GTAM – 160A – GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

GALAPAGOS TOUR PROGRAMS ABOARD THE M/Y AIDA MARIA

HIGHLIGHTS

A snapshot of islands to be visited and the highlights and iconic fauna and flora species of each island.

DAY BY DAY ITINERARY:

Detailed information on activities and visits to each island and applicable cruise rates

CRUISE DATES:

A complete listing of all of the dates that the Eastern Islands cruise itinerary will be operating.

PRE-CRUISE TOURS:

A sample of tours offered in Quito and surroundings o be offered in combination with this cruise. In addition, we can tailor additional Pre and Post cruise tours to adjust to your clients’ interests

GTAM – 160A – GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
Quito & Galapagos Islands
Two days Quito – Four day Galapagos cruise
M/Y Aida Maria – Tourist Superior Category
Galapagos Cruise Itinerary “D” – Thursday – Sunday
Five Days / Four Nights

HIGHLIGHTS:

Visits to Charles Darwin research Station, Tortoise Rearing Center, Cormorant Point, Corona del Diablo, and Post office bay, Suarez Point & Garner Bay, Isla Lobos

ITINERARY

DAY 1: Wednesday – Arrival in Quito

Meeting at airport and private transfer to hotel for the night
Overnight accommodations at selected hotel

DAY 2: Thursday – Quito / Galapagos Islands

Private transfer from hotel to airport for your flight to Baltra, Galapagos Islands. Afternoon visit to Charles Darwin Research Station and transfer to M/Y Aida Maria
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 3: Friday – Galapagos Islands

Floreana Island
AM: Post Office Bay
PM: Punta Cormoran / Devil’s Crown
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 4: Saturday – Galapagos Islands

Española Island
AM: Punta Suarez
PM: Bahia Gardner
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 5: Sunday – Galapagos Islands

San Cristobal Island
AM: Isla Lobos and transfer to airport for flight back to Quito or Guayaquil and your next destination
Meals: Breakfast

GROSS RATES PER PERSON BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
VALID THRU DECEMBER 32, 2019

GTAM-160A (GE -24) QUITO & GALAPAGOS RATES
With Hotel Wyndham Airport (First Class) $ 1,799
With Hotel Casona de la Ronda (Boutique Hotel) $ 1,806
With Hotel Patio Andaluz (Boutique Hotel) $ 1,814
M/Y Aida Maria Four Day/Three Night Cruise only $ 1,594

TOUR RATES INCLUDE

QUITO
Roundtrip private transfer between airport / hotel / airport
One night accommodations at selected hotel including 22% taxes and service fees.
Daily breakfast

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
Four day cruise aboard the M/Y Aida Maria (Tourist superior) based on double occupancy
Daily fully escorted tours to islands indicated in itinerary by English speaking naturalist guides
Transfers between Baltra airport and motor yacht and at the end transfer to San Cristobal airport
All meals during the cruise

NOT INCLUDED

International air between the USA and Quito or Guayaquil
Roundtrip air between Quito or Guayaquil & Galapagos
Galapagos national Park entrance fees total $120 per person and subject to change
Gratuities and tips to guides and crew
Land services, meals and tours not indicated in the itinerary
Expenses of personal nature
Travel insurance (Highly recommended)

GTAM – 160A – GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
Quito & Galapagos Islands
Two days Quito – Four day Galapagos cruise
M/Y Aida Maria – Tourist Superior Category
Galapagos Cruise Itinerary “D” – Thursday – Sunday
Five Days / Four Nights

DETAILED ITINERARY

DAY 1: Wednesday – Arrival in Quito

On arrival at Quito’s Mariscal Sucre Airport, you will be welcomed by one of our English speaking professional guides who will assist you with the private transfer to your hotel and help you accommodating and giving helpful information for your stay in this world heritage city.
Overnight accommodations at selected hotel

DAY 2: Thursday – Quito / Galapagos Islands

At the proper time assistance and private transfer from hotel to airport for your flight to Baltra, Galapagos Islands and transfer to the M/Y Aida Maria. You will sail to Santa Cruz Island, where you will visit the world-famous Charles Darwin Station, a non-profit institution that dedicates itself to studying and protecting the flora and fauna of the Galapagos. This is one of the best places to see land tortoises, including Lonesome George museum.
Then you’ll visit the station’s Tortoise Rearing Center. Here you can find baby, hand-sized tortoises, between the ages of one and five, and marvel at how they achieve such large sizes as adults (500 lbs. or more!). Galapagos tortoises are believed to have a lifespan of over 100 years, so the young ones have a long life ahead of them as long as they receive the protection they need. Aside from the Station headquarters, Santa Cruz Island is home to the largest town and economic center of the Galapagos, Puerto Ayora. In this portside town you can buy souvenirs (postcards, t-shirts, books, etc.) of the islands. Check out the unique Galapagos ceramic shop near the entrance of the Charles Darwin Station.

