Galapagos at a Glance - Southern Islands - (Daphne)
From £1533 for 6 days
Trip Overview
No matter where you’ve been before and what you’ve heard about the Galapagos Islands, a trip to the archipelago that inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution is always assured to impress. Birders will be enchanted by pink flamingos in the lagoons of Isla Floreana, Darwin’s finches in the Santa Cruz highlands and waved albatross at Punta Suarez. Beach boffins will be enthralled by the antics of California sea lions along Gardner Beach, the snorkelling to be had inside Devil’s Crown and the spectacular green shoreline of Punta Cormorant. And if it’s history you’re after, well this is where one man came up with an entirely different way to look at it.
Essential Info
Starts: Quito
Ends: Quito
Ages: Min 15
Ends: Quito
Ages: Min 15
Theme: Sailing, Wildlife
Trip Code: IGMDB
Activity Level:
Trip Code: IGMDB
Activity Level:
What's Included
Meals
5 Breakfasts included
3 Lunches included
3 Dinners included
Transport
Boat,Plane,Bus,Zodiac (Panga)
Accommodation
Hotel (2 nights) Overnight boat (3 nights)
Trip Highlights
• Send a postcard to the jealous folk back home in Post Office Bay
• Spy pink flamingos wading the lagoons of Punta Cormorant
• Snorkel through the underwater wonderland of Devil’s Crown
• Watch waved albatross taking off along Punta Suarez
• Savour dramatic views of Cerro Brujo’s volcanic landscape
• Do some beach lazing with the local California sea lions of Gardner Beach
Where you'll be staying
Daphne
Catering to a variety of travel styles and budgets, Daphne has cabin options to suit every traveller. Relax on Daphne's spacious sundeck or head below to take advantage of the boat's bar, dining room, library and cabins with private bathrooms and air conditioning.
Dates & Availability
Start date
End date
Price
Availability
Departing: 23rd Apr 2019
Returning: 28th Apr 2019
£2,326pp
This price is for a 'upperDeckTwin-Bunk' room type
* Plus $120 USD
This price is for a 'upperDeckTwin-Bunk' room type
* Plus $120 USD
Fully Booked
Departing: 23rd Apr 2019
Returning: 28th Apr 2019
£2,446pp
This price is for a 'upperDeckDouble-LowerBerth' room type
* Plus $120 USD
This price is for a 'upperDeckDouble-LowerBerth' room type
* Plus $120 USD
Fully Booked
Departing: 23rd Apr 2019
Returning: 28th Apr 2019
£2,446pp
This price is for a 'upperDeckTwin-LowerBerth' room type
* Plus $120 USD
This price is for a 'upperDeckTwin-LowerBerth' room type
* Plus $120 USD
Fully Booked
Departing: 23rd Apr 2019
Returning: 28th Apr 2019
£2,151pp
This price is for a 'lowerDeckTwin-Bunk' room type
* Plus $120 USD
This price is for a 'lowerDeckTwin-Bunk' room type
* Plus $120 USD
Fully Booked
Departing: 7th May 2019
Returning: 12th May 2019
£2,231pp
This price is for a 'lowerDeckTwin-Bunk' room type
* Plus $120 USD
This price is for a 'lowerDeckTwin-Bunk' room type
* Plus $120 USD
Limited Availability
1 space
Departing: 7th May 2019
Returning: 12th May 2019
£2,416pp
This price is for a 'upperDeckTwin-Bunk' room type
* Plus $120 USD
This price is for a 'upperDeckTwin-Bunk' room type
* Plus $120 USD
Fully Booked
Departing: 7th May 2019
Returning: 12th May 2019
£2,541pp
This price is for a 'upperDeckDouble-LowerBerth' room type
* Plus $120 USD
This price is for a 'upperDeckDouble-LowerBerth' room type
* Plus $120 USD
Fully Booked
Departing: 7th May 2019
Returning: 12th May 2019
£2,541pp
This price is for a 'upperDeckTwin-LowerBerth' room type
* Plus $120 USD
This price is for a 'upperDeckTwin-LowerBerth' room type
* Plus $120 USD
Fully Booked
Departing: 21st May 2019
Returning: 26th May 2019
£1,740pp
This price is for a 'upperDeckTwin-LowerBerth' room type
* Plus $120 USD
Limited Availability
2 spaces
Show more dates
Itinerary & Notes
Bienvenidos! Welcome to Ecuador.
