Galapagos travel & vacations: Galapagos islands tour without the liveaboard Galapagos boat
You'll never be bored on an ACTIVE trip
and the people who are attracted to this kind of trip are people you'll want to stay in touch with for a long time.- Bo Lycke, (USA) Dec 2008 Tortuga
PHOTO OF THE MONTH:
Iguana Apr 2006
Costa Rica has some amazing beaches, with the rainforest almost spilling on to the waves.
GUIDE OF THE MONTH:
Arturo Rojas
"He was kind, funny, informed, professional and just a lovely human being! "
Shaun Pennington (St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands) Mar 2009 Jaguar
News Clips and Reviews
Swimming with sea lions
by Bernie LovejoyGALÁPAGOS ISLANDS, Ecuador — Would you like to swim with sea lions? Sounds interesting. But what if I added, 'And the sea lions will swim with you!' This was exactly our experience when my wife, Francoise, and I tried an adventure (not a vacation) in the Galápagos Islands. It began with sea lion babies checking us out while teething on the mooring lines of our boat and went on to lengthy water ballets with playful 'teenagers' joining divers and snorkelers in dives, twists and pirouettes in crystal-clear water. After a week full of challenges and thrills, we still had no trouble choosing this as the high point of our trip. Read more...
"We think Active SA is the perfect trip for people like us who love to do and see as much as we can and leave the logistics to you!!!"
Paul & Ed Cassot (New York, USA) Nov 2006 Jaguar
Paul & Ed Cassot (New York, USA) Nov 2006 Jaguar
FOOTAGE OF OUR GALAPAGOS TRIP - THE TORTUGA!
by Rick Meinig    |
Cycle San Cristobal Island · Galapagos Giant Tortoises · Snorkel or Dive with Manta Rays at Kicker Rock · Snorkel with Reef Sharks at Floreana and Santa Fe Islands · Hike Sierra Negra Volcano and Santa Cruz Island · Charles Darwin Research Station · Explore Lava Tunnels
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| Year Round | 10 days | US$2999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Printable Itinerary (PDF) | Currency Converter | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Wednesday - Arrive Quito Your trip begins in Ecuador's capital city, Quito. If you're flying in on day one of the trip, someone from ACTIVE SOUTH AMERICA will meet you off your flight and take you to your accommodation. You'll have the rest of the day to explore this amazing city with its beautiful town squares, quaint cafés and colonial architecture. Quito sits in a beautiful valley surrounded by towering volcanoes just 14 miles from the Equator, giving it a mild, spring-like climate year round. In the evening you'll meet your ACTIVE SOUTH AMERICA group for a full briefing before our first dinner together. ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Reina Isabel, Quito (D) Thursday - Cycle San Cristobal highlands This morning we'll take a short flight to San Cristobal, the easternmost island of the Galapagos Islands chain and home of the provincial capital, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. After lunch we'll head to the town of La Soledad and bike down through the lush highland cloud forest that blankets the top of the island. With stunning views of the coast, we'll ride all the way to Mann Beach - one of the most beautiful beaches in the Galapagos. We'll also check out La Lobería - a nearby beach which is home to a large sea lion colony and nursery. You're not likely to see this many sea lions in one place anywhere else in the world. This evening, we'll dine on local produce and fresh fish for our first evening meal in the Galapagos Islands. ACCOMMODATION: San Cristobal accommodations, San Cristobal (B,L,D) Friday - Snorkel or dive with seals and manta rays at Kicker Rock Today we'll take our boat out to Isla Lobos off the coast of San Cristobal, where we'll don wetsuits, snorkels and masks (and tanks for the divers - diving option add US$160) and explore the underwater world for a close up view of sea lions as they fish for their dinner! (This will also be a safety dive for divers.) Isla Lobos is the main sea lion and blue-footed booby colony in the area, as well as being home to the endemic lava lizard. After a swim with sea lions we'll get back on our boat and head for Kicker Rock where we'll either snorkel or dive around the remains of an underwater volcano with a rock face rising 500 feet above the surface of the water (dives one and two). Our guides will give you a full briefing and then we'll take to the water to explore the walls of the volcano. We'll see sea lions and manta rays as they skirt the edges of Kicker Rock - they're everywhere! Later on today we can hike to Frigate Hill Lookout to see the acrobatics of the local frigate birds as they dart around the cliff tops stealing the catch from other birds. Or we can check out the interpretation centre to learn more about the history and biology of the area. ACCOMMODATION: San Cristobal accommodations (B,L) Saturday - Snorkel Floreana Island, visit pink flamingos After an early breakfast, our comfortable boat will take us away from San Cristobal Island to Champions Islet near the magnificent Floreana Island. Floreana is the sixth biggest island in the Galapagos chain, and also one of the least inhabited (by humans at least!). With a population of around 70, and only one phone on the whole island, this place has a pretty relaxed atmosphere. On the way, we're often