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The Galapagos Islands
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| June 3 | Depart for Ecuador; overnight in Quito |
| June 4 | AM Fly to Baltra, Galapagos Islands, board the Tip Top IV; PM First landing at North Seymour |
| June 5 | Tower (Genovesa) - AM Prince Phillip's Steps; PM Darwin Bay, including snorkeling |
| June 6 | AM Isabela - Punta Vicente Roca, whale watching; PM Fernandina |
| June 7 | Isabela - AM Urvina Bay, including snorkeling; PM Panga ride in Elizabeth Bay |
| June 8 | Floreana - AM Punta Cormorant and Devil's Crown; PM Post Office Bay |
| June 9 | Española (Hood) - AM Gardner Bay; PM Punta Suarez with Waved Albatross |
| June 10 | Santa Cruz - AM Darwin Research Station; PM Highlands with Darwin finches |
| June 11 | AM Santa Cruz - Jacqueline DeRoy's home and Puerto Ayora; PM Santa Fé |
| June 12 | San Cristóbal - AM Cerro Brujo, including snorkeling; PM Kicker Rock |
| June 13 | AM South Plaza; PM Bartolomé, including snorkeling around Pinnacle Rock |
| June 14 | AM Santa Cruz - Black Turtle Cove; PM Baltra and flight to Quito |
| June 15 | Free day in Quito. Morning city tour option available |
| June 16 | Departures home |
Note: All routings and visitor sites in the Galapagos Islands are subject to change by the Galapagos National Park to minimize the impact on the Galapagos ecosystem.
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June 3, Thursday: Flights to Quito
Arrive in Quito by the evening of Thursday, June 3. At the Quito Airport, we will have a transfer agent there waiting for you, no matter what time your flight arrives, for your transfer from the airport to the hotel. Stay one night at the Hotel Alameda. Dinner on your own this evening if not served on your flight. If you would like to arrive earlier than June 3, we can arrange your airport transfer, which we will also cover, and book extra nights at the Hotel Alameda (cost approximately $120 per room, including breakfast, quoted 2008).
Lodging: Hotel Alameda (also called the Grand Hotel Mercure Alameda Quito
Alternately, fly from Lima, Peru, after exploring the wonders of the Manu Biosphere Reserve, Machu Picchu, and the Sacred Valley of the Incas from May 22 to June 3, 2010.
June 4, Friday: Flight to Galapagos, Embarkation and First Landing at North Seymour Island
After an early breakfast, fly from the Quito Airport via Guayaquil to the Baltra Airport in the Galapagos Islands on TAME (flight times and exact fare to be determined by February 2010). It is necessary to arrive at the Quito Airport at least two hours before the flight. The flight stops in Guayaquil and arrives in the Galapagos in time for a half day at our first landing site, wonderful North Seymour Island. Meet our resident naturalists, Ely and Etienne, on arrival at the Baltra Airport. Each visitor then pays the National Park fee of US$100 (cash). Transfer by bus to the Baltra dock and board the sixteen-passenger yacht, Tip Top IV, our home for this glorious adventure to the best landings in the Galapagos. After lunch go ashore at North Seymour. We'll have until sunset to wander past many breeding Blue-footed Boobies and a large colony of Magnificent Frigatebirds. The males will be in full display, calling for females with their dramatic inflated red throat pouches, an unforgettable sight with fabulous photography opportunities. We will also see California Sea Lions, Marine Iguanas, Lava Herons, Brown Noddies, Swallow-tailed Gulls, and Lava Gulls. The endemic Palo Santo and low bushy-type Opuntia plants add to the amazing abundance and friendliness of Galapagos wildlife.
