Ecuador, Galapagos

North & Central Galapagos Islands in Luxury 10 days

North & Central Galapagos Islands in Luxury 10 days aboard Silver Galapagos

Sailing on board the luxurious Silver Galapagos, this 10 day itinerary to the north & central islands also includes two nights in the fascinating capital city of Quito and flights to and from the islands. Get up close to all the fascinating wildlife and enjoy the stunning scenery in comfort, whilst relaxing or being as active as you choose.

Note: Flight package rates for 2018 are not released at time of writing - please ask for inclusive rates for 2018.

Toni Hart

Namibia Birding and Photography Guide

An accomplished and experienced Namibia birding and photographic guide, Toni holds a Namibia Academy for Tourism and Hospitality Level 3 qualification (the highest level attainable in Namibia) and is widely renowned for her extensive knowledge of the cultures, ornithology, flora, astronomy and wildlife of the country. Read more >

Jenny Luxton

Falklands Expert & Guide

Born in Chartres in the West Falklands, Jenny grew up on the family farm where her love for animals was nurtured by the25,000 sheep, horses and cows that lived alongside her. Forever a nature, conservation and wildlife enthusiast Jenny has travelled extensively throughout the Falkland Islands, visiting each and every wildlife island at least once, and even travelling around some by yacht. Read more >

Highlights

Visit “Bird Island” home to over 30 bird species.
Climb Prince Philip’s Steps to see a thriving seabird colony and search for the Galápagos short-eared owl.
Observe sea lion families and the famed giant tortoises and marvel at the fearless behaviour of wildlife.
Admire the antics of red and blue-footed boobies.
Walk up the sides of an extinct volcano and across lava flows.
See the waved albatross (depending on the season — April to December).
Swim and snorkel in tranquil, clear waters.
Photograph colourful marine iguanas.
Cruise by Zodiac along scenic coastlines.
Learn about conservation efforts at the “Fausto Llerena Breeding Center”

What's Included

Flights between Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands
Transfers
Pre cruise hotel in Quito
National Park fees
Beverages in-suite and throughout the ship
In-suite dining and room service from 06:00 to 23:00
Enrichment lectures by a highly qualified Expeditions Team
Free wifi
Onboard gratuities

9 nights October-August

From Only £5,350pp

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Shortlist

Simon Rowland
Ecuador, Galapagos Specialist

Speak to someone who’s been to Ecuador, Galapagos. Start planning your tailor-made trip by calling one of our friendly destination specialists on 0800 195 3385 or 44 1625 581143 for outside the UK.

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ITINERARY

9 ^Nights 10 ^Days

Itinerary Summary

1-2 | Quito
3 | Baltra & Daphne Islands
4 | Genovesa
5 | North Seymour & Santiago Islands
6 | Rabida Island & Eden Islet
7 | San Cristobel
8 | Espanola
9 | Santa Cruz & South Plaza Islands
10 | San Cristobel

1-2Days

Quito

Arrive at any time and transfer to hotel for two nights on bed & breakfast basis. Spend time exploring this fascinating city and perhaps take an excursion to the Equator. Evening tour of the old town included.

3Day

Baltra & Daphne Islands

Early morning flight to Baltra Island and transfer to your ship.

Silver Galapagos will then head for Daphne to do a circumnavigation. From the ship we will watch for Nazca and blue-footed boobies, frigatebirds, red-billed tropicbirds, brown noddies and brown pelicans, as well as swallow-tailed Gulls.

In the evening enjoy the first of many memorable meals in The Restaurant..

4Day

Genovesa

Genovesa is dubbed “Bird Island” - here huge colonies of seabirds create a birdwatcher’s paradise. Take a walk on the sandy beach of Darwin Bay, home to one of the world’s largest red-footed booby nesting colonies. Yellow-crowned night herons feed near tidal lagoons, while hundreds of swallow-tailed gulls nest in the cliffs. Climb “Prince Philip’s Steps”, a steep path named after the Duke of Edinburgh who visited the island in 1965, and see Nazca Boobies nesting on the ground, great frigatebirds with their fiery red sacs, and, if you are lucky, the elusive short-eared owl on a daytime hunt for Storm Petrels, a favourite prey. After a morning walk, we will have a chance to enjoy our first snorkelling excursion and experience the diverse, underwater wonderland that surrounds the island.

We will also have the opportunity to kayak around Darwin Bay — which is actually a flooded caldera —and admire the island’s craggy landscape.

5Day

North Seymour & Santiago Islands

North Seymour is a small island close to Baltra. Two species of frigatebirds nest here; one of which, the magnificent frigatebird, is an opportunistic breeder. At any month of the year we may see males displaying their bright-red pouch to attract females. Galápagos sea lions snooze in the sand and blue-footed boobies perform their courtship dance called “sky-pointing”. Marine and land iguanas patrol the beach, while brown pelicans and brown noddies look for food in the shallow coastal waters. We will walk through this spectacular landscape, and afterwards have an opportunity to go snorkelling—perhaps even spotting the impressive whitetip reef shark.

