Tour Overview
Set along the equator, some 600 miles off the South American coast of Ecuador, is a crown jewel of the natural world. The Galápagos Islands live up to our dreams of a sheltered place far removed from the usual worries of the world. The skies are almost always sunny, and the sea breezes create that perfect air temperature that instantly relaxes the body. The ocean is an ever-inviting turquoise blue, matched by long sandy beaches of crystal white, pink, black and looking-glass green. There are crystal coves and sheltered mangrove lagoons. However, what will make your visit here truly exceptional are the many opportunities for close up encounters with wildlife. The islands and surrounding waters are quite literally teaming with exotic and colorful creatures that have never learned to fear humans. This results in a series of daily peak experiences including snorkeling with playful sea lions, tracking giant tortoise and trading stares with unconcerned iguanas. Bird life is abundant, varied and fearless. You may have to give way as a blue footed booby crosses your path, or have the opportunity to observe a Galápagos hawk perched just a few steps away, as an albatross launches itself off a cliff on a journey that will encompass thousands of miles.Day by Day Itinerary
Day 01: Quito, EcuadorToday, after clearing customs & immigration formalities at Quito airport, you will be met and transferred by private vehicle to your hotel. Rich in history, Quito is the second highest capital city in the world, founded in 1534 by Spanish Conquistador Sebastian de Benacazar. For nearly three centuries, the arts and intellectual societies flourished under Spanish colonial rule until 1809, when Quito established the first self-governing junta in the colonies. Liberator Simon Bolivar led the country as part of the Republic of Greater Colombia until 1830, when the Republic of Ecuador announced its independence with the adoption of the Constitution signed in Riobamba. Due to the city’s preservation of its blended past, UNESCO declared Quito one of the "world's cultural heritage sites" in 1978. Honoring the Swiss tradition of excellence, the hotel is located midway between the airport and the colonial city, this modern hotel has 14 floors housing 240 rooms and suites with excellent views of the city and its surroundings. There is a wide range of quality dining within the hotel along with an outdoor/indoor pool, sauna, steam room, gym, squash courts, business center and many additional first class services.
Dann Carlton Day 02: Quito
Enjoy a half-day city tour of Quito. This morning's sightseeing demonstrates some of the reasons why Ecuador's capital has earned its honor as a world cultural site. Marvel at the city’s ornate churches, cathedrals and baroque architecture, and experience a long history of local culture in Quito’s “Old Town” and in the San Francisco Church and Monastery. Rich in art treasures, fine woodcarvings and an altar of gold leaf, the church is an historical icon dedicated to Quito’s patron saint. Continue on to Panecillo Hill topped with a statue of Quito’s ‘Winged Virgin’ visible from almost anywhere in the city. You are welcomed by spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and the city below before culminating your tour with a visit to the Equatorial monument - an irresistible opportunity to straddle both hemispheres. Enjoy typical lunch at local restaurant. Return to your hotel and enjoy balance of day at leisure.
Breakfast, Lunch
Dann Carlton Day 03: Quito - Galapagos National Park
Private transfer to the airport for morning flight (not included) to the Galapagos archipelago. Arrive Baltra airport, where you are greeted by cruise guides at the airport and transferred to the Itabaca canal, cross to the Island of Santa Cruz and travel to Puerto Ayora. Cross the Highlands of Santa Cruz, where you will see the twin pit craters, Los Gemelos and Cerro Chato.
Board the ‘M/V Legend’ - home for the seven-night cruise that forms the heart of your itinerary. Settle in, enjoy an introductory briefing and become acquainted with the ship, its crew and passengers. M/V Galapagos Legend: deluxe expedition ship for 100 passengers, fulfilling all passengers’ expectations in terms of nature encounter, adventure, comfort and privacy. All exterior cabins and suites with air conditioning, twin or queen size beds, private facilities, inter-connected cabins as well as triple accommodation facilities. The Galapagos Legend spacious outside decks will make a difference when enjoying the islands. Sea level embarkation gate offers security and comfort to senior passengers. Weather, water and wildlife conditions will affect your actual day to day itinerary throughout the week, but visits are planned for main islands and their landmarks. You land by panga on island beaches to wander among the Galapagos' unique species - where you are objects of curiosity rather than fear. For best viewing opportunities, your days start early with morning naturalist-led excursions often starting at 8:00 AM. After returning to the ship in time for lunch, you have time for a short ‘siesta’ before heading back out again in the late afternoon. Before dinner, the ship’s naturalists preview the next day’s activities and offer expert insight into the Galapagos Islands’ natural history and wildlife. Bartolome is famous for Pinnacle Rock, a towering spearheaded obelisk that rises from the ocean’s edge and is the best-known landmark in the Galápagos. Galápagos penguins—the only species of penguin found north of the equator—walk precariously along narrow volcanic ledges at its base. Sea lions snooze on rocky platforms, ready to slide into the water to play with passing snorkelers. Just below the surface, shoals of tropical fish dodge in and out of the rocks past urchins, sea stars and anemones. A perfectly crescent, pink-and-white sandy beach lies just to the east of the pinnacle. Sea turtles use the beach as a nesting site and can sometimes be found wading in the shallow water near the shore, or resting in the sand to recover from the arduous task of digging nests, laying eggs and covering them over. Penguins dot the nearby rocks of the next landing site, less than a kilometer along the eastern shore. Here the submerged walls of a tiny volcanic crater give the impression of a fountain pool. This dry landing—no wet feet! —is the entrance to a 600-meter (2000-foot) pathway complete with stairs and boardwalks leading to Bartolome’s summit. The route is not difficult and presents a museum of vulcanology; a site left untouched after its last eruption, where cones stand in various stages of erosion and lava tubes form bobsled-like runs from the summit. At the top you will be rewarded with spectacular views of Santiago Island and James Bay to the west, and far below, Pinnacle Rock and our beach, where the crystal blue waters of the bay cradle your yacht.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
M/V Legend Day 04 - 09: Galapagos National Park
Weather, water and wildlife conditions affect actual day-to-day itineraries, but visits are planned for the main islands and their landmarks, such as: Pinnacle Rock on Bartolomé Island; Punta Espinosa on Fernandina Island; Gardner Bay and Punta Suarez on Española; the volcanoes of Isabela Island; Prince Philip's Steps on Genovesa; and the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island. Typical landings are by pangas (rubber boats) which carry you to island beaches where you can wander among the Galapagos' unique species. Here, visitors are objects of curiosity rather than fear. See sunbathing sea lions playing tag between surf and sand...skittering Sally Lightfoot crabs...tangles of marine iguanas...penguins, finches, pelicans, frigate birds, terns...boobies overhead and literally underfoot...the glint in the eye of a century-old tortoise. As you sail the blue waters between islands, there is time to relax, reflect and confer with your naturalist-guide about the sights you have seen and the sights yet to come.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight on board Day 10: Baltra - Quito
Disembarkation and transfer to Baltra airport for your return flight* to Quito. Arrive Quito and transfer to your hotel for check-in and overnight.
Breakfast
Dann Carlton Day 11: Quito - Depart
Transfer to Quito International Airport to board your homebound flight. Breakfast *Flights are not included in Land-cruise price.
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