Be back on board for a welcome cocktail and first dinner onboard. The chef on the Tip Top IV serves international cuisine and is happy to prepare special dishes to fulfill dietary requests as well. Meet all the members of this very friendly, professional crew this evening, including the captain, first mate, engineer, chef and his assistant, waiter and two sailors. Travel to Genovesa this evening in the outer archipelago. Before dark, it's possible to sight marine mammals and seabirds from the open deck. After dark, look for phosphorescence from ctenophores (comb jellies) and other plankton on the surface of the water. If you're lucky, and still awake, you may even see these tiny invertebrates glowing on dolphins as they bow-ride with the boat after dark. But normally everyone is ready for a good night's sleep soon after talking over the day's highlights and hearing about what to expect at Genovesa (Tower) tomorrow.
Snorkeling
June 5, Saturday: Genovesa (Tower) Island: AM Prince Phillip's Steps; PM Darwin Bay
We anchor in Darwin Bay for two landings within a huge flooded volcanic caldera. The walls of the caldera provide wonderful ledges for Galapagos Fur Seals, a very rare fur seal that we will find along their haul-out area only in the vicinity of the stone stairway. There are also nesting sites for Red-billed Tropicbirds along the caldera walls. Hike up "Prince Philip's Steps" for very photogenic Red-footed and Masked Booby colonies on the walk to the Wedge-rumped (Galapagos) Storm-Petrel colony. These three species need the open ocean for feeding, so they tend to nest on the outer archipelago. The largest Red-footed Booby nesting site in the islands is here on Genovesa. They are adapted to hunting far out to sea and can only rear a single young every two years. Blue-foots by contrast fish shallow water close to their nests and raise two or three young in a brood if conditions allow. We will also keep a sharp eye out for the elusive Short-eared Owl, who hunts during the day for petrels by hiding within the colony.
Snorkeling in the Galapagos is a very enjoyable experience with many beautiful species of tropical fish to discover along with the chance of seeing sea turtles and rays. This is a great place for the first snorkel of the trip in the calm caldera waters of Darwin Bay. Ely and Etienne will assist you in the techniques of snorkeling if you have not yet tried this wonderful sport, which we equate to "birding underwater."
The grand finale of this very special day at remote Genovesa is the landing at the small beach in Darwin Bay. Genovesa's four species of Darwin finches, the Large Ground Finch, Large Cactus Finch, Small-beaked Ground Finch and Warbler Finch, show huge variation in bill size. All four species can be found here at this landing, making it one of the two most outstanding sites that we will visit for Darwin finches, the other being the Highlands of Santa Cruz. Noted evolutionary biologist Rosemary Grant has done much of her research on Darwin finches here at Darwin Bay. Also here, boobies and Great Frigates nest with unparalleled density. Following the cliff edge we will find ourselves in a fly-way for incoming boobies and frigates, an ideal opportunity for photographing these magnificent birds in flight. They are ceaseless with aerial displays of kleptoparatisim as they "dog-fight" along the cliffs for scarce nesting material. Tonight we'll travel west to Isabela.
June 6, Sunday: AM Isabela Is.: Punta Vicente Roca; PM Fernandina Is.: Punta Espinoza
The northwest tip of Isla Isabela sits at the edge of a sharp drop into deep, nutrient rich waters, where Punta Vicente Roca is located. So while cruising Punta Vicente Roca we will be on the lookout for marine mammals and very unusual gigantic Sunfish. Here in the western part of the archipelago in the deep waters off the shelf there is the possibility of seeing Orcas, Pilot Whales, and larger species such as Sperm Whales. A study by Hal Whitehead, with the help of World Wildlife Fund, found Sperm Whales particularly abundant in an area 250 km long and 150 km wide west of Isabela Island where the Cromwell Current, traveling eastward below the Equator, meets land. It is likely that the whales find high densities of squid, their favorite food, in this region. Dr. Whitehead found that, like elephants, male Sperm Whales roam between female/calf groups, instead of one male dominating a harem. En route to Fernandina, we travel through some of the best whale watching areas in the Galapagos due to the cold, deep water on the western side of the archipelago.
