! Ecuador!and!the!Galapagos!Islands!Itinerary!

!
Ecuador!and!the!Galapagos!Islands!Itinerary!
March!26th!to!March!31st!(April!1st!to!April!4th!for!Amazon!extension)!
!
Day!0!
March!26!
Tuesday!
Optional!Ecuador!Tour!
We! will! be! picked! up! at! the! Rio! Amazonas! Hotel! at! approximately! 8:30! a.m.! (time! to! be! confirmed!
locally)!for!our!private!tour,!lasting!about!5!hours.!We!will!have!a!tour!of!the!city!and!countryside,!visit!
the! Equator( Monument! and! have! lunch! at! El( Crater( Restaurant( (included).! After the tour, you can be
dropped off near the cathedrals for exploring on your own, or continue back to Rio Amazonas Hotel.!
!
Day!1!
March!27!
Wednesday!
Fly!to!Galapagos!(Baltra)!/!Ballena!Bay!(Santa!Cruz)!
At!4:45!a.m.!we!will!be!picked!up!from!the!Rio!Amazonas!Hotel!and!transferred!to!the!airport!for!the!
flight!to!the!Galapagos!Islands.!Once!at!the!Quito!airport!(UIO),!we’ll!proceed!to!the!Aerogal!ticketing!
counter!where!a!representative!from!Klein!Tours!(vessel!owners)!will!be!distributing!boarding!passes.!If!
you’re!not!joining!us!on!the!bus,!please!proceed!to!this!counter!on!your!own.!Tickets!are!electronic,!so!
keep! your! passport! handy.! On! Baltra,! a! representative! of! the! Coral( I! will! assist! you! with! luggage! and!
transfer!us!to!your!ship!to!start!your!cruise.!
!
The!first!excursion!is!a!wet!landing!(hop!off!the!boat!in!kneeHdeep!water)!at!Ballena!(Whale)!Bay.!This!
bay!is!a!green!sand!cove!at!the!base!of!Dragon!Hill!on!the!west!coast!of!Santa!Cruz!Island.!The!beach!
contains!a!large!number!of!olivine!crystals!that!were!formed!from!cooling!magma.!We!will!see!marine!
iguanas,!various!sea!birds,!and!there!will!be!an!opportunity!for!snorkeling.!
!
Day!2!
March!28!
Thursday!
Tagus!Cove!(Isabela)!/!Espinosa!Point!(Fernandina)!
After! a! dry! landing! on! Isabela! Island,! we’ll! learn! about! the! five! volcanoes! that! formed! Galapagos’s!
largest!island.! A!trail! will! lead! us! to!Darwin’s!saltwater!crater!lake!with!views!of!lava!fields!and!other!
volcanic! formations.! Afterwards,! we’ll! board! our! tenders! for! an! excursion! along! the! shoreline,! where!
we’ll! encounter! a! variety! of! seabirds,! such! as! blueHfooted! boobies,! brown! noddies,! terns,! flightless!
cormorants,!and!possibly!Galapagos!penguins.!Deep!water!snorkeling!will!be!offered!and!we’ll!examine!
graffiti!scrawled!by!19thHcentury!pirates.!
!
Later! in! the! day,! we’ll! have! a! dry! landing! at! Espinosa! Point,! where! we’ll! admire! the! island! of! Isabela!
across!the!Bolívar!Channel,!an!area!rich!in!endemic!sealife.!The!largest!marine!iguanas!are!here!as!well!
as! sea! lions! and! the! colorful! sally! lightfoot! crabs.! “PaHhoeHhoe”! and! “AA”! lava! formations! cover! the!
majority! of! the! terrain.! Vegetation! is! scarce! inland,! but! we’ll! see! brachycereus! cacti! and! extensive!
mangrove!beds!lining!the!shores.!
!
Day!3!
March!29!
Friday!
Isabela:!Elizabeth!Bay!/!Urbina!Bay!
In!the!morning,!we’ll!visit!Elizabeth!Bay!on!Isabela!Island.!Our!tenders!will!ride!along!a!coast!surrounded!
by!mangrove!trees!looking!for!flightless!cormorants,!penguins,!and!sea!turtle!nesting!sites.!
!