A welcome meeting will be held in the evening at either 5pm or 6 pm when you meet others travelling with you on your cruise to the Galapagos Islands. Please check with hotel reception or check the reception notice boards for the time and place of the meeting for your trip. As today is an arrival day, you can arrive at any time as there are no activities planned until this important meeting.
If you can't arrange a flight that will arrive in time, you may wish to arrive a day early so you're able to attend. We'll be happy to book additional accommodation for you (subject to availability).
Quito sits at high altitude under the towering Pichincha volcano. It is a beautiful city, arguably one of the most beautiful in South America. The city stretches along the valley and is surrounded by the Andes. The Old Town of Quito is awash with history, with more than 30 churches to explore, and a number of fascinating museums. La Compania de Jesus is considered to be the most beautiful and ornate churches in the Americas. The city's oldest street, Calle La Ronda, is well worth exploring.
As this trip spends very little time in Quito, we recommend you spend a few extra days before or after your trip to experience all the city has to offer. You may even wish to explore further beyond the city and visit Otavalo, Cotopaxi, the Cloud Forest or the Equatorial Monument.
This morning we transfer to Quito Airport for our early morning flight to the Galapagos Islands. Be prepared for an early start as this could mean leaving the hotel as early as 4:30 am (a boxed breakfast will be provided).
On arrival in the Galapagos, we collect our luggage and meet our naturalist guide in the arrivals hall. We then head to the Highlands of Santa Cruz for our first Galapagos adventure. Beginning at the coast we travel across Santa Cruz through the agricultural region and into the misty forests where we can see the unique scalesia cloud forest, dome-shaped giant tortoises in the wild, different species of Darwin finches and possibly the world famous woodpecker and warbler finches, as well as vermillion flycatchers. As you will be visiting the highlands on arrival on the islands, we recommend that you wear comfortable closed in shoes as the trails in the rancho can be muddy. You can also opt to swap into rubber boots at the farm. From January to April, it can rain quite a bit in the highlands so a rain jacket is also recommended. Today we will enjoy lunch in the highlands. This afternoon we travel to Puerto Ayora, where we are then transferred to our boat, the Daphne. Once on board, we'll be assigned our cabins, have our safety drill and meet the crew members.
Additional Activities
Isla Santa Cruz - Highlands Visit (3 hours) - Dry Landing
Included in Price
Discover the quirky maritime history of Post Office Bay, home of the oldest postal system in the Americas. Take the opportunity to post a letter in the historic post office barrel from 1793 which is still used today. Galapagos visitors can leave letters and postcards to be collected by the next passing boat. Snorkelling and a lovely panga ride are also included in this outing. Afterwards, head ashore at Punta Cormorant where the sand is made up of fine olivine crystal (a glassy volcanic mineral that gives the beach an olive-green colour). This is the best place to see Galapagos sea lions. Keep an eye out for pink flamingos and other waterbirds wading in the lagoons, including pintails and stilts. The moderate 1-kilometre walk continues to a white-flour sandy beach, which is an Eastern Pacific green turtle nesting site. Young diamond stingrays are commonly found in the shore line. Enjoy the view of the turquoise crystalline ocean. Just offshore, the famous Devil’s Crown is an old eroded volcanic cone and a popular roosting site for seabirds such as boobies, pelicans and frigates. Red-billed tropicbirds can also be seen nesting in the rocky crevices. The centre of the cone is an outstanding spot and many people find this one of the best snorkelling experiences of their trip. You might see rays, sharks, sea lions and turtles.