Across the calm Canal Bolivar, separating Isabela from Fernandina, we will find one of the highlights of the trip at Punta Espinoza. Isla Fernandina is known as one of the world's most pristine islands, where no known introduced animals have become established. Here we will observe and photograph the largest of the Marine Iguanas sunning in piles by the hundreds along with Flightless Cormorants, Galapagos Hawks, Galapagos Penguins, and Brachycereus cactus growing directly out of bare rock that still seems like fresh lava. This evening the Tip Top IV will be mostly at anchor, as our landing tomorrow is not far, just down the west coast of Isabela.
Galapagos Penguins
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June 7, Monday: Isabela: AM Urvina Bay; PM panga ride in Elizabeth Bay
In 1954, a portion of the coast of Isabela lifted out of the sea so suddenly that fish and even a sea turtle were trapped high and dry on a freshly changed coastline. We will explore this unusual site at Urvina Bay at the foot of Volcan Alcedo. One can find rocks full of bleached shells and massive coral heads now far from the sea. Here also live giant iguanas of both species, land and marine, as well as a few Giant Tortoises, the species for which the Galapagos Islands were named. At Urvina Bay if conditions are calm, we can go for a snorkel; this area has some of the coldest water of the trip, but there is also great potential for discovery, such as swimming with penguins or flightless cormorants.
After lunch, we arrive at Elizabeth Bay one of the most spectacular locations for panga cruising in the archipelago. We will join the swimming sea turtles as we cruise this paradise, following channels through the verdant green mangrove forests. Here the endemic Flightless Cormorants and the marvelous Galapagos Penguins are in their prime habitat. Tonight the Tip Top IV will cruise through rich whale feeding areas on the way to Floreana.
June 8, Tuesday: Floreana: AM Punta Cormorant and Devil's Crown; PM Post Office Bay
Floreana is known for its excellent snorkeling, especially at the dramatic submerged volcanic cone known as Devil's Crown. We normally see many rays, sea turtles, jacks and other tropical fish. Either before or after an excellent snorkeling experience, we will land behind Punta Cormorant for a walk along the flamingo lagoon in search of teal and shorebirds alongside the flamingoes. The plant life is unique with another species of the endemic composite Scalesia. The sand on Floreana contains a large proportion of fine olivine crystals, a glassy volcanic mineral, giving it an olive-green tone. The waters around Floreana are great for dolphins so keep your eyes open! These waters are also rich with seabirds, such as Waved Albatross, three species of storm-petrels, Audubon's Shearwaters and large flocks of diving boobies. After lunch we'll stop briefly at Post Office Bay, where you can follow in the whalers' tradition of dropping a letter or postcard in the box and taking one to deliver for someone else who already was here. Then we will head east for wonderful, amazing Española!
June 9, Wednesday: Española: AM Gardner Bay; PM Punta Suarez with Waved Albatross
Gardner Bay on Española (Hood Island) is one of the most beautiful beaches in all of the Galapagos. Sea lions populate the surf while the remarkably brave Española Mockingbird pecks at your shoelaces. We can photograph shorebirds and playful sea lions, look for the Large Cactus Finch (which looks very different from the subspecies elsewhere), or just walk the beautiful beach. After enjoying the morning on the beach, we'll explore the fine snorkeling off nearby Gardner Island, where sea lions playfully show off their aquatic prowess. A large diversity of fish can also be found congregating along the steep cinder cone reef walls.
At Punta Suarez, we will get to experience one of the great highlights of the Galapagos: the Waved Albatross. In the afternoon they tend to be most active, so it is the best time of day to make our landing and we hope to find them active with courtship behavior. Observing and photographing the beautiful Waved Albatross in an unforgettable experience, and with luck we will be witness to a courtship dance. In June the albatross are well into their breeding season. Young adults and birds that have recently paired will be displaying, a most enticing expression of the lifelong bond that their breeding and survival depends upon. We will also find the fearless Española Mockingbird, Blue-footed and Masked Boobies, Swallow-tailed Gull, Galapagos Hawk, Marine Iguana (a red and black race unique to this island), Lava Lizard, sea lions, beautiful seascapes, a blowhole and much more. The albatross become more active as the day wanes, so we will take our time this afternoon.
