Rainforest and Galapagos Itinerary

Day 1

Quito

You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Relax after your flight. The old part of the city is still very much as it was at the end of the colonial period, but entering the new city you find a very modern place with few relics from the past. Perhaps do a bit of gentle shopping in the gorgeous arts and crafts shops in the new town?

Day 3

Quito to Napo Wildlife Centre

Transfer from the hotel to the airport for your flight to Coca. You will be met on arrival and transferred to Napo Wildlife Centre for the start of your four day stay. The lodge's buildings keep the traditional native architecture with cool shaded terraces and inviting hammocks. There is a separate dining room and bar, and an observation tower. Meals include traditional Ecuadorian dishes.

Full board

Day 5

Napo Wildlife Centre

Another full day of activities at Napo. The birdwatching around the lodge is excellent, with a bird list of 562 species. From the centre's 38m canopy tower over 80 species of birds have been seen in one morning! There are two parrot and parakeet clay licks inside the reserve where hundreds of birds congregate daily (weather permitting) to eat the nutrient-rich clay from the river banks.

Full board

Day 7

Quito to Galapagos

You’ll be transferred to the airport for the 4-hour flight to Baltra in the Galapagos, where a crew member will transfer to your waiting yacht, The Seaman Journey. After lunch you’ll set off for North Seymour. There are good nesting sites here for a large population of magnificent frigate birds. Blue-footed boobies perform their courtship dance in the more open areas and swallow-tailed gulls perch on the cliff edges.

Full board

Day 9

Plazas and Santa Fe

Plazas is located at the east of Santa Cruz Island, and forms part of two islands known as Islas Plazas. Some of the most interesting and outstanding species of the Galapagos are found here. The Plazas land iguanas are smaller than its relatives found at other islands. There are several hybrid iguanas, a result of crossing a male marine iguana and a female land iguana. Swallow tailed gulls nesting in the rugged cliffs are seen along with other seabirds as: Audubon shearwaters, red-billed tropicbirds, frigate birds, and brown pelicans.
In the afternoon you head for Santa Fe in the southeastern part of the Galapagos. Home of a number of endemic species like the Galapagos hawk, Galapagos snake, Galapagos mockingbird, rice rats, and one of the two species of land Iguanas of the islands. In these clear waters you will see one of the many sea lion colonies. Along the trail many salt bushes can be seen as well giant Prickly pear cactus. There are great possibilities of snorkeling with playful sea lions and tropical fish.

Full board

Day 11

San Cristobal and Cerro Brujo

On San Cristobal a short visit will take place at the Galapaguera, a good place to observe Galapagos tortoises in its natural habitat. San Cristobal island has endemic species such as: the Mockingbird, lava lizard, Chatham Leaf-toed Gecko and the tortoises. All of these species can be seen here, the beach is really big and it works as a nesting zone for marine turtles. Between January and May, it is common to find the footprints of the female turtles who have climbed to the sand dunes to deposit their eggs.
In the afternoon you head for Cerro Brujo which is a beautiful white coral beach where you can swim and watch birds and sea lions, plus you can snorkel. The protected bay is well known for its young tortoises which like to swim around. Among the fauna you can observe the Chatham Mockingbird and the San Cristobal Lava Lizards, both species are endemic to the island and unique to the area. Vegetation covers the visitors walking route, and you'll can find species like the candelabrum cactus and carob trees.

Full board

Day 13

Floreana

At Floreana, Cormorant point has probably the best flamingo lagoon in the Galapagos; it is also one of the largest in the islands. There are various species of shorebirds to observe besides flamingos; the most frequent are common stilts, white-checked pintail ducks, and other migratory birds. It is very interesting to see the two distinct beaches: “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. After the interesting walk, you'll be taken to Champion Islet, a great place to enjoy snorkeling and underwater wildlife. Some of the animals that can be seen are sea turtles, sea lions, and multiple fish thanks to the nearby coral reef.
Later you visit the famous Post Office Bay. Historically, this site is the location of a wooden barrel that was placed in the 18th century by the crew of a whaling ship. It has been used since this time by marines and tourists as a post office. The idea is to carry letters or postcards to their destination by hand. Besides, this site was the landing area for some of the first colonists.

Full board

Day 15

Quito

You will be transferred to the airport in time for your flight home.

Breakfast