|
|
Monday, May 29 - Thursday, June 15, 2006
Peru pre-trip: Manu Biosphere Reserve and Machu Picchu, May 13 – 29, 2006
Imagine exploring a tropical island rich in charismatic wildlife that is totally unafraid of you and your camera. Imagine having ample time to explore on a special expedition that caters to the pace of nature lovers and photographers and does not rush you back to your boat every day. Imagine 15 days of the best itinerary possible in one of the world’s most intriguing natural history destinations outfitted with one of the best boats (the Sagitta with spacious private bath cabins), best crews, and best natural-history guides in the archipelago. Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris offers this opportunity to explore the Galapagos outside the norm of tourism among breeding boobies, albatross, penguins, frigatebirds, endemic landbirds, sea turtles, sharks and many hundreds of species of fish.
Galapagos cost: $6100, including meals beginning on May 30 through lunch June 14.
Galapagos National Park fee: $100 paid in US$ (cash) on arrival in Baltra.
 |
| Blue Footed Boobies |
Deposit : $750. Second payment: $1000 October 1, 2005. Final payment: March 1, 2006.
Airfare: $800 approx. to Quito, depending on origin, plus Quito-Baltra on TAME: $393.
Group size: Eleven, plus Santiago Bejerano and a resident naturalist/guide.
Boat: 12 passenger sailing yacht Diamante with 6 air-conditioned staterooms, private baths, and hot showers, chartered from Andando Tours. See cabin plan.
Leaders: Naturalist and photographer SANTIAGO BEJERANO, plus a very experienced resident naturalist and the captain of the Diamante. Non-smoking tour
Itinerary prepared 2/05
GALAPAGOS ITINERARY IN BRIEF:
- May 29: Depart USA for Galapagos, overnight in Quito.
- May 30: Visit the colonial part of Quito and Panecillo Hill.
- May 31: Fly to Baltra at 9:30 a.m. First stop aboard Diamante is North Seymour.
- June 1: Tower Island, Prince Philip’s Steps, a.m. Darwin Bay, p.m.
- June 2: Tower Island, Darwin Bay, a.m. Prince Philip’s Steps, p.m.
- June 3: South Plaza, and snorkeling at North Plaza, a.m. After lunch to Santa Fé.
- June 4: Punta Suarez, Hood Island, all day, among Waved Albatross. Mid-day snorkel.
- June 5: Isla Santa Cruz, visit to Charles Darwin Research Station and lava tubes.
- June 6: Isla Santa Cruz, on a quest for wild giant tortoise and exploring the highlands.
- June 7: Isla Floreana, Champion and Devil's Crown, a.m. Punta Cormorant p.m.
- June 8: Isla Isabela, lagoons of Punta Moreno, a.m. Mangroves of Elizabeth Bay, p.m.
- June 9: All day on Isla Isabela, a.m. Urbina Bay, p.m., Tagus Cove.
- June 10: Punta Tortuga then Punta Espinosa, Isla Fernandina all day visit with snorkeling.
- June 11: Roca Redonda and whale, dolphin and seabird watching en route to Santiago.
- June 12: James Bay, Fur Seal Grotto and Playa Espumilla, Isla Santiago.
- June 13: Isla Bartolomé, snorkel. Afternoon in the beautiful Sullivan Bay lava flows.
- June 14: Isla Daphne Major, and departure for Quito.
- June 15: Departures home.