June 10, Thursday: Santa Cruz: AM Charles Darwin Research Station; PM to the Highlands
In order to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station beside the bustling small town of Puerto Ayora, we will anchor in Academy Bay. At the east end of town sits the research station, the center of evolutionary science and conservation in the Galapagos. We will see the many resident tortoises, hopefully including the famous Lonesome George (last surviving tortoise of the Isla Pinta race), along with intimate looks at the captive breeding programs that are working to return the Galapagos to a more pristine, pre-colonization state. In the research station we will have one of our best opportunities to photograph tortoises up close. We will also have some free time in Puerto Ayora to explore, shop, or treat ourselves to an ice cream.
After lunch in a restaurant onshore, we travel to the Santa Cruz Highlands to seek some of the elusive island endemics in beautifully unique habitats. We will explore Los Gemelos in the highlands, two incredible volcanic sinkholes surrounded by tall Scalesia forest. This is excellent habitat for some of the highland Darwin finches. The genus Scalesia is a classic example of adaptive radiation in the plant world, a parallel to the Darwin finches. The elegant tall Scalesia tree evolved from beach composites, essentially the world's largest daisy. Here it is possible to see the shy Galapagos Rail, Short-eared Owl, Large and Small Tree Finches, Vegetarian Finch, and Woodpecker Finch, the famous tool user. We will also walk through wonderful lava tubes left from Santa Cruz's active volcanic island-building days. Dinner this evening will be a delightful affair at a restaurant on Santa Cruz while our crew enjoys time with their families, as most of them live in Puerto Ayora.
June 11, Friday: AM Santa Cruz: Jacqueline DeRoy's home and Puerto Ayora; PM Santa Fé
This morning we will visit with Jacqueline DeRoy, Tui DeRoy's mother, who is a silversmith and one of the original settlers in Puerto Ayora. There are many birds in this part of town and Jacqueline likes to keep the local passerines well fed at her bird feeders. Set sail for Santa Fé to have a full afternoon at this fascinating, small island. From the beach it's well worth the hike up the hilly trail, where a beautiful species of Scalesia thrives near a large forest of amazing Tree Opuntia. We will search among the Opuntia for Santa Fé Land Iguanas, a different species from those elsewhere in the Galapagos.
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Sea Lion Mother and Pup
June 12, Saturday: San Cristóbal: AM Cerro Brujo with snorkeling; PM Kicker Rock
San Cristóbal (Chatham Island) is geologically one of the oldest islands, reflected by its eroded volcanic peaks in the north and densely vegetated slopes in the south. The town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the capital of Galapagos Province. San Cristóbal bears the name of the Patron Saint of seafarers, St. Christopher. Its English name was given after the English nobleman Count Chatham. This 558-sq-km island is the fifth largest in the archipelago and has the second largest population. Around this island, look for frigatebirds, sea lions, Green Turtles, Blue and Red-footed boobies, tropicbirds, Marine Iguanas, Swallow-tailed Gulls and dolphins. Its vegetation includes Calandrina galapagos, Lecocarpus darwinii, trees such as Lignum Vitae, and Matazarna. This morning we will make a wet landing
at Cerro Brujo, one of the first sites visited by Charles Darwin. It is a beautiful white sand beach with Brown Pelicans, Blue-footed Boobies, California Sea Lions and Marine Iguanas. An onshore version of nearby Kicker Rock, Cerro Brujo is a very striking, eroded tuff cone. Also enjoy a good snorkel here.
No landing is possible at Kicker Rock. A panga ride around this tuff cone formation gives you the opportunity to see Masked Boobies, Blue-footed Boobies, and frigatebirds along the cliffs. Kicker Rock is a remnant of a vertical tuff conformation, abruptly rising almost 500 feet from the ocean. Erosion has split the rock and given it its characteristic shape which some see as resembling a shoe, the origin of the name Kicker Rock. Others see it as a sleeping sea lion or Leon Dormido in Spanish.