visited by friendly dolphins, so keep an eye out! Here we'll be doing some more amazing snorkelling in an area that's home to eagle rays, moray eels, harmless Galapagos sharks and thousands of tropical fish species'. This is one of the most amazing snorkelling excursions you're likely to do anywhere in the world. From here, we'll travel to Isabela Island where we'll take a short walk to a local pink flamingo colony before relaxing at our accommodation and enjoying a drink on the beach. ACCOMMODATION: Local hotel, Isabela Island (B,L,D) Sunday - Hike Sierra Negra Volcano Our hike today will take us to the summit of Sierra Negra Volcano, rising nearly a mile above the ocean. We'll see the lowland vegetation change before our eyes as we ascend into a lunar landscape on our way to the top. It's quite a hike to the top of the volcano, but the views across the seven mile wide crater and surrounding coastline are worth the climb! This is the world's second largest volcanic crater, so it's an incredible sight. As we hike, we might be lucky enough to see Galapagos hawks, short-eared owls, finches and fly-catchers that inhabit this region. When we get back from our hike, we'll head to Beto's beachside bar to toast the setting sun over the Pacific. ACCOMMODATION: Local hotel (B,L,D) Phil: "Beto's bar on the beach at Puerto Villamil is one of the best places in the world to chill out! Relax in a hammock and watch water lapping on the beach as the sun goes down." Monday - Giant tortoise breeding centre, coastal hike, visit sea life This morning we'll head to a Galapagos giant tortoise breeding centre where we can see the majestic prehistoric creatures up close. Then we'll hike a section of Isabela's pristine coastline to the 'Wall of Tears' - a fascinating remnant of the Galapagos Islands' convict past. On the way we'll have the chance to see some of the Islands' most amazing wildlife up close. Marine iguanas bask in the sun at our feet, blue-footed boobies sit in pairs on the rock tops, and Sally Lightfoot crabs scurry out of our way along the beach. Later, we'll head out on a zodiac to check out the crystal-clear waters off Isabela Island, inhabited by Galapagos penguins, reef sharks and manta rays. Hopefully we'll be able to slip into the water with our snorkels and wetsuits to swim with marine turtles that often frequent the area. We're often befriended by curious sea lions too! ACCOMMODATION: Local hotel (B,L) Tuesday - Hike Santa Cruz highlands and Tortuga Bay, visit Giant Tortoises We'll depart Isabela Island early this morning, bound for Santa Cruz Island where we'll hike into the amazing cloud forest highlands. On the way to the summit of Cerro Crocker we'll have another chance to see giant tortoises in their natural environment, along with intriguing birdlife like the vermillion flycatcher. We'll have the chance to take a look inside the lava tunnels scattered throughout the highlands. The tunnels were formed by petrified lava flowing underneath the Earth's surface, carving out large cylindrical caves. Some are almost a mile long! This afternoon we'll hike to Tortuga Bay, one of the most stunning beaches in the Galapagos, where we'll have the option of trying our hand at bodyboarding or surfing, or just lounging around on incredibly fine sand. Tortuga Bay is accessible only by foot and is home to hundreds of prehistoric-looking marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies and pelicans. ACCOMMODATION: Puerto Ayora lodgings, Santa Cruz Island (B,L,D) Wednesday - Visit Charles Darwin Research Station, snorkel Santa Fe Island This morning we'll take a short walk to the Charles Darwin Research Station. Founded in 1959, this fascinating centre is dedicated to the conservation of the Galapagos and its ecosystems. The station has a team of more than two hundred scientists, research students and support staff from all over the world. We'll learn the full life cycle of the giant tortoise from the experts, walk through their enclosures, and meet the Galapagos giants face to face! Our island-hopping continues this afternoon as we make our way to Santa Fe Island for our final snorkel of the trip. From the surface you'll have clear views of the most beautiful tropical fish species' in the world. Our guides know these spots like the backs of their hands and will point out the subtleties of this amazing reef ecosystem as we observe from the surface. Later we'll return to San Cristobal Island for our final dinner out on the Islands. ACCOMMODATION: San Cristobal accommodations (B,L,D) Thursday - Optional hike and return to Quito You'll have the morning free to explore San Cristobal - there are beaches, a museum and short hikes in the area, and your guide will fill you in on the best activities around the island. Then it's a short flight back to Quito on the mainland where we'll share our final dinner together this evening. ACCOMMODATION: Hotel Reina Isabel, Quito (B,L,D) Friday - Quito, depart for home Today is the last day of your trip around the Galapagos Islands with ACTIVE SOUTH AMERICA. If you have a flight today, we'll be sure to get you back to the airport on time. You'll return home relaxed and refreshed from all the great activities, fine food and friendly people you will have met while travelling with us in the Galapagos. (B) We'll see you soon!
Itinerary valid though October 2009
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