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| Cruising the Galapagos Islands
A 10-Day tour starting from $4,565
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| About This Tour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Take an expeditionary cruise through the Galápagos Islands to discover birds and marine life found nowhere else in the world; on-board naturalists lead daily shore excursions. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Featured Dining: 9 Breakfasts, 7 Lunches & 8 Dinners
Unique and Distinguished Hotels in the Best Locations: Night 1, Hilton Colon Guayaquil: Guayaquil, Ecuador Night 2-8 Aboard Isabela II: Cruising the Galápagos Night 9 Hilton Colon Guayaquil: Guayaquil, Ecuador Insightful Tour Directors During your travels, you have the pleasurable advantage of being with a Tauck Tour Director who is fully knowledgeable about the destination, its history and its culture. You can relax knowing that you are accompanied by a professional who manages the flow of events... a problem-solver (in the unlikely event a problem should arise)... an insider who saves you precious time... and a friend who will help transform your trip into a truly memorable journey. Every Travel Expense is Included When you travel with Tauck, you’ll save up to 40% on the cost of traveling the same itinerary on your own. What’s more, virtually every major travel expense is included: Along with most meals, your hotel accommodations, cruises, sightseeing, admissions to museums, galleries and theaters – even taxes and port charges – are built into the price of your trip. Guests are often delightfully surprised at how much is included. You can practically leave your wallet at home! A Tauck vacation offers you both superb quality and extraordinary value.
Day 1. Arrive Guayaquil
Tour begins: Hilton Colon Guayaquil. A transfer from Guayaquil International Airport is included to Hilton Colon Guayaquil. Most flights arrive late in the day. Day 2. Fly to Baltra Island / Isabela II Fly to Baltra in the Galápagos Islands and board Isabela II, an expeditionary yacht exclusive to Tauck. Shore landings will be made by panga, Zodiac-style rafts, on sandy or rocky beaches. Set sail later today for North Seymour Island, home to blue-footed boobies, sea lions and marine iguanas. Join us for the Captain’s reception and dinner, as well as a briefing by a naturalist. Meals BLD • Day 3. Española (Hood) Island Visit Española (Hood) Island, where the only Galápagos colony of waved albatross lives. A wet landing at Gardner Bay provides you with an opportunity to stroll along the white coral beach, go snorkeling, or ride a glass-bottom boat. A dry landing at Punta Suarez lets you take a walk on lava terrain to view the famous blowhole. Meals BLD • Day 4. Floreana Island At Point Cormorant, see an olivine beach, pintail ducks, and Champion Islet. A wet landing at Post Office Bay gives good insights into the historic whaling and pirate eras. Meals BLD • Day 5. Santa Cruz Island Visit the Charles Darwin Research Center to see the famed Galápagos giant tortoises and the prickly-pear cactus forest; conservation research is conducted here. Take a walk in Puerto Ayora, and return to the ship. Meals BLD • Day 6. Genovesa (Tower) Island Genovesa (Tower) Island is nicknamed “Bird Island” – it is home to literally thousands of them. View bird species such as red-footed boobies, Darwin’s famous finches, gulls, herons and magnificent frigate birds. Meals BLD • Day 7. Isabela & Fernandina Islands Visit Isabela Island, housing marine skeletons, land iguanas and giant tortoises. Explore the lava terrain of Fernandina, the youngest island in the Galápagos, to see flightless cormorants, sea lions and marine iguanas. Meals BLD • Day 8. Santiago (James) & Bartolomé Islands On Santiago (James) Island, most of the terrain is tuff-stone layers and lava flows. Observe marine iguanas, fur seals, pelicans and blue Sally Lightfoot crabs before visiting nearby Bartolomé Island. The landscape on Bartolomé is often referred to as lunar-like; you’ll have a chance to see Galápagos penguins. Meals BLD Day 9. Fly to Guayaquil Disembark the ship and take a return flight to the Ecuador mainland and Guayaquil. A sightseeing tour precedes a farewell dinner. Meals BD Day 10. Journey Home Tour ends: Guayaquil. A transfer is included from Hilton Colon Guayaquil to Guayaquil International Airport; you should allow 21/2 hours for your flight check-in. Meals B
Charles Darwin Research Station
Discover a treasure trove of natural history at the Charles Darwin Research Station, dedicated to marine and terrestrial conservation within the Galápagos. Visit Diverse Islands in the Galápagos One or two shore excursions daily explore the diversity of the islands, home to hundreds of marine iguanas, penguins and flightless cormorants. Cruise Aboard Isabela II Isabela II is an expeditionary-style yacht with only 40 Tauck guests aboard. Sleek in style, Isabela II is fully air conditioned, offering many of the amenities of a larger vessel including bar-salon, dining room, lounge, reading room, boutique, and library. All staterooms feature private bathrooms with showers, individual air conditioning, plenty of storage space, desk, two bedside tables, and a music system; electrical current is 110 volts. Isabela II has three decks, Main, Cabin, and Sun. The Sun Deck features a bar with deck chairs for outdoor seating, an observation deck for watching wildlife, a Jacuzzi, and a solarium. Her well-trained 27-member team consists of Ecuadorian officers, naturalists, and crew, as well as a resident physician. Cuisine aboard the ship is a combination of Continental and Ecuadorian, with varied menus. Shore excursions are by Zodiac-style “panga” and are available to everyone; Isabela II carries her own glass-bottom boat aboard for close-up observation of marine life. All tour prices are per person, in US dollars based on double occupancy.
2009 Category C Rates January – March Departures: Single Occupancy = $8,984 July – August Departures: Single Occupancy = $8,584 October Departures: Single Occupancy = $8,884 2009 Category B Rates January – March Departures: Single Occupancy = $9,184 July – August Departures: Single Occupancy = $8,784 October Departures: Single Occupancy = $9,084 2009 Category A Rates January – March Departures: Single Occupancy = $9,584 July – August Departures: Single Occupancy = $9,184 October Departures: Single Occupancy = $9,484 |
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| Note: All prices are per person, double occupancy, subject to availability. These pages are not endorsed or supported by the tour operator in any way. All information presented is based on promotional material provided by the tour operator. All prices, itineraries, accommodations and dates are subject to change without notice and at any time by the tour operators. Availability is limited and must be reconfirmed at time of booking. The prices on this website are not guaranteed. We are not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes in pricing. Please call us toll free at 1-800-942-3301 to confirm availability and pricing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||