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✈ Transfer Quito (airport – hotel).
Welcome to Quito. A representative will welcome you and transfer you to your hotel. You will have free time to explore the city, relax and settle in.
Accommodation: In the 5-Star GO Quito Hotel/ Premium Room
Itinerary C+DCorals
Day 1 – Welcome to Quito AM ✈ Transfer Quito (airport – hotel). Welcome to Quito. A representative will welcome you and transfer you to your hotel. You will have free time to explore the city, relax and settle in. Accommodation: In the 5-Star GO Quito Hotel/ Premium Room Day 2 – Quito Old Town […]
Day 1 - Welcome to Quito
Day 2 - Quito Old Town Tour & Middle of the World
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Colonial Quito.
Stroll through the busy streets and squares of the most significant historic center of the Americas: a multi-ethnic, artistic, and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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The Middle of the World.
Afterward, our guide will visit the Middle of the World Complex at latitude 0*0*0. Return to the hotel for the night.
Accommodation: In the 5-Star GO Quito Hotel / Premium Room
Day 3 - Welcome to Galapagos & North Seymour Island
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✈ Welcome to Galapagos. Departure from Quito to Baltra Island is a 2 1⁄2 hour flight. Upon arrival in the Galapagos, passengers are greeted at the airport by our knowledgeable guides who will accompany them on a short ten- minute bus ride to the pier where they will board the Coral I or Coral II.
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North Seymour Island. This flat, uplifting, island is an important spot to see both magnificent and great frigate bird males courting the females and, we will also likely see courting blue-footed boobies too. Sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls, crashing surf and distant views of the Daphne Islands top off a great visit.
Day 4 - Santa Cruz Island & Mosquera Islet
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Charles Darwin Research Station (Santa Cruz Island). Once home to the famous Lonesome George, the last tortoise of the Pinta race. The center is set in the Galapagos National Park Service where various interpretative buildings are available to visit. The grounds, with large stands of native vegetation are one of the better places to spot some of the seldom seen Darwinís finches.
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Mosquera Islet. This tiny, low-lying islet, converted into coral sand, is set between the north and south Seymour Islands. It’s home to a group of sea lions that come to laze on the soft white sand, it’s an excellent spot to observe shorebirds, herons, lava gulls, and boobies. Snorkeling or diving here, one can often see sharks, rays, and barracudas.
Day 5 - South Plaza Island & Santa Fe Island
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South Plaza Island. Sea lions, swallow-tailed gulls, and land iguanas are all present at the landing site. The small island is covered with a carpet of a red succulent studded with Opuntia cacti. At the cliff edge, we spend time watching birds like frigatebirds, flocks of Galapagos shearwaters, and of particular note, flights of displaying red-billed tropicbirds.
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Santa Fe Island. After a fabulous snorkel in the turquoise waters of the protected bay, we may have enjoyed time with sea lions, turtles, reef sharks and spotted eagle rays. Landing on a sandy beach, we spend time watching the abundant sea lions there with us and . We begin a walk past a forest of island-endemic giant Opuntia cacti and we can watch the Santa Fe land Iguana
Day 6 - Lobos Island & San Cristobal Island
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Lobos Island. Isla Lobos is approximately 20 minutes by boat from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Once on the island, the trail is about 850 meters and there will be rocky trails and a nice & easy sand trail too. There is a small population of blue-footed boobies and great frigate birds nests at this site.
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Interpretation Center & Frigatebird Hill (San Cristobal Island). The interpretation center is full of interesting information and offers a perfect view of the formation of the Galapagos. After a hike to Cerro Tijeretas, we will have a great view of the two species of frigate birds, along with a beautiful view of the bay.
Day 7 - San Cristobal Island
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Kicker Rock – This ancient and eroded volcanic tuff lava named Leon Dormido or Kicker Rock, is formed from two rocks approximately 148 m, named for its resemblance to a sleeping lion.
Cerro Brujo – From our dinghy ride, as we head to shore, we are first humbled by the immensity of the stunning cliffs of the Sorcerer’s Hill. You can enjoy simply sharing the beach with sea lions, snorkelling from shore, or taking a walk to a hidden lagoon.
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Punta Pitt (San Cristobal Island). This is the only place on the islands where we will enjoy the chance to see all three of the booby species in the same place. The red-foots will be perched on the Cordia lutea and small trees, the Nazca ́s on the ground near the cliff edge while the blue-foots will be a little further inland. Frigatebirds will be all around and the views are breathtaking.
Day 8 - Española Island
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Punta Suarez (Española Island). Punta Suarez is a naturalist ́s paradise. The oldes extant island in the archipelago is our only opportunity to commune with the endemic wave albatross during their breeding season between April and December. With luck, we can watch their complex courtship display.
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Gardner Bay (Española Island). One of the most stunning beaches in all of the Galapagos. The long, white, sandy beach, lapped by turquoise waters, home to a colony of Galapagos sea lions. Hood mockingbirds, endemic to this particular island. We can also snorkel here from the beach, in the shallows of the bay.
Day 9 - Floreana Island
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Cormoran or Champion (Floreana Island). Our walk takes us to a large, shallow lagoon, often inhabited by a variable number of shockingly pink greater flamingos. We arrive at a powdery white beach, a nesting area for green turtles.
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Post Office (Floreana Island). The famous Post Office Barrel. Claimed to have been first set up in 1793 by Captain James Colnett. The system involved whalers and fur sealers would leave addressed letters in the barrel to be picked up by homeward-bound colleagues. Actually visitors often take letters and hand-deliver them to their home countries.
Day 10 - Santa Cruz Island & return to Quito
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Highlands (Santa Cruz Island). Dry landing. In the Galapagos mountains, admire diverse bird species like finches, flycatchers, crakes, warblers, and egrets (often perched on tortoises’ shells). The journey to the reserve showcases the island’s contrasting ecosystems, from coastal areas to dense humid forests. Look out for Galapagos Giant tortoises wandering through pastures. This spot is a haven for birdwatchers, as it hosts a wide range.
✈ San Cristobal Airport. After the visit, passengers will be transferred to the airport for a return flight to Quito.
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Accommodation: In the 5-Star GO Quito Hotel / Premium Room.
Day 11 - Transfer to Airport
Transfer to Quito airport
Transfer to Quito airport or guests can also extend their stay in Ecuador with other land tours we offer.