Estimated travel time/distance:
Puerto Ayora to Isla Floreana: 4 hours (32 nautical miles)
Punta Comorant to Punta Suarez: 6.5 hours (52 nautical miles)
Additional Activities
Isla Floreana - Post Office Bay - Walk (1.5 hours) - Wet Landing
Included in Price
Isla Floreana - Post Office Bay snorkelling (45 mins)
Included in Price
Isla Floreana - Punta Cormorant walk (1.5 hours) - Wet Landing
Included in Price
Isla Floreana - Devil's Crown snorkelling (1 hour)
Included in Price
Sail overnight and wake up on the island of Española, the spectacular southernmost island of the Galapagos. Because of its remote location, this island has a large population of endemic fauna. It is the breeding site for nearly all of the world's 12,000 pairs of waved albatrosses and also home to colonies of blue-footed and masked boobies. Trails from the golden beaches, where sea lions bathe and marine iguanas make their way towards the water, lead you right through the middle of booby colonies, and Galapagos doves and mockingbirds are also often seen. Land at Punta Suarez, one of the most attractive locations in the Galapagos, home to a large and varied wildlife population. A walk along its rocky trails (approximately 3 km) takes you to a clifftop viewpoint that affords magical panoramas. Boobies line the rocky shoreline below, while frigate birds can be seen overhead. Enormous male sea lions lounge nearby, and albatross use the cliffs as their ‘runway’, getting airborne on the southeast winds. If you’re lucky you might spot the elaborate courtship rituals performed by albatrosses before the female chooses her lifelong mate. Next, head to Gardner Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches of the Galapagos Islands. It’s full of sea lions and hood mockingbirds. Enjoy a walk (approximately 1 km) along the beach, and do some snorkelling which could be great for playing with sea lion pups and many fish. The rocks off the coast provide particularly great snorkelling, with reef sharks, turtles and many species of tropical fish (such as surgeon and angelfish). Small white-tipped reef sharks are also often spotted resting under the rocks.
Estimated travel time/distance:
Punta Suarez to Bahia Gardener: 45 minutes (5 nautical miles)
Bahia Gardener to Kicker Rock: 5 hours (8 nautical miles)
Additional Activities
Isla Espanola - Bahia Gardener - Snorkel (1 hour)
Included in Price
Isla Espanola - Bahia Gardener - Walk (1.5 hours) - Wet Landing
Included in Price
Isla Espanola - Punta Suarez - Walk (3 hours) - Dry Landing
Included in Price
As flights to the mainland from Galapagos depart mid-morning, it is an early start for our last morning on the islands. Depending on the time of our flight, our time spent on this final excursion could be limited.
Kicker Rock (Leon Dormido) is the magnificent basalt remains of a crater in the middle of the sea, the shape resembling a sleeping lion. The rock rises 150 metres above the surface and is divided into two parts by a narrow channel. Cruise through the channel as nesting seabirds flank the boat, tropicbirds soar overhead, marine iguanas swim about and sea lions lounge on the water. Snorkelling from the panga gives you the chance to see Galapagos sharks, sea turtles and an incredible biodiversity of invertebrates on the wall. You might even spot a hammerhead shark.
This is your final excursion before you return to the airport in San Cristobal for your flight back to Quito. The flight will stop over in Guayaquil to drop off and/or pick up passengers. Arrive at Quito Airport (approximately 4 pm) where you will be transferred back to your hotel for an overnight stay. Your local representative may stop by at your hotel this evening to get your feedback on your Galapagos experience.
Additional Activities
Isla San Cristobal - Kicker Rock - Snorkelling (45 minutes)
Included in Price
Your Galapagos adventure comes to an end after breakfast this morning. There are no activities planned for the final day, and you are free to depart the accommodation at any time. There are many fascinating things to do in and around Quito, so please speak to your customer service representative about any optional activities that might be of interest. They can also assist you in booking a departure transfer to the airport.
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IGGTF GROUP TOUR from £2146 for 10 days
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- Get acquainted with the beautiful churches and graceful boulevards of Quito, Ecuador's capital
- Snorkel the incredible marine life-filled waters of Kicker Rock, also known as Leon Dormido, one of the best snorkelling spots in the Galapagos and an absolute highlight for many travellers
- The Galapagos Islands played a profound role in forming Charles Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection. Explore the islands on this in-depth adventure, coming face-to-face with some of the most extraordinary wildlife on earth
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- As well as exploring some of the archipelago's finest islands by boat, you'll get to know the locals by staying in small, friendly hotels
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- If there’s one ultimate Galapagos adventure, this is it. Combining off-the-beaten-track gems with iconic sights like the Pinnacle Rock, this trip is a microcosm of the Galapagos
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