Galapagos Encounter - Archipel I (Itinerary B)
Galapagos Encounter - Archipel I (Itinerary B)
Galapagos Encounter - Archipel I (Itinerary B)
10 Days Starting in Quito and ending in Guayaquil
Visiting: Ecuador, Galapagos Islands
Tour operator:
Tour code:
WGAB
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
2 - 16
Age range:
12-99
Special diets catered:
Please inform Exodus of specific dietary requirements
Tour operated in:
EnglishTour Overview
This eight-day itinerary aboard the Archipel I catamaran combines the seabird colonies of North Seymour and the exclusive Genovesa Island with the spectacular volcanic island Bartolomé and the Charles Darwin Research Station. Also explore Española, the southernmost point of the archipelago, and swim with sea lions in the Loberia of Isla Floreana.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1 : Start Quito
The adventure starts in Quito, aim to arrive at the hotel this afternoon/evening. Free transfers are available for all clients – check the Joining Instructions for more information. A local guide will welcome you to Quito and explain the schedule for the next few days.
Accommodation: Hotel Casona de la Ronda (or similar)
Day 2 : Discover Quito At Your Leisure
Meals Included: Breakfast
Today is free to relax, recover from the flight and explore the fascinating city of Quito, the second-highest capital in the world, standing at 9,350ft (2,850m) on the western cordillera of the Andes. It is one of the smaller and more attractive of the colonial capitals in South America. Visitors to Quito are advised to take it easy at first because of the altitude.
Accommodation: Hotel Casona de la Ronda (or similar)
Day 3 : Fly To Baltra Airport On The Galapagos And Visit Bachas Beach
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning: Fly to Galapagos
Transfer to Quito Airport and fly to Baltra Airport in the Galapagos Islands. Upon arrival, you pass through the airport inspection point to make sure no foreign plants or animals are introduced to the island, and to pay the national park entrance fee. Your guide will meet you, help you collect your luggage and escort you on a short bus ride to the harbour where a dinghy will take you to the yacht.
Afternoon: Bachas Beach (Santa Cruz)
This is a lovely bay with soft, white coral sand frequently visited by egg-laying sea turtles – watch your step! After enjoying leisure time at the beach, you could explore a small lagoon hidden behind bushes, where occasionally it is possible to observe flamingos, black-necked stilts and whimbrels. You might also see rusty barges, which were abandoned here after the Second World War when the USA rented this island as a strategic point to protect the Panama Channel from Japan.
Accommodation: Archipel I
Day 4 : Genovesa Island
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning: Prince Philip's Steps
Genovesa has a royal touch. Follow in the footsteps of Prince Philip – who admired the Galapagos for many years – and visit this favourite birding spot, home to the largest breeding colonies of red-footed and nazca boobies and short-eared owls, which hunt on foot.
Afternoon: Darwin Bay
One of the outer islands and among the most exclusive spots on the Galapagos, Genovesa is well worth last night's longer navigation. This compact site displays the varied coastal ecosystems of the Galapagos in miniature – nearly too much for a single day.
Accommodation: Archipel I
Day 5 : Bartolomé And Santiago
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning: Bartolomé
This tiny volcano islet is just recently born out of fire. Enter its wild setting of spatter cones and craters and admire beautiful panoramas of the Galapagos.
Afternoon: Sullivan Bay (Santiago)
Sullivan Bay is incomparable to any other site; setting foot on the recently solidified lava flow is like walking on the moon.
Accommodation: Archipel I
Day 6 : Santa Cruz Island
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning: El Chato Reserve – Twin Craters
El Chato Reserve is a protected area and part of the Galapagos National Park, extending from Cerro El Chato as far down as the southwestern coast of Santa Cruz Island.
Afternoon: Fausto Llerena Breeding Center
On a tour of the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center, you can see the tortoises of Española Island, ending in the tortoise exhibit corral. Tortoises of this corral are accustomed to humans – an excellent chance to capture a photo for your wall back home.
Accommodation: Archipel I
Day 7 : Floreana Island
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning: Cormorant Point and Devil’s Crown
The peninsula of Cormorant Point forms the extreme north cape of Floreana, which exists out of smaller volcanic cones, covered by a tropical dry forest of palo santo. At the landing beach, you will be welcomed by a small Galapagos sea lion colony. The green sand on this beach contains a high percentage of glassy olivine crystals, which have been blown out by the surrounding tuff cones. The flour-sand beach on the southern side of the peninsula is made of even finer white-coral sand, which feels very smooth on the feet. Parrotfish have pulverised it, grinding the calcareous skeletons of living coral. You can spot schools of stingrays who love the sandy bottom to hide. During the first months of the year, Pacific green turtles come ashore to bury their eggs.
Devil’s Crown is one of the best snorkelling spots in the Galapagos due to the coral reef in its centre, which attracts a lot of marine life. Here you can spot Galapagos penguins, sea lions, sea turtles, many different colourful fish and even dolphins. The current can be a bit strong sometimes, so it should not be attempted by novice swimmers.
Afternoon: Post Office Bay and Baroness Lookout
Historically, this site was the location of a wooden barrel placed by an 18th-century whaling ship crew; letters placed inside were collected and delivered by sailors returning home. Tourists still leave thousands of letters here today and many still reach their destination. You can also relax on the beach at Post Office Bay, where you may see Galapagos sea lions, Pacific green turtles, golden rays and Galapagos penguins (this is the only place in the southeastern archipelago where penguins reside). You can also climb Baroness Lookout, a small basaltic cone, and enjoy paradisiacal views of the coastline. This viewpoint was the favourite spot the eccentric baroness and self-proclaimed Empress of Galapagos, Eloisa von Wagner, who was one of the first settlers on Floreana.