After shopping in Puerto Ayora and lunch on the boat (guests may dine in town if they desire), you’ll explore the highlands or “parte alta” of the island, which is a moisture-rich area with fertile volcanic soils. You’ll learn about the vegetation and animal life of this zone, often strikingly different than that found at lower elevations and our best opportunity to find the famous giant tortoises in their natural habitat.

Darwin’s Finches, Yellow Warblers, and other land birds will fly in and out of the moss-covered trees. From this high vantage point you’ll be treated to beautiful views of the island.In the late afternoon you’ll return to town. For those who wish to check out the nightlife, this is your chance; the boat will be docked in port most of the night.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 3: Friday – Galapagos Islands

Floreana Island
Cormorant Point, Devil’s Crown and Post Office Bay
When you wake up and look out your porthole you will see Floreana, one of the greenest islands in the archipelago. Ask your guide to tell you about its mysterious history laden with rumors of witches, murderous baronesses, blackmail, and dubious disappearances. Your first stop is Punta Cormorant (wet landing) , where you’ll follow a footpath to a lagoon inhabited by flaming-pink flamingos. You will also pass by Carolina Beach, a Sea Turtle nesting area and a superb spot for watching sea birds and sea rays.

Back on the yacht, you’ll skirt the island’s coast until you arrive at La Corona del Diablo (the Devil’s Crown) (wet landing) , a sub-marine crater that offers some of the most spectacular snorkeling in the Galapagos. This is a great spot for seeing the wide array of tropical fish, many endemic to the islands, including purple sea stars and spiky sea urchins. The crater’s most thrilling undersea creatures, however, are the white-tipped sharks. As with most of the creatures in the Galapagos they are unperturbed by your presence, so you can swim in their company freely and fearlessly.

After returning to the boat for lunch you’ll sail on to Post Office Bay (wet landing), where the islands’ original post office (really only a wooden barrel) was established in 1793. The current system still functions as it did three centuries ago: Visitors drop off unstamped letters and postcards AND pick-up whatever mail they can hand deliver themselves when they return home! (Try it, it actually works!).
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 4: Saturday – Galapagos Islands

Española Island
Suarez Point & Garner Bay
Espanola is one of the most magical of all the islands. It is a place where the animals reign supreme and we humans are merely guests. As your dingy brings you to shore you’ll see Sea Lion pups sunbathing with Marine Iguanas and Blue Footed Boobies nesting in between, and nearby may be a Galapagos Hawk. If it is Booby mating season watch the bonded pairs do the infamous Booby dance (if it’s not mating season, ask your guide to demonstrate – after all it’s their job to teach you about the local fauna!).

As you follow the footpath around the island, you will pass hundreds of Blue Footed Booby nesting sites including one colony of masked boobies. There is a good chance you’ll see the thief-like Frigate Bird (which has the habit of stealing other birds’ food), as well as the stunning Red-Billed Tropicbird and the nocturnal Swallow-Tailed Gull. If it is the right time of the year (mid-April to December) you’ll also encounter the giant Waved Albatross. Apart from a few pairs that breed on Isla de Plata, off the Ecuadorian mainland, all of the world’s 12,000 Waved Albatross breed on Espanola Island. At the end of the breeding season, the entire population leaves the island and heads out to sea, where they spend years without touching land; four or five years may pass before the fledglings return to Espanola.

