Cruising the Amazon and Galapagos Islands
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Highlights:
Here is the opportunity to combine two exclusive cruises through the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands. Both destinations are located in Ecuador although one is a series of islands in the pacific.
​From anacondas to marine iguanas you will be exposed to a wide variety of wildlife but always finish the day with an elegant meal. This works well for adventurous couples or a multi-generational family.
Here is the opportunity to combine two exclusive cruises through the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands. Both destinations are located in Ecuador although one is a series of islands in the pacific.
​From anacondas to marine iguanas you will be exposed to a wide variety of wildlife but always finish the day with an elegant meal. This works well for adventurous couples or a multi-generational family.
SKU:
Explore: The amazon and galapagos islands
Customizable Itinerary - 14 Days (from $9,120 / person)
Day 1: USA-Quito
Today you will depart the USA for Quito with most US flights arriving in the late afternoon or early evening. You will be met on arrival and transferred to your centrally located hotel.
Day 2: Coca and the Amazon
After breakfast you are taken to the airport for the short flight to the town of Puerto Francisco de Orellana but mostly referred to as ‘coca’. Here you will be met and taken to the dock to board a motorized canoe for a 90 minute journey down the river taking in the Amazon environment before reaching your boat, the Manatee Amazon Explorer. You have lunch and then a naturalist guide will provide an Introduction to the Ecuadorian amazon as you glide down the Napo River. After dinner you take a nighttime forest walk to observe the rainforest’s nocturnal activity.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Pink Dolphins and ‘stinky turkeys’
Early in the morning you will visit Yasuni National Park, a pristine region of the Ecuadorian amazon and home to the legendary pink river dolphins. In this area you will also find anacondas, river turtles and various primate species, as well as the colorful hoatzin a unique bird known locally as the ‘stinky turkey.” In the afternoon you will take a motorized canoe to a black-water lake, home to giant otters and the elusive Manatee. You will get to enjoy a pleasant hike in the riparian forest with the chance to spot flocks of birds and marvel at the intricate organization of a colony of leaf-cutter ants. Return to the ship for dinner and some stargazing.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Visiting a Kichwa Family and enjoying life on board
Start your day visiting a Kichwa family on the banks of the Napo River and learn about their life in the Amazon. Return to the boat for lunch and then enjoy various activities as you cruise the river. You can take a cooking class, try your hand at traditional handicrafts or spend some time at the spa. You can also enjoy the hot tub on the upper deck as the Amazon jungle flows by you.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Forest Adventures
Continue to enjoy the views on the shore before disembarking to explore the nearby forest where you discover a myriad of animals and plant species endemic to the Amazon Basin. In the afternoon you will visit a canopy tower built against a giant kapok tree which allows you the chance take in the view from the top as you loom above the lush treetops and look down on the sheer vastness of the Amazon. In the evening take a canoe to search for black caimans by flashlight.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Return from the Amazon
After breakfast your reverse your journey taking the motorized canoe from the boat to the dock at Coca then transferring for the short flight to Quito. Upon arrival you are met and transferred to your hotel. Dinner at the hotel.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 7: Centro Historico and the Middle of the World
After breakfast your guide will take you to downtown Quito which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978. After touring the old part of the city (the largest such area in Latin America) you drive north to the Equatorial moment to give you the chance to stand with one foot in the Northern Hemisphere and the other in the Southern. Enjoy a traditional Ecuadorian lunch during your sightseeing activities.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 8: It’s Market Day in Otavalo
This morning you leave Quito with your guide heading to Otavalo, the town famous for its artisan market. You will stop on the highway to admire the beautiful landscapes and snow-capped mountains of the area. You continue on, making a short stop at San Pablo Lake before arriving in Otavalo. Her you will visit the textile market located at “Plaza of Ponchos’ which is one of the most famous markets in South America. You will find all kinds of handicrafts including tapestries made on the Spanish weaving loom as well as the indigenous blackstrap loom. In the early afternoon you will visit a colonial hacienda where lunch will be served before moving on to discover small artisan villages such as Cotacachi. Return to Quito and your hotel.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 9: Galapagos Arrival and Interpretation Center