May 29, Monday: Flights to Quito
American Airlines’ flight leaves Miami at 4:50 p.m. and arrives in Quito at about 9:00 p.m. There is an AA flight from San Francisco departing at 7:15 a.m. arriving in Miami at 3:30 p.m. in time to connect with the Miami flight at 4:50 p.m. There are also connections on Continental via Houston. At the Quito airport look for Santiago Bejerano and/or our agent from Andando Tours for your transfer from the Airport to the hotel. Stay two nights at the lovely Patio Andaluz in restored historic downtown Quito. Dinner on your own this evening. Lodging: Patio Andaluz
May 30, Tuesday: Quito
Enjoy a morning tour of colonial Quito departing at 9:00 a.m. Drive up Panecillo Hill for a spectacular view of Quito, an excellent overlook for photography. We will explore the most spectacular of the Spanish-style churches in downtown Quito. Afternoon, free to rest or explore the city further. Welcome dinner together this evening. Lodging: Patio Andaluz
May 31, Wednesday: Baltra and North Seymour
After an early breakfast we fly from the Quito Airport at 9:30 a.m. to Baltra via Guayaquil on TAME. It is necessary to arrive at the airport two hours before the flight. The flight stops in Guayaquil and arrives in the Galapagos at 12:00 noon. After customs we meet our resident naturalists and board the beautiful twelve-passenger Diamante, our home for this glorious two weeks. After lunch we make our first landfall on nearby North Seymour Island and visit the Blue-footed Booby colony and a large Magnificent Frigatebird colony. Male frigatebirds will be in full display. Also, California Sea Lions, Marine Iguanas, endemic Palo Santo, low bushy-type Opuntia, Lava Herons, Brown Noddies, Swallow-tailed Gulls, and Lava Gulls will entice you to use lots of film. By the light of sunset we will be the last to depart North Seymour, a lovely first taste of the magnificence of Galapagos wildlife. Back on the Diamante, our first dinner will prove that as much as we may desire to spend twentyfour hours of each day with the wildlife, the ship will always reward our return.
Note: The shipboard itinerary depends on the conditions at the time of travel.
The leader, naturalists and captain will recommend any possible improvements.
June 1, Thursday: Genovesa (Tower Island)
The anchorage at Tower Island is in Darwin Bay, actually a huge flooded volcanic caldera. The walls of the caldera provide wonderful hauling out ledges for Galapagos Fur Seals and nesting sites for tropicbirds. After breakfast we will hike up “Prince Philip's Steps” through very photogenic Red-footed and Masked Booby colonies to the Wedge-rumped (Galapagos) Storm-Petrel colony. These three species like 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 Tower. They are adapted to hunting far out to sea and can only rear a single young every two years, whereas the Blue-foots fish shallow water close by their nests and raise two or three young in a brood if conditions are good. In the storm-petrel colony Short-eared Owls hunt during the day for this small tubenose by hiding within the colony. This is the only diurnal storm-petrel at the breeding colony and the only large colony visitor site where you can walk within the colony and photograph. After lunch and a snorkel along the crater wall, we land at Darwin Bay. Here, boobies and Great Frigates nest with unparalleled density, and the island’s four species of Darwin finch, the Large Ground Finch, Large Cactus Finch, Small-beaked Ground Finch and Warbler Finch show huge variation in bill size. Following the cliff edge we will find ourselves in a fly-way for incoming boobies and frigates, an excellent opportunity for photographing these magnificent birds in flight. They are ceaseless with aerial displays of kleptoparatisim, dog-fighting along the cliffs for scarce nesting material.
June 2, Friday: Genovesa (Tower Island)
Tower Island is such a highlight in the Galapagos that we will spend two days here, revisiting the Darwin Bay landing in the morning and Prince Philip’s Steps in the afternoon. This extra time, in what can only be described as a photographer’s paradise, gives us a chance to make perfect images of nesting, displaying, feeding, defending, chick-rearing, and flying Galapagos seabirds. We will depart in the evening to arrive at South Plaza by morning. June 3, Saturday: South Plaza and Santa Fé
We go ashore on South Plaza early and have the entire morning here on this incredible island. The Land Iguanas pose obligingly for photos. The Cactus Finch alongside Small and Medium Ground Finches are very fascinating to compare on Plazas. Along the cliff is a sea lion colony, plus Red-billed Tropicbirds nesting. During lunch we head to Santa Fé. We will take our first snorkel just after lunch, as the swimming is wonderful off Santa Fé with sea lions, rays, and fish. From the beach we will then walk a trail where a beautiful species of Scalesia thrives near a large forest of Tree Opuntia. Here search for Land Iguanas, a different species (Conolophus pallidus) from those on South Plaza (Conolophus subcristatus).