As you make your way around the island you’ll pass by El Soplador, a giant blowhole that explodes to heights reaching 25 feet. In the nearby tide pools you can often find lounging sea lions enjoying the blowhole’s misty spray. Following lunch on board the yacht, you’ll visit Garner Bay (wet landing), a great place for sunbathing, swimming and snorkeling. Lionfish, Flycatchers, and Galapagos Hawks will keep you company as you relax under the rays of the evening sun. Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

DAY 5: Sunday – Galapagos Islands

San Cristobal Island / Isla Lobos & Airport
Today early morning arrival in San Cristobal, the capital of the Galapagos. The first site will be Isla Lobos, a very small islet made of volcanic rocks that gets its name from the colony of Sea Lions (Lobo de Mar in Spanish) that live there. Here you can observe the behavior and interaction of Sea Lions living in a small community. Before taking the flight back to the mainland you will have some time to visit the town on your own. Transfer to airport. for flight back to Quito or Guayaquil and your next destination
Meals: Breakfast

GROSS RATES PER PERSON BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
VALID THRU DECEMBER 32, 2019

GTAM-160A (GE -24) QUITO & GALAPAGOS RATES
With Hotel Wyndham Airport (First Class) $ 1,799
With Hotel Casona de la Ronda (Boutique Hotel) $ 1,806
With Hotel Patio Andaluz (Boutique Hotel) $ 1,814
M/Y Aida Maria Four Day/Three Night Cruise only $ 1,594

TOUR RATES INCLUDE

QUITO
Roundtrip private transfer between airport / hotel / airport
One night accommodations at selected hotel including 22% taxes and service fees.
Daily breakfast

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
Four day cruise aboard the M/Y Aida Maria (Tourist superior) based on double occupancy
Daily fully escorted tours to islands indicated in itinerary by English speaking naturalist guides
Transfers between Baltra airport and motor yacht and at the end transfer to San Cristobal airport
All meals during the cruise

NOT INCLUDED

International air between the USA and Quito or Guayaquil
Roundtrip air between Quito or Guayaquil & Galapagos
Galapagos national Park entrance fees total $120 per person and subject to change
Gratuities and tips to guides and crew
Land services, meals and tours not indicated in the itinerary
Expenses of personal nature
Travel insurance (Highly recommended)

MOTOR YACHT AIDA MARIA
FOUR DAYS / THREE NIGHTS ITINERARY “D”
CRUISE DATES 2019 CRUISE DATES 2020
START DATES END DATES START DATES END DATES
7/18/19 7/21/19 1/16/20 1/19/20
8/1/19 8/4/19 1/30/20 2/2/20
8/15/19 8/18/19 2/13/20 2/16/20
8/29/19 9/1/19 2/27/20 3/1/20
9/12/19 9/15/19 3/12/20 3/15/20
9/26/19 9/29/19 3/26/20 3/29/20
10/10/19 10/13/19 4/9/20 4/12/20
10/24/19 10/27/19 4/23/20 4/26/20
11/7/19 11/10/19 5/7/20 5/10/20
11/21/19 11/24/19 5/21/20 5/24/20
12/5/19 12/8/19 6/4/20 6/7/20
1/19/19 12/22/19 6/18/20 6/21/20
7/2/20 7/5/20
7/16/20 7/19/20
7/30/20 8/2/20
8/13/20 8/16/20
8/27/20 8/30/20
9/10/20 9/13/20
9/24/20 9/27/20
10/8/20 10/11/20
10/22/20 10/25/20
11/5/20 11/8/20
11/19/20 11/22/20
12/3/20 12/6/20
12/17/20 12/20/20

GROSS RATES PER PERSON BASED ON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY
VALID THRU DECEMBER 32, 2019

GTAM-160A (GE -24) QUITO & GALAPAGOS RATES
With Hotel Wyndham Airport (First Class) $ 1,799
With Hotel Casona de la Ronda (Boutique Hotel) $ 1,806
With Hotel Patio Andaluz (Boutique Hotel) $ 1,814
M/Y Aida Maria Four Day/Three Night Cruise only $ 1,594

This Galapagos cruise is also available with pre-Galapagos tours of 3 and 4 days programs. Please check with us for details.

IMPORTANT: Since this cruise depart Galapagos on Thursdays on the dates indicated in the CRUISE DATE SECTION you need to plan to arrive a day before Wednesday in Quito. And Tuesday for a 3 day stay in Quito; Monday for a 4 day pre-cruise tour.