June 13, Sunday: AM South Plaza; PM Bartolomé with snorkeling around Pinnacle Rock
We land early at South Plaza. This incredible island will allow us opportunities to see Land Iguanas pose obligingly for photos. Compare the Cactus Finch alongside Small and Medium Ground Finches, stars of the excellent book, The Beak of the Finch, the story of modern-day Darwinian evolution as deciphered by pioneers Rosemary and Peter Grant. At the top of the island we come to a cliff where bachelor sea lions escape from the competition of their stronger males and Red-billed Tropicbirds fly gracefully by, circling again and again before slipping into their cliff-side nest holds at our feet.
This afternoon climb the trail (360 ft) to the summit of Bartolomé for a classic Galapagos postcard-perfect view of Pinnacle Rock. Galapagos Penguins are often present in small numbers near Pinnacle Rock. Also this afternoon, enjoy our last snorkel around the rock, perhaps with Galapagos Penguins and maybe even harmless, but exciting, White-tipped Sharks.
June 14, Monday: AM Black Turtle Cove; PM Baltra and flight out; Evening and Night in Quito
Black Turtle Cove is always a spectacular panga cruise with many boobies feeding in the vicinity and Green Turtles and rays inside the very protected cove, a wonderful finale to the trip. By mid-morning the Tip Top IV will circumnavigate Daphne Major (as we are not allowed to land here) where the Grants did the majority of their research on Darwin finches. We must reluctantly depart for Baltra and the flight in the afternoon back to Quito, arriving in the late afternoon. This evening we'll have a special Ecuadorian farewell dinner at a restaurant up Panecillo Hill for a spectacular view of Quito and a short "Quito-by-Night" tour.
Lodging: Hotel Alameda
June 15, Tuesday: Free time to enjoy Quito
Options are available to join a Quito city tour in the morning.
Lodging: Hotel Alameda
June 16, Wednesday: Flights homeward
Arrive more than two hours before flight to check-in. All airport transfers are included.
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Costs, Payments and Cancellations: Upon receiving your deposit, we will send trip materials, including a travel guide with trip essentials, reading list, species lists, and maps. Deposits are refundable before the final payment date, except for $150. The $150 June go toward another tour if a reservation is made within six months of the departure date of this trip. There are no refunds given after the final payment date. Trip cancellation insurance applications are available. Trip options, if any, and singles are extra.
| Cost per person | |
| Trip cost, double occupancy | $5,200 |
| Single supplement | $1,260 |
| Payments Due | |
| Deposit - to reserve your space | $500 |
| November 15, 2009 - second payment | $1,000 |
| March 15, 2010 - final payment | remaining balance |
Governmental Tax: Effective June 1, 2008 the government of Ecuador added a tax to all vessels purchasing in excess of 4,000 gallons of fuel per month. Oil being one of Ecuador's primary products on the world market, they have always previously opted to subsidize prices within the country, rather than tax them. The current tax on our departures is $24 per day, or $260 total per person for the voyage. This fuel tax is included in the trip price. While we truly hope there will be no further taxes, we cannot be sure where the government's new policy will go next. We reserve the right to charge for cost increases, including changes in fuel tax, that occur between the date this itinerary is printed and the date of travel.
Not Included:
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Reservations: Please contact us to assure space availability and to let us answer your questions. Then, fill out our reservation form, and mail it to us with your deposit:
Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris
20800 Kittredge Road
Saratoga, CA 95070
Toll Free: (800) 527-5330
Local: (408) 741-5330
Fax: (408) 741-0358
Email: info@cheesemans.com
Our Leaders, Etienne (ET) and Elizabeth (Ely)
Leaders: Etienne De Backer and Elizabeth Coral-De Backer are an outstanding husband and wife team. They will give daily lectures on natural history and gather onboard in the evenings to recount the day's wonderful encounters and enlighten you with expectations for the landings and possible snorkel the following day. They will ensure that you are ashore by 6:30am to enhance viewing and photographic opportunities, rather than at 8:30am as with most groups. They have both led photo-oriented tours and will do their utmost to get you ashore for the best morning light and stay out on the afternoon landings for the best late afternoon action. They understand that you are eager to enjoy maximum time possible on the landings and out snorkeling, while staying within the time allowed by the National Park for each landing and snorkel. They are very conscientious about following the guidelines set up by the National Park to protect the unique Galapagos habitats and all the amazing endemic species that thrive there.