June 4, Sunday: Punta Suarez on Española (Hood Island)
This relaxed morning we will land at Gardner Bay on Española, one of the most beautiful beaches in all of the Galápagos. Sea lions populate the surf while the remarkably brave Española mockingbird pecks at your shoelaces. We can photograph, look for the Large Cactus Finch (our first chance to see this endemic), or just walk the beautiful beach. After a snorkel and lunch we will return to shore for one of the great highlights of the Galapagos: courting displays of the Waved Albatross. Spend a wonderfully long afternoon observing and photographing the incredible display behavior of the Waved Albatross. In June these remarkable albatross are well into their breeding season, feeding chicks. Any young adults, birds that have recently paired, or have lost their chick during the early season will be displaying, a most enticing expression of the lifelong pair pond that their breeding and survival depends upon. We will also find the Hood Mockingbird, Blue-footed and Masked boobies, Swallow-tailed Gull, Galapagos Hawk, Marine Iguana (a race unique to this island that is red and black), Lava Lizard, sea lions, beautiful seascapes, a blowhole and much more. The birds become more active as the afternoon wanes, so we will extend our stay as long as possible.
June 5, Monday: The Charles Darwin Research Station and Puerto Ayora,
We will awake to find ourselves anchored in Academy Bay on Isla Santa Cruz. This morning we will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station beside the town of Puerto Ayora. The research station is the center of evolutionary science and conservation in the Galapagos, a real treat to explore intimately with the guidance of a member of the staff or resident researcher. We will see the many resident tortoises – hopefully including the famous Lonesome George – along with up-close looks at the captive breeding programs that are working to return the Galapagos to a pre-colonization pristine state. In the research station we will have one of our best opportunities to photograph tortoises up close. We will have some free time in Puerto Ayora before returning to the Diamante for lunch. In the afternoon we will travel to the highlands to explore wonderful lava tubes left from the days of Santa Cruz’s active volcanic days of island building.
June 6, Tuesday: In Search of the Giant Tortoise and the Santa Cruz Highlands
Today we seek some of the elusive island endemics in beautifully unique habitats. In the morning 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. 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. A sharp eye might also spot a Land Tortoise hiding in the undergrowth. Lunch will be at a restaurant up in the Highlands. We recommend hiking boots or some sturdy, water resistant footwear. After lunch we will travel in quest of wild Giant Tortoise. Where we will find them will depend on their seasonal migration from the lowlands to lush grazing in the highlands. We will return after a full day to the Diamante for dinner and a late departure for Floreana.
June 7, Wednesday: Floreana (Charles) and Champion
Floreana is known for excellent snorkeling, especially at the dramatic Devil’s Crown, an eroded submerged volcanic cone, and at the nearby islet of Champion. The very rare Charles Mockingbird, no longer surviving on Floreana, can be seen on the shores of Champion from the pangas (skiffs). Landings are not allowed on Champion, but panga cruising is allowed and the snorkeling is wonderful. After two excellent snorkeling experiences, we will land to walk along the flamingo lagoon behind Punta Cormorant, an excellent site for teal and shorebirds alongside flamingoes. Plant life here is unique with another species of Scalesia. The sand on Floreana contains a large proportion of fine olivine crystals, a glassy volcanic mineral, giving it an olive-green tone. We will depart in the early afternoon, traveling west over the most whale-rich waters in the Galapagos. Gear up for a cetacean surprise! These are great waters for dolphins coming in to steal a free ride on the bow wave of the boat, a delightful and photogenic way to get close to marine mammals. 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.
June 8, Thursday: Isabela, Punta Moreno and Elizabeth Bay
Our first stop today on Isla Isabela, is Punta Moreno, a fascinating lava flow with many photographic possibilities, hopefully including nesting Flightless Cormorants and wading flamingoes on a beautifully improbable lagoon nestled in bare black lava rock. In the afternoon we will watch for whales as we head for Elizabeth Bay. This side of Isabella is a paradise for sea turtles and we will be sure to snorkel with some today. Endemic Flightless Cormorants and the marvelous Galapagos Penguins are in their prime habitat here. Nowhere else in the world do they find themselves more at home. We will cruise among mangroves to find hidden herons and more swimming turtles. Anchor in Elizabeth Bay tonight.