Today you are transferred to the airport for a flight to the Galapagos Islands. You are met and taken to your boat where you have lunch. In the afternoon you have the chance to visit the Interpretation Center which is the oldest Museum of Natural History in the islands.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 10: San Cristobal Island
Today you will cruise to San Cristobal Island with the first landing at Galapaguera a good place to observe Galapagos tortoises if their natural habitat. The island has endemic species such as the Mockingbird, lava lizard, Chatham leaf-toed Gecko and the tortoises. If you are visiting between January and May you are likely to see the footprints of female tortoises that have climbed the sand dunes to deposit their eggs. In the afternoon you visit Cerro Brujo, a beautiful white coral beach where you can swim and watch birds and sea lions, plus you can snorkel. This was the first coast visited by Charles Darwin in 1835.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 11: Espanola Island
Your first visit will be to Gardner Bay which is located on the north-eastern coast of the island. It offers an excellent beach to relax, swim and even kayak, plus the opportunity to observe sea lions. You can also observe sharks in the crystal-clear ocean waters. As you have lunch on deck, the ship makes its way to Suarez Point which is great for spotting blue-footed boobies, albatrosses and Nazca boobies. A beautiful site on the oceanfront allows the albatrosses to use the cliff as a launching pad. The famous attraction is the magnificent blowhole, spurting water high into the air at least from 150 to 225 feet in the air. A great photo opportunity.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 12: Floreana Island
Your first sip today will be Cormorant Point the site of the best flamingo lagoon in the Galapagos. It is also one of the largest of the islands and its situation between two lave cones gives the area a special atmosphere. It is interesting to view the differences in the beaches with “the Green Beach” (due to its high percentage of olivine crystals in the sand) and the “Flour Sand Beach” which is made up of coral. In the afternoon you will visit Post Office Bay and Baroness Lookout. A wooden barrel was placed here in the 18th Century by the crew of a whaling ship with the idea that future sailors headed in the direction of the letter would pick them up and mail them once they reached home. Tourists have now picked this up although email has obviously had an impact. Baroness Eloisa Von Wagner had a house on the island and enjoyed the view from a particular area. You can share this view as you cover the coastline from the Enderby islet to Post Office Bay, Cerro Pajas and the flamingoes of Palo Santo. Return to the ship for your last evening on board.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 13: Charles Darwin Station and a Return Home
Your last visit will be to Charles Darwin Station to learn about the ongoing conservation efforts and to see the area where the breeding and rearing of tortoises goes on. You are then transferred to the airport for a flight to the mainland where you connect with an overnight flight back home.
Breakfast
Day 14: Arrival in the USA
Today you will depart the USA for Quito with most US flights arriving in the late afternoon or early evening. You will be met on arrival and transferred to your centrally located hotel.
Day 2: Coca and the Amazon
After breakfast you are taken to the airport for the short flight to the town of Puerto Francisco de Orellana but mostly referred to as ‘coca’. Here you will be met and taken to the dock to board a motorized canoe for a 90 minute journey down the river taking in the Amazon environment before reaching your boat, the Manatee Amazon Explorer. You have lunch and then a naturalist guide will provide an Introduction to the Ecuadorian amazon as you glide down the Napo River. After dinner you take a nighttime forest walk to observe the rainforest’s nocturnal activity.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Pink Dolphins and ‘stinky turkeys’
Early in the morning you will visit Yasuni National Park, a pristine region of the Ecuadorian amazon and home to the legendary pink river dolphins. In this area you will also find anacondas, river turtles and various primate species, as well as the colorful hoatzin a unique bird known locally as the ‘stinky turkey.” In the afternoon you will take a motorized canoe to a black-water lake, home to giant otters and the elusive Manatee. You will get to enjoy a pleasant hike in the riparian forest with the chance to spot flocks of birds and marvel at the intricate organization of a colony of leaf-cutter ants. Return to the ship for dinner and some stargazing.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Visiting a Kichwa Family and enjoying life on board
Start your day visiting a Kichwa family on the banks of the Napo River and learn about their life in the Amazon. Return to the boat for lunch and then enjoy various activities as you cruise the river. You can take a cooking class, try your hand at traditional handicrafts or spend some time at the spa. You can also enjoy the hot tub on the upper deck as the Amazon jungle flows by you.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Forest Adventures