Etienne De Backer, who has a doctorate in biology plus a decade of work experience in his native Belgium, set out in his mid-30's to further explore the world. His adventures took him through numerous countries and across the seven continents, with the Galapagos Islands ultimately becoming his new home in 1985. Since that time Etienne has been a licensed guide or expedition leader on nearly every yacht in the Galapagos, in addition to lecturing and leading groups in the rainforest and on Antarctica. He speaks five languages. Etienne's wife and son are licensed Naturalist Guides in the Galapagos as well. Elizabeth Coral-De Backer, Etienne's wife, was born and raised in Guayaquil, Ecuador. In 1980, following college, she moved to Puerto Ayora in the Galapagos Islands, where she has made her home since that time. Originally working with the Galapagos National Park in the introduced plant eradication programs, she then went to work at the Charles Darwin Research Station, accompanying herpetologists, ornithologists, and botanists in their fieldwork. She began guiding in 1982 and is fluent in four languages, and conversational in an additional four. She met her husband, Etienne, in 1985 and they live and work together in Galapagos.
Yacht: The Tip Top IV carries 16 passengers in ten cabins. Each cabin with private bathroom (toilet, shower, wash basin and vanity), locker and drawers. Bar, dining room, saloon and sun deck. All cabins and public areas are fully carpeted. Berths slide together to make a double bed if requested. View the deck plan and more details.
Flight Information: Arrive in Quito no later than the evening of June 3. Most flights to Quito arrive in the evening. An American Airlines' flight leaves Miami at 4:50pm and arrives in Quito at about 9:00pm. There is also a flight from Dallas and connections on Continental via Houston to Quito. Please contact us if you would like to arrive earlier than June 3. We can arrange your airport transfer, which we will also cover, and book extra nights at the Hotel Alameda.
For your flight home on June 16, American Airlines has morning departures from Quito that arrive in Dallas or Miami in time to connect with flights homeward. Continental also has a good flight schedule via Houston. The round trip flight from Quito to the Galapagos on TAME will be arranged by Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris. The cost of this flight ($405, quoted November 2008 and subject to change) is added to the final trip balance. The flight times and exact fare for the TAME flights will be determined by February 2010.
Travel Insurance: Unless you specifically decline travel insurance, Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris requires, at a minimum, insurance to cover emergency medical care and evacuation for the duration of the tour. We have had good experience with Access America. Visit their website for complete details and we will also send you their brochure with your trip materials. You can purchase a policy via their website, phone or by mail. Whatever insurance you purchase, be sure to review the terms of all available policies carefully in order to buy the policy that you need.
Mailing List: If you would like to be on our mailing list or request information, please use our online request form or send us your name, address, email address and phone number. Please note we will never share your personal information with anybody!
Responsibility: Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris,
Saratoga, California, act only as agents and shall not be responsible
or become liable for any delay incurred by any person in connection
with any means of transportation, nor for the loss, damage, or injury
to person or property by reason of any event beyond the control of the
agency or default of such agency suppliers. We reserve the right to
cancel the tour prior to departure in which case full refund will constitute
full settlement to the passenger. No refund will be made for any unused
portion of the tour unless arrangements are made at the time of booking.
All rates are based on current tariffs and exchange rates and are subject
to adjustment in the event of any change therein. By sending your initial
deposit, you agree to accept our payment schedule as a contract. If
payments are still outstanding two weeks after the due date, your space
June be forfeited. Baggage is at the owner's risk.
All material copyright Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris 2006-2008
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