Accommodation: Archipel I
Day 8 : Española Island
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning: Osborn Islet and Gardner Bay
The striking white beach at Gardner Bay is an important breeding site for Pacific green turtles. However, without a doubt, its main attraction is the Galapagos sea lion colony. Females stay year-round in this nursery, suckling their pups until they are three years' old, although they start to fish at five months. During the breeding and mating season, the colony becomes even bigger.
Afternoon: Suarez Point
The west tip of Española is a dream for birdwatchers and photographers. Feel as though you're within an exciting nature documentary and hike a short distance from colourful marine iguanas.
Accommodation: Archipel I
Day 9 : San Cristobal Island
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Morning: Pitt Point
Two wind-sculpted tuff cones at Pitt Point constitute the easternmost end of the Galapagos and were the first sight of land for the crew of Darwin’s HMS Beagle.
Afternoon: Witch Hill
Enjoy a leisurely afternoon in Witch Hill's crescent-shaped beach of soft powdery sand.
Accommodation: Archipel I
Day 10 : Disembark San Cristobal; Fly To Guayaquil And End
Meals Included: Breakfast
Morning: Lobos Islet (San Cristobal) and Transfer to San Cristobal Airport
The Lobos Islet’s beach harbours a colony of Galapagos sea lions. As in other colonies in the archipelago, you can approach nurturing females within a few metres. In the breeding season, this colony is also visited by territorial males, defending and mating the harem on their part of the beach. This low islet is home to more than just Galapagos sea lions, two other emblematic species breed here: male blue-footed boobies and great frigate birds who try to impress the females (and tourists) with clumsy dances, heaving their striking blue feet or blowing up their balloon-sized scarlet pouches.
Assisted by the naturalist guide and some crew members, the dinghy will bring you and your luggage to San Cristobal, where we take the airport shuttle. From here, we fly to Guayaquil where it's possible to connect with international flights from 6pm onwards.
What's Included
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All breakfasts, seven lunches, seven dinners
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All accommodation
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All transport and listed activities
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Tour leader throughout
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Snorkel equipment (mask, snorkel and fins) available free of charge on board
What's Not Included
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Travel insurance
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Single accommodation (available on request)
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Visas or vaccinations
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Compulsory Galapagos taxes US$120 (US$220 as of August 1st, 2024), paid locally
Food
All breakfasts, seven lunches and seven dinners are included.
On board meals are plentiful with a wide choice of international and local cuisine. Breakfasts usually consist of cheese, meats, eggs, cereal, toasts, yoghurts, and fruits. Snacks are provided mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and for lunches and dinner soup usually precedes the main course.
Alcoholic drinks are available on board (approximately US$4 per beer, US$35 for a bottle of wine, around US$8 for selected cocktails) and the crew request you do not bring your own alcohol with you. Drinking water, tea, coffee, and juice is freely available at no additional charge.
Vegetarians and vegans can be well catered for on this trip – please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests so our local team can be well prepared.
Accommodation
Cruise around the Galapagos on Archipel I, a catamaran overseen by nine crew members. On top is a spacious sundeck (come here for stretching views over the Pacific Ocean and islands), plus loungers and a dining area.
Inside, there’s a lounge with a stocked bar and another dining space. Additionally, the vessel has eight cabins: two with double beds and six with two single beds; all have air conditioning and private bathrooms.
The experience is undoubtedly enhanced by the on-board naturalist, an expert on the wildlife of the Galapagos. The vessel also has four double sea kayaks and snorkeling equipment, which we can use on guided adventures.
Boat specifications:
Catamaran
16-passenger capacity with two double cabins and six twin cabins
Crew: Nine plus one naturalist guide
Length: 88ft (27m)
Beam: 36ft (11m)
Take a virtual tour of the Archipel I: www.catamaranarchipel.com/VR/ARCHIPELL.html
Worth knowing
Single rooms can be arranged for a supplement for the hotel nights in Quito, subject to availability – please enquire at the time of booking. We cannot offer single cabins on the catamaran; therefore, solo guests will be paired with another guest of the same sex for the seven nights on board.
Travelling between islands is often done overnight, so expect some cabin noise and movement.
Check out our Q&As
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Are children permitted to take part in the tour?
16+ age people can go on this tour.
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What is the maximum group size?
16
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Are the local guides on the tour English speaking?
Yes
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What happens if I need to change my holiday date once I’ve booked?
If you wish to make any changes to your booking, particularly if you need to alter any flights booked through us, please let us know as soon as possible. There is a booking or flight amendment fee of £40 per change and flight amendments often incur extra airline costs depending on the changes to be made and if the ticket has been issued or not.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Exodus has been trading since 1974
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What documents will I receive before I travel?
Your final joining instructions and flight details, if booked with us, will then be sent out 2 to 3 weeks before departure. If you would like a hard copy posted, or if you require these any earlier, please contact the customer operations team. We advise that if you are booking connecting travel before receiving these, please ensure you leave plenty of time.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Travellers are welcome to opt to share a room with a tour member of the same gender for no additional charge. If you'd like your own room, we can request a single supplement so that you will have your own room throughout.
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
You are welcome to meet the group after the tour has departed however there is no reduction in rate for joining a tour after the departure date.
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Transfer as credit to Future Tours
Exodus Adventure Travels allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform exodus adventure travels, 43 days before departure.
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Low Deposit
Exodus Adventure Travels requires a minimum deposit of 25% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 90 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of exodus adventure travels charges.
Up to 70 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.