After!a!wet!landing!on!a!volcanic!“black”!beach!in!the!afternoon,!we!may!find!giant!tortoises!and!land!
iguanas.! After! a! short! walk! inland,! snorkeling! time! is! allotted,! giving! us! a! chance! to! swim! with! sea!
turtles,! sea! lions,! and! tropical! fish.! Urbina! Bay! features! a! wide! variety! of! plant! life! that! changes!
depending!on!the!season!and!we’ll!explore!dry!land!coral!reef!that!was!dramatically!uplifted!in!1954.!
!
Day!4!
March!30!
Saturday!
Santiago:!Buccaneer!Cove!&!Espumilla!Beach!/!Sullivan!
Bay!
After!a!wet!landing!on!Santiago!Island,!we’ll!have!a!pleasant!walk!through!a!mangrove!forest!and!then!
arrive!at!a!lookout!of!the!entire!bay.!We’ll!look!for!Darwin’s!famous!finches,!mockingbirds,!and!whiteH
checked! pintails.! We! may! even! see! Flamingoes! in! the! lagoon.! Buccaneer! Cove’s! steep! tuff! formations!
and!purple!beaches!provided!shelter!to!pirates,!sailors!and!whalers!during!the!18th!and!19th!century.!
!
In! the! afternoon,! we’ll! have! a! wet! landing! at! Sullivan! Bay.! Located! in! the! southeastern! portion! of!
Santiago!Island,!the!area!is!of!geologic!interest!due!to!the!extensive!lava!flows!formed!at!the!end!of!the!
19th!century.!
!
Day!5!
March!31!
Sunday!
El!Chato!(Santa!Cruz)!/!Return!to!Quito!
Our!morning!starts!with!a!dry!landing!on!Santa!Cruz.!There!is!a!town!here,!and!we’ll!head!for!the!Santa!
Cruz!highlands!on!a!bus!and!visit!a!private!farm,!Primicias!(El!Chato),!where!giant!tortoises!are!found!in!
their! natural! habitat.! The! road! to! the! reserve! is! one! of! the! best! places! to! observe! land! birds! such! as!
ground!finches,!vermillion!flycatchers,!and!cattle!egrets.!After!our!visit,!we’ll!head!to!the!airport!for!the!
return! flight! to!Quito.! A! bus! will! be! waiting! for! those! of! us! heading! to! Rio! Amazonas.! We’ll! be! on! our!
own!for!lunch!and!dinner.!
!
Day!6!
April!1!
Monday!
Optional!Sacha!Lodge!
After!breakfast!(on!our!own),!the!bus!will!meet!us!at!Rio!Amazonas!Hotel!at!9:00!a.m.!and!we’ll!head!to!
the!airport!for!the!flight!to!Coca.!Upon!arrival,!we’ll!be!met!by!a!representative!of!the!Sacha!Lodge!who!
will!take!us!for!lunch!in!Sacha´s!private!house!and!then!we’ll!enjoy!a!2Hhour!trip!down!the!river!to!the!
lodge´s!property.!From!there,!we’ll!hike!through!the!rainforest!(about!30!minutes)!to!Lake!Pilchicocha!
where!we’ll!be!paddled!to!arrive!at!the!Sacha!Lodge!by!4:00!p.m.!After!an!orientation,!we’ll!have!dinner!
and!listen!to!the!night!sounds!of!the!surrounding!rainforest.!
Day!7!
April!2!
Tuesday!
Liana!Chica!/!Liana!Grande!
An!early!morning!excursion!leaving!between!6:00!and!7:00!a.m.!along!the!Liana!Chica!Trail!for!a!canopy!
walk!where!we’ll!see!a!variety!of!dawnHloving,!vibrantly!colored!birds.!The!canopy!walk!is!12!stories!high!
and! 900! feet! long.! After! the! canopy! walk,! we’ll! spend! more! time! on! the! Liana! Grande! Trail! to! learn!
about!the!many!native!species!of!medicinal!plants!that!have!been!used!by!forest!inhabitants!for!years.!
From! there,! we’ll! head! onto! the! Higueron! Trail! which! leads! to! a! forest! filled! with! huge! kapok! and! fig!
trees.! After! lunch,! you! may! choose! to! have! a! leisurely! hike! along! the! Rio! Napo! or! a! more! challenging!
hike!on!the!Leoncillo!Trail.!Both!trails!lead!back!to!the!main!boardwalk!for!your!final!hike!and!canoe!ride!
back!to!the!lodge.!
!