On Sullivan Bay on Santiago, our landing will be on a white sandy beach or directly onto lava.The appearance this lava has is almost like frail rope and since the lava has not moved equally in all places, the design of the surface texture induces one to see different objects and images. We will spend time on the beach, snorkelling and looking out for nesting turtles.

6Day

Rabida Island & Eden Islet

Rabida is a small picturesque island with red rock cliffs and maroon sand. Here we can see Darwin’s finches, lava lizards and Galápagos mockingbirds. Take a walk along the cliffs where the red rocks, green Palo Santo trees and the blue turquoise sea create landscapes of stunning contrast. Later, swim and maybe snorkel with sea lions, reef sharks, marine iguanas, colourful anemones and parrotfish, or kayak along the picturesque Rabida cliffs.

Sail to Eden Islet for snorkelling, kayaking and Zodiac rides. Eden is a small, eroded tuff cone and an excellent example of the unique geology of the Galápagos. It is home to great blue herons, sea lions, and blue-footed boobies; while the small tidal areas can be a resting place for reef sharks, eagle rays and green turtles.

7Day

San Cristobel

In the morning, visit the Galapaguera Cerro Colorado where giant tortoises are bred and conserved. Breeding and rearing endemic animals in captivity is part of a much broader conservation programme aimed at restoring and protecting the Galapagos Islands’ natural biodiversity.

San Cristóbal is one of the oldest islands in Galápagos and the well-eroded landscape of Punta Pitt creates a dramatic landscape. We may see three species of boobies here: red-footed, blue-footed

and Nazca, as well as both the great and magnificent frigatebird. After a wet landing on an olivine beach where sea lions doze, we’ll climb up a ravine to view one of the most scenic panoramas in the archipelago.

8Day

Espanola

Swim with sea lions from the beach at Gardner Bay and relax on the white sands. Further out you can snorkel with large schools of colourful tropical fish and an occasional manta ray, while a whitetip reef shark drifts on the bottom. Alternatively, experience this from a kayak: paddling through crystal-clear waters while marvelling at the natural wonders all around you.

In the afternoon we will visit Punta Suárez at the western point of Española, the oldest island in the Galápagos. Sheer cliffs provide superb thermals for seabirds. Swallow-tailed gulls, Nazca boobies

and blue-footed boobies can easily be seen. The largest seabird to nest in the islands, the waved albatross, may be seen seasonally from April to December. Galápagos Hawks can also be found, as well as sea lions and colourful marine iguanas.

9Day

Santa Cruz & South Plaza Islands

We will cruise overnight to Santa Cruz, the island with the largest human population. The headquarters of the Galápagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station are located in the small town of Puerto Ayora. The Station is the operative branch of the Charles Darwin Foundation, whose flagship programme is the restoration of Galápagos giant tortoises.

Towards the end of the morning,there will be time to do some sightseeing and shopping in town.

South Plaza is a small island located close to the eastern coast of Santa Cruz. Its main attraction is a colony of Galápagos land iguanas, but the setting is also a highlight — giant prickly pear cactus, the reddish sesuvium plant, a mat-like ground cover, and a large nesting colony of swallow-tailed gulls make this small island an excellent stop. Marine iguanas and Galápagos sea lions are also around.

10Day

San Cristobel

Disembark and transfer to airport for flight to Guayaquil

See All Itinerary

Silver Galapagos

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What Our Customers
Say...

Jon Woods, Isle of Man Jayne Robb, Liverpool, UK Paul Janseens, Belgium Norman Eley, Berkshire, UK

• Although we thoroughly enjoyed the Galapagos it was mainland Ecuador which really took us by surprise with such a diversity of landscape and wildlife and incredible hospitality everywhere we went. Our local guides were so knowledgeable and helpful and our driver Manuel had a terrific sense of humour. We had some fantastic birding at both Mashpi, Le Selva and of course our day trip to Paz de Las Aves Reserve where we were lucky enough to see both the ‘Cock of the Rock’ and the giant antipitta. The devil nose train journey was as thrilling as we hoped and we even got lucky with Cotopaxi and got some lovely clear photos so all in all couldn't ask for more.

• This was an excellent trip from start to finish. Bellavista Lodge was a particular favourite of ours, so tranquil and a superb base to watch birds and wildlife while experiencing real Ecuadorian hospitality. Our guide, really knew his stuff and was so passionate about his job ,in fact all the local guides were excellent. I have to say a special word about Juan, our driver, who was so charming and funny, he really added to the overall enjoyment of the trip. The number and variety of birds we saw was amazing and I would have no hesitation in recommending Ecuador to other keen bird watchers.

Fantastic holiday with more wildlife than I was expecting. The Napo Wildlife Centre was wonderful, we were looked after with such care and attention and our guides’ knowledge of the areas’ and flora and fauna was outstanding, what they didn’t know probably wasn’t worth knowing. The food was so varied and they coped amazingly with my food intolerances, better than most European restaurants!!! Waking up to the sound of the howler monkeys will always live with me as will seeing my first Kinkajou, something I’ve wanted to see for a long time. Thank you for an amazing two weeks.

We had an amazing time in the Galapagos, thank you.We really enjoyed ourselves and will certainly come back to you next year.

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North & Central Galapagos Islands in Luxury 10 days