TOUR RATES INCLUDE

QUITO
Roundtrip private transfer between airport / hotel / airport
One night accommodations at selected hotel including 22% taxes and service fees.
Daily breakfast

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
Four day cruise aboard the M/Y Aida Maria (Tourist superior) based on double occupancy
Daily fully escorted tours to islands indicated in itinerary by English speaking naturalist guides
Transfers between Baltra airport and motor yacht and at the end transfer to San Cristobal airport
All meals during the cruise

NOT INCLUDED

International air between the USA and Quito or Guayaquil
Roundtrip air between Quito or Guayaquil & Galapagos
Galapagos national Park entrance fees total $120 per person and subject to change
Gratuities and tips to guides and crew
Land services, meals and tours not indicated in the itinerary
Expenses of personal nature
Travel insurance (Highly recommended)

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GTGE – 24 – QUITO
Ideal for Galapagos
or Amazon Programs
Two Days / One Night – Private Services
Daily
GO TO TOUR DETAILS
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GTGE – 25 – QUITO
Quito City Tour & Museum
or Equator Line
Three Days / Two Nights – Private Services
Daily
GO TO TOUR DETAILS
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GTGE – 25A – QUITO
Quito City Tour & Museum
or Equator Line
Three Days / Two Nights – Private Services
Daily
GO TO TOUR DETAILS
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GTGE – 25B – QUITO
Quito City Tour & Museum
or Equator Line
Three Days / Two Nights – Private Services
Daily
GO TO TOUR DETAILS
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GTGE – 25C – QUITO
Quito City Tour & Museum
or Equator Line
Three Days / Two Nights – Private Services
Daily
GO TO TOUR DETAILS
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GTGE – 26 – QUITO
Quito, Otavalo &
Cuicocha Lagoon
Four Days / Three Nights – Private Services
Daily
GO TO TOUR DETAILS
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GTLT-30 – QUITO
Flavors, Aromas, Nature & Traditions
Quito, Otavalo & Mindo
Five Days / Four Nights – Private Services
Daily
GO TO TOUR DETAILS
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GTGE – 35 – QUITO & CLOUD FLOREST
Quito & Mindo
Traditions, Culture & Nature
Four Days/ Three Nights – Private
Daily
GO TO TOUR DETAILS
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GTGE –42 - QUITO, OTAVALO & COTOPAXI
Andean Gastronomy, Traditions and Nature
Six Days / Five Nights – Private Services
Daily
GO TO TOUR DETAILS
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GTGE – 50 - CULTURAL INTERACTIONS
Quito, Otavalo, Cotopaxi, Riobamba & Cuenca
Seven Days / Six Nights – Private Services
Daily
GO TO TOUR DETAILS
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GTGE – 54 – ECUADOR ANDES EXPERIENCES
Quito, Cotopaxi, Baños, Riobamba, Alausi,
Devil’s Nose Train, Ingapirca, Cuenca
Eight Days / Seven Nights – Private
Daily
GO TO TOUR DETAILS

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Send us a Message

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G T TOURS OFFICES:

Plantation, Florida  
13494 NW 7th Street
Plantation, Florida 33325

Miami, Florida 
9930 SW 142 Street
Miami, Florida 33176

Toll Free USA & Canada:
(800) 666 8687
Local Number: 
(305) 436 0933 
Fax:     
(305 436 0843

Send us a Message

ENQUIRE NOW

We will be happy to answer your questions or comments.

G T TOURS OFFICES:

Plantation, Florida  
13494 NW 7th Street
Plantation, Florida 33325

Miami, Florida 
9930 SW 142 Street
Miami, Florida 33176

Toll Free USA & Canada:
(800) 666 8687
Local Number: 
(305) 436 0933 
Fax:     
(305 436 0843

Send us a Message

ENQUIRE NOW

We will be happy to answer your questions or comments.

G T TOURS OFFICES:

Plantation, Florida  
13494 NW 7th Street
Plantation, Florida 33325

Miami, Florida 
9930 SW 142 Street
Miami, Florida 33176

Toll Free USA & Canada:
(800) 666 8687
Local Number: 
(305) 436 0933 
Fax:     
(305 436 0843

Send us a Message

ENQUIRE NOW

We will be happy to answer your questions or comments.

G T TOURS OFFICES:

Plantation, Florida  
13494 NW 7th Street
Plantation, Florida 33325

Miami, Florida 
9930 SW 142 Street
Miami, Florida 33176

Toll Free USA & Canada:
(800) 666 8687
Local Number: 
(305) 436 0933 
Fax:     
(305 436 0843