Day!8!
April!3!
Wednesday!
Lagartococha!/!Amazon!Canoe!Ride!
After! breakfast,! we’ll! hike! on! the! Lagartococha! Trail.! After! arriving! at! Lake! Lagartococha,! we’ll! take! a!
canoe!ride!through!a!natural!swamp!where!we!might!see!caiman,!capybara,!and,!if!very!lucky,!anaconda.!
On!the!other!side!of!the!lake!we!may!see!capuchin!or!squirrel!monkeys!in!the!trees.!Afterwards,!we’ll!
head!back!to!the!lodge!for!a!swim!in!the!lake!(with!piranhas)!or!a!nap!on!your!personal!hammock.!
!
After!lunch,!we’ll!begin!a!silent!canoe!ride!through!the!flooded!Amazon!forest!to!arrive!at!Sacha´s!135!
foot!wooden!tower!built!around!an!ancient!Kapok!tree.!This!will!allow!you!to!have!many!close!views!of!
the! vibrantly! colored! birds! in! this! area.! Around! sunset,! we’ll! head! back! for! a! nighttime! canoe! ride!
through!the!forest!where!you!will!see!a!variety!of!nocturnal!wildlife.!
!
Day!9!
April!4!
Thursday!
Return!to!Quito!
After!breakfast,!we’ll!depart!from!the!lodge!at!7:30!a.m.!for!our!canoe!ride!back!to!Coca!where!we’ll!be!
transferred!to!the!airport!for!your!flight!back!to!Quito.!The!bus!will!be!waiting!to!take!some!of!us!back!to!
Rio!Amazonas.!!
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!
College!of!Curiosity!Information!
In!Ecuador:!
Hotel!Rio!Amazonas!
Address:!Cordero!1342!&!Av.!Amazonas,!Quito!
Phone:!(593)!2!2!55!6666!
!
Emergency!EHMail:[email protected]!
(This!account!will!be!checked!as!often!as!possible!throughout!the!trip)!
US!Phone!for!Trip:!(312)!JoyHWagg,!(312)!569H9244!(Voice!mail!sent!as!eHmail)!
!
!
!
Hotel!Contact!Information!
Hotel!Rio!Amazonas!
Address:!Cordero!1342!&!Av.!Amazonas,!Quito!
Phone:!(593)!2!2!55!6666!
EHmail:!mailto:[email protected]!
Web:!www.hotelrioamazonas.com!
!
Sacha!Lodge!(contact!information!in!Quito)!
Address:!Julio!Zaldumbide!397!y!Valladolid,!Quito,!Ecuador!!
24!hour!contact!number:!(593)!9!9733182!!
EHmail:[email protected]!
Web:!www.sachalodge.com!
!
!
Coral!I!and!the!Galapagos!
Klein!Tours!
Address:!Eloy!Alfaro!N34H151!Ave.!&!Catalina!Aldaz!St.!Quito,!Ecuador!
Fax:!(593)!2!2442389!
Emergency!phone:!(593)!9!99456205;!ask!for!Xavier!Santacruz!
Email:[email protected][email protected]!!
Web!site:!www.kleintours.com!!
!
!
Local!Flight!Itinerary!!
Plane!tickets!are!electronic;!you!will!just!need!to!present!your!passport!at!check!in!to!receive!your!
boarding!passes.!
!
Galapagos!Islands:!
27aMar!Flight:!Aerogal!2K32! Quito!–!Guayaquil!
Depart:!7:40!a.m.!
Arrive:!8:30!a.m!
!
Flight:!Aerogal!2K32! Guayaquil!–!Galapagos! Depart:!9:10!a.m.!
Arrive:!10:00!a.m.!
31aMar!Flight:!Aerogal!2K33!
!
Flight:!Aerogal!2K33!
Galapagos!–!Guayaquil! Depart:!10:45!a.m.!
Guayaquil!–!Quito!
Depart:!2:15!p.m.!
Arrive:!1:35!p.m.
Arrive:!3:05!p.m.!
Coca!Flights:!
01aApr! Flight:!TAME!EQ213!
04aApr! Flight:!TAME!EQ214!
Quito!–!Coca!
Coca!–!Quito!
Arrive:!11:50!a.m.!
Arrive:!12:50!p.m.!
!
!
Depart:!11:20!a.m.!
Depart:!12:20!p.m.!