June 9, Friday: Isabela at Urbina Bay and Tagus Cove
In the morning, sail north to Urbina Bay, a fantastic place just south of Tagus Cove at the foot of Volcan Alcedo on the west side of Isabela. One can find rocks full of bleached shells, lifted out of the sea by a 1954 volcanic uplift. There are giant sized iguanas of both species, Land and Marine, also Flightless Cormorants and Brown Pelicans nesting. Land Tortoises are here in the wild if there has been rain near the coast. After a penguin-rich panga ride, we will land at Tagus Cove in the afternoon for a beautiful walk and many possible surprises both at the landing site and on the trail. Tagus Cove is also a good area for the Vegetarian Finch and Woodpecker Finch, famous for fashioning a tool to probe for insects. Anchor overnight at Tagus Cove.
June 10, Saturday: Punta Tortuga, Isabela, and Punta Espinoza on Fernandina
A before breakfast landing will take us on a hunt for the Mangrove Finch at Punta Tortuga, a very elusive Darwin finch. The beach at Playa Tortuga is now closed due to its many Green Turtle nests, so access to the mangroves will have to be along a narrow path without crossing the beach. During breakfast we will cross the small channel to Punta Espinoza on Isla Fernandina, one of the highlights of the trip. Here we observe and photograph Flightless Cormorants, the largest of the Marine Iguanas sunning in piles by the hundreds, Galapagos Hawks, Galapagos Penguins, and Brachycereus cactus growing directly out of seemingly fresh bare lava. We will also snorkel along the rich lava-rock coastline, hopefully sharing the near-shore zone with swimming penguins and iguanas.
June 11, Sunday: Roca Redonda and whale, dolphin, and seabird watching
This morning pass Punta Vicente Roca on the northwest tip of Isla Isabela where we should see Flightless Cormorants and Galapagos Penguins. The area is outstanding geologically with lava fields and tuffs, but no landing is possible. We will be on the lookout for marine mammals, because we are still in the western part of the archipelago in the deep waters off the shelf, where there is the possibility of seeing Orcas, Pilot Whales, and some of the large whales, especially 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 under the Equator, meets land. Here the Sperm Whales must find high densities of squid, their favorite food. Whitehead found that, like elephants, male sperm whales roam between female/calf groups, instead of one male dominating a harem. By mid morning we will go north to Roca Redonda, a very interesting volcanic plug jutting sheer out of the water for hundreds of feet and so covered with nesting seabirds, especially Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrels, that its inaccessible top appears to be swarming with flies. This area has excellent, exciting snorkeling for large fish, rays and small sharks of several species. Arrive at James Island in the northern archipelago late this evening.
June 12, Monday: James Bay, Fur Seal Grotto and Playa Espumilla, Isla Santiago
A walk along the tidepools of James Bay at low tide reveals a fascinating and photogenic intertidal zone where oystercatchers hunt for exposed crustaceans and marine iguanas graze on intertidal algae. At our walk’s end we will look down on beautiful blue and green grottos formed by collapsed lava tubes, perfect hideouts for Galapagos Fur Seals. Here it is enchanting to watch and photograph, not only fur seals, but bright red-orange Sally Lightfoot Crabs (so named because they contain so little meat). This site offers a great diversity of ecosystems and geological strata, as well as great snorkeling along underwater lava tubes that hide any number of large marine creatures. Playa Espumilla will offer diversity, a chance to photograph yellow warblers along the beach or to hike in the hills among the archipelago’s largest Palo Santos. This evening we will cross northeast to Genovesa (Tower) to the northeast.