Continue to enjoy the views on the shore before disembarking to explore the nearby forest where you discover a myriad of animals and plant species endemic to the Amazon Basin. In the afternoon you will visit a canopy tower built against a giant kapok tree which allows you the chance take in the view from the top as you loom above the lush treetops and look down on the sheer vastness of the Amazon. In the evening take a canoe to search for black caimans by flashlight.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Return from the Amazon
After breakfast your reverse your journey taking the motorized canoe from the boat to the dock at Coca then transferring for the short flight to Quito. Upon arrival you are met and transferred to your hotel. Dinner at the hotel.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 7: Centro Historico and the Middle of the World
After breakfast your guide will take you to downtown Quito which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978. After touring the old part of the city (the largest such area in Latin America) you drive north to the Equatorial moment to give you the chance to stand with one foot in the Northern Hemisphere and the other in the Southern. Enjoy a traditional Ecuadorian lunch during your sightseeing activities.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 8: It’s Market Day in Otavalo
This morning you leave Quito with your guide heading to Otavalo, the town famous for its artisan market. You will stop on the highway to admire the beautiful landscapes and snow-capped mountains of the area. You continue on, making a short stop at San Pablo Lake before arriving in Otavalo. Her you will visit the textile market located at “Plaza of Ponchos’ which is one of the most famous markets in South America. You will find all kinds of handicrafts including tapestries made on the Spanish weaving loom as well as the indigenous blackstrap loom. In the early afternoon you will visit a colonial hacienda where lunch will be served before moving on to discover small artisan villages such as Cotacachi. Return to Quito and your hotel.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 9: Galapagos Arrival and Interpretation Center
Today you are transferred to the airport for a flight to the Galapagos Islands. You are met and taken to your boat where you have lunch. In the afternoon you have the chance to visit the Interpretation Center which is the oldest Museum of Natural History in the islands.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 10: San Cristobal Island
Today you will cruise to San Cristobal Island with the first landing at Galapaguera a good place to observe Galapagos tortoises if their natural habitat. The island has endemic species such as the Mockingbird, lava lizard, Chatham leaf-toed Gecko and the tortoises. If you are visiting between January and May you are likely to see the footprints of female tortoises that have climbed the sand dunes to deposit their eggs. In the afternoon you visit Cerro Brujo, a beautiful white coral beach where you can swim and watch birds and sea lions, plus you can snorkel. This was the first coast visited by Charles Darwin in 1835.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 11: Espanola Island
Your first visit will be to Gardner Bay which is located on the north-eastern coast of the island. It offers an excellent beach to relax, swim and even kayak, plus the opportunity to observe sea lions. You can also observe sharks in the crystal-clear ocean waters. As you have lunch on deck, the ship makes its way to Suarez Point which is great for spotting blue-footed boobies, albatrosses and Nazca boobies. A beautiful site on the oceanfront allows the albatrosses to use the cliff as a launching pad. The famous attraction is the magnificent blowhole, spurting water high into the air at least from 150 to 225 feet in the air. A great photo opportunity.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 12: Floreana Island
Your first sip today will be Cormorant Point the site of the best flamingo lagoon in the Galapagos. It is also one of the largest of the islands and its situation between two lave cones gives the area a special atmosphere. It is interesting to view the differences in the beaches with “the Green Beach” (due to its high percentage of olivine crystals in the sand) and the “Flour Sand Beach” which is made up of coral. In the afternoon you will visit Post Office Bay and Baroness Lookout. A wooden barrel was placed here in the 18th Century by the crew of a whaling ship with the idea that future sailors headed in the direction of the letter would pick them up and mail them once they reached home. Tourists have now picked this up although email has obviously had an impact. Baroness Eloisa Von Wagner had a house on the island and enjoyed the view from a particular area. You can share this view as you cover the coastline from the Enderby islet to Post Office Bay, Cerro Pajas and the flamingoes of Palo Santo. Return to the ship for your last evening on board.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 13: Charles Darwin Station and a Return Home
Your last visit will be to Charles Darwin Station to learn about the ongoing conservation efforts and to see the area where the breeding and rearing of tortoises goes on. You are then transferred to the airport for a flight to the mainland where you connect with an overnight flight back home.
Breakfast
Day 14: Arrival in the USA
