Day 1

Depart from NYC to Guayaquil, Ecuador

 

7 hr non-stop

Details: Along with your guide, take a morning flight from Guayaquil to San Cristobal, the first of the Galapagos Islands on your trip. Next we take a catamaran to our secluded beach camp to settle in and enjoy watching sea lions, blue footed boobies and more as the sun sets. This is also our first chance to get in the kayaks and meet some local wildlife.

Accommodations: Exclusive Beach Camp

Meals Included: B,L,D

Day 2

Day 3

Details: Today take out your kayaks and paddle from camp roughly three hours depending on the weather conditions. A support boat is always close at hand if you need assistance or tire of paddling. You arrive at another pristine beach for lunch, bird watching and wildlife viewing.  Then continue in your catamaran to Kicker Rock.  Once at Kicker Rock, snorkel through an amazing channel where you are likely to see white-tipped reef sharks, Galapagos sharks, sea turtles and eagle rays.  You are sure to see hundreds of fish and sea stars.  By late afternoon, you will return to relax at your beach camp, watch small hermit crabs scuttle along, as well as yellow warblers and other seabirds.  The sunset over the Pacific is usually spectacular. 

Accommodations: Exclusive Beach Camp

Meals Included: B,L,D

Day 4

Details:

This morning we take an early walk before heading to the airport to fly to the island of Isabela. Isabela Island is the largest island of the Galápagos with an area of 4,640 square kilometres and length of 100 kilometres almost four times larger than Santa Cruz, the second largest of the archipelago. It was named after Queen Isabella of Spain.

Details:

Galápagos National Park, established in 1959 and beginning operations in 1968, is Ecuador's first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The government of Ecuador has designated 97% of the land area of the Galápagos Islands as the country's first national park. The remaining 3% is distributed between the inhabited areas of Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, Floreana and Isabela.

Details:

Surrounded by white, sandy beaches and turquoise seas; lush vegetation and a natural celebration of life, La Casa de Marita (Marita's House) is much more than a wonderful boutique hotel in one of the planet's most unique destinations - it's a viewpoint to the island outside, just as as the one within.

As a home born of a couple's love that resembles a live canvas, one could say that Marita's is a House in paradise. If so, and Eden hides in Isabela, we invite you to discover it.

 

Details:

After the National Park, we visit the marshlands or humedales, where elevated walkways take us over tidal lagoons that include four mangrove species and provide habitat for flamingos and numerous migratory birds. We come back to the hotel walking along the beautiful white sand beach of Puerto Villamil.

Day 5

Details:

Rising early, we head to the interior for a very different view of the Galapagos Islands.  We drive just under an hour up to the highlands and begin our hike of Isabela’s Sierra Negra. This active volcano last erupted in 2005 and has the second largest caldera in the world with a diameter of approximately six and a half miles. The hike can vary from 8-14 miles and includes viewing the spectacular caldera and incredible lava formations. We return to town with time for relaxing on the beach, walking through town or simply resting.

Details:

In the morning, weather permitting, we take a boat for roughly an hour to Los Tuneles: a most curious and remarkable lava formation which consists of arches and caves.  We walk along the shore and also snorkel in crystal clear water for an insight into the remarkable underwater world. We have lunch aboard the boat.

Day 6

Details: 

From the lagoon we head to El Finado, here there is an inlet that for many years has been used by local fishermen to rest from their journeys in the ocean, a place with tranquil and shallow waters. Here we will anchor our boat and spend time snorkeling among submerged lava rocks forming caves and small reefs. We come back to the hotel walking along the beautiful white sand beach of Puerto Villamil.

Day 8

Details:

A short one hour boat trip takes us to one of the most beautiful coves in all of the Galapagos; a place visited by few.  We take the opportunity to snorkel here and are often joined by the playful sea lion pups. The fluorescent fish make for great snorkeling as do the submerged rocks where the sea turtles and manta rays hang out.

Later in the afternoon we will then return to Puerto Ayora. Some may wish to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, or enjoy some free time before meeting for our farewell dinner in town. 

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Day 10

7 hr non-stop

Depart from Guayaquil, Ecuador to NYC

 

Day 7

Details: After breakfast, we will take a speed boat to Baltra, a small island separated from the northwest corner of Santa Cruz be the narrow Itabaca Channel. Santa Cruz, also called Indefatigable Island, it's located in the center of the Galapagos Islands archipelago. We transfer to the boat of our partner and friend, Favian, a former fisherman. A few fishermen like him have signed an agreement with local authorities to have special permission to visit specific areas in the Galapagos. He takes us on a unique excursion through an extraordinary site that not many people have a chance to see, from where we will be able to appreciate the beautiful landscapes, and the incredible marine life.

Details: This upscale, waterfront hotel in the Galápagos Islands lies a minute's walk from Playa de los Alemanes beach and 4 km from Tortuga Bay. Offering free Wi-Fi, the modern, airy rooms have flat-screen TVs, desks and seating areas, as well as ceiling fans and minibars. Upgraded quarters add balconies or terraces; some have ocean views and whirlpool tubs. A breakfast buffet and parking are complimentary. There's also a casual restaurant with a terrace, as well as a cozy cafe/bar and a sundeck. A pier has a 24-hour water taxi station.

Details:

In the morning we transfer to the airport on Baltra where the original runway was built during WW II by the United States Navy.  Late morning or early afternoon, we fly about two hours by jet back to the mainland city of Guayaquil and transfer to our hotel.

Day 9

Details: This modern hotel overlooking Rio Babhayo is 2 km from the collection of local and modern artworks at the Museo Antropologico y de Arte Contemporaneo and 3 km from the neo-Gothic Catedral San Pedro.

The chic rooms feature free Wi-Fi, 109-cm flat-screen TVs and iPod docks. They also come with minibars. Suites add living rooms, kitchenettes and/or whirlpool tubs. Room service is available 24/7.

Details: This modern hotel overlooking Rio Babhayo is 2 km from the collection of local and modern artworks at the Museo Antropologico y de Arte Contemporaneo and 3 km from the neo-Gothic Catedral San Pedro.

The chic rooms feature free Wi-Fi, 109-cm flat-screen TVs and iPod docks. They also come with minibars. Suites add living rooms, kitchenettes and/or whirlpool tubs. Room service is available 24/7.