June 13, Tuesday: Bartolomé and Sullivan Bay
Another night’s journey will find Diamante anchored at Bartolomé. In the early morning we will climb the trail (360 ft) to the summit of Bartolomé for a gorgeous classic Galapagos view of Pinnacle Rock. Near Pinnacle Rock, penguins are often present in small numbers. Perhaps snorkel with Galapagos Penguins and maybe even the harmless, but exciting, White-tipped Shark. This afternoon we will visit the surreal landscape of the Sullivan Bay Pahoehoe lava flow. The lava here is nearly one hundred years old but it is virtually un-eroded. The flow retains a rainbowed patina that adds color to a study of natural flow, form, and pattern.
June 14, Wednesday: Daphne Major, Baltra and Quito
We end our stay in the Galapagos Islands at Daphne Major, providing that the weather is favorable, and we are able to get approval from the Park Service for the landing. The highlights here are the Darwin finches. If you read Beak of the Finch, the story of Rosemary and Peter Grant’s research on Darwin finches, you will be very interested in this landing, despite the challenge of a narrow and steep landing. By mid-morning we must reluctantly depart for Baltra for the flight to Quito at 1:00 p.m., arriving at 5:15 p.m. Overnight in Quito unless you are flying out this evening. Dinner on your own this evening. Lodging: Patio Andaluz
June 15, Thursday: Flights homeward
American Airlines has a departure at 8:30 a.m. which arrives in Miami in time to connect with flights homeward. (Check in is two hours before flight, so depart from the hotel at 6:00 a.m.) Continental has a night flight departing at 11:20 p.m. to Houston allowing the day free in Quito. Other flight times are also available.
Reservations:
Please contact us or telephone first to check space availability, then mail a deposit of $750 per person to:
Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris
20800 Kittredge Road
Saratoga, CA 95070-6322
Telephone: (800) 527-5330
Locally (408) 741-5330
Fax: (408) 741-0358
For questions, comments
or reservations,
e-mail us at: info@Cheesemans.com
or use our information form.
Optional Peru pre-trip: Manu Biosphere Reserve and Machu Picchu, May 13 to 29.
We will visit the Manu Biosphere Reserve, largest tropical rainforest biosphere reserve on earth, from the cloudforests of Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge to lowland Amazonia, only one hundred miles from the spectacular Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, then return to the highlands to explore Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of the Incas in the Andes. Cost $4700, plus airfare. Please contact us for a full itinerary. A deposit of $300 is required to secure your reservation. Leaders: Santiago Bejerano and resident naturalist/guide. Limit: 11 people.
Payments and Cancellations: Upon receiving your deposit of $750 per person, we will send trip materials, including a travel guide, reading list, species lists, and maps. A second payment of $500 is due October 1, 2005. The final payment is due on March 1, 2006. Until the final payment due date, deposits are refundable except for $150. This may go toward another tour if reservation is made within six months of the cancellation date. There are no refunds given after the final payment. Trip insurance applications are available.
Not included: Airfare from home to Baltra round trip via Quito. We make the reservations for the Quito-Baltra round trip ($393) on your behalf, and the cost is added to the final trip payment due on March 1, 2006. Dinner on May 29th and June 14th in Quito, and bottled beverages are not included in the costs. We suggest a gratuity of $15/day for the naturalist and crew of the Diamante. The Galapagos National Park fee of $100 is not covered, also the airport departure tax of $25 from Ecuador. Separate airport/hotel transfers in Quito are not covered.
Boat Specifications: Fiddi Angermeyer, owner of Andando Tours, completely refitted the vessel into what is now the very popular and beautiful Diamante. We will have eleven passengers, plus our leader, in six cabins. Each cabin has two separate beds, a private bath, and air conditioning. The Diamante is a beautiful two mast sailing yacht with a speed of eight knots. It has a high capacity desalinator producing ample fresh water for showers. The yacht is well outfitted with Furuno radar, depth sounder, GPS, VHS & SSB radios, 2 tenders with outboards, color TV and VCR. The crew includes the captain, first mate, engineer, cook, assistant, cabin attendant, and two sailors who drive the two tenders for landings.
 |
| Diamante |
 |
| Diamante Deck Plan |
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 may be forfeited. Baggage is at the owner’s risk.
home |
current trips by region |
current trips by date |
site map |
contact us
|
|
|
