bartolomé — Arguably the most recognized landmark in Galapagos, Pinnacle Rock juts straight out of Bartolomé’s northern bay. Snorkeling in the bay provides visitors with a chance to swim with Galapagos Penguins.  Climbing up the 600-m trail to the top of the island provides spectacular views of Pinnacle Rock, Santiago Island, and Daphne Major and Minor.

Day notes

After your breakfast, you will have an excursion at Rabida & Sombrero Chino Islands

AM — Rábida — We’ll land at Red Beach where wading birds and ghost crabs dot the sand.  Behind the beach is a saltwater lagoon where Pintail ducks and Common Stilts are frequently seen along with a group of bachelor sea lions.  Brown pelicans nest in the nearby salt brush.  A short trail inland provides a chance to observe finches, Galapagos Doves, Yellow Warblers, and mockingbirds, as well as the occasional snake.

PM — Sombrero Chino — The turquoise waters near Sombrero Chino provide one of our best opportunities to see Galapagos Penguins.  A panga ride in search of wildlife is followed by a snorkel that often includes sharks, sea lions, penguins, and rays.  We will land at a beautiful white sand beach for a short walk along a trail that meanders over varying types of lava.

Day notes

AM — We’ll have breakfast on board Integrity, then disembark at Baltra Island. Baltra's flat substrate (due to its uplifted origin) is the reason why the island was chosen back in the 1940s as the location to building an airport. Flight to Guayaquil.

Upon arrival you will have an assistance for taking the international flight home.