ECUADOR SPECTACULAR
17 Day/16 Night Program featuring QUITO - KAPAWI ECOLODGE AND RESORT - RIOBAMBA - CUENCA - OTAVALO - GALAPAGOS ISLANDS -
From $4095.00 Per Person in Double Occupancy (Includes Land Arrangements & Galapagos Cruise only). Program is Locally Hosted with English Speaking Guide. Ask for our Airline Specials, too!
Day 1: QUITO
Depart home city for QUITO, lovely colonial capital city of Ecuador. Meet and Greet upon arrival and transfer to your hotel.
Day 2: QUITO; City Tour and “Middle of the Earth”
City Tour begins with drive along upscale residential section. View the impressive Parliament Building, whose stone mural records Ecuador’s rich history. Then stroll downtown to visit historic temples and monasteries designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Visit St. Augustine Convent, its beautiful cloisters and vast collection of paintings depicting the life of St. Augustine. Continue to Independence Plaza, flanked by the Cathedral, Presidential Palace, Municipal Building, and Archbishop’s Palace. Then to magnificent Church of San Francisco, one of the great religious Baroque style buildings in the New World. Drive 16 miles north to the Equatorial Monument marking the exact “Middle of the Earth”, and stand with one foot in each hemisphere. Visit the Ethnographic Museum and then tour nearby colonial-style town before returning to your hotel.
Day 3: QUITO – KAPAWI ECOLODGE & RESERVE
Transfer to airport for flight to KAPAWI in the Ecuadorian Amazon Rain Forest. Blessed with one of the highest biodiversities on the planet, the Kapawi Ecolodge & Reserve was built by the Achuar. Using traditional techniques, combined with low-impact technologies, prize winning Kapawi sets new standards for the eco-tourism industry all over the world. Accommodations are in double rooms, each with private bathroom, sun-heated shower, and electricity provided by a photovoltaic system.
Days 4 & 5: KAPAWI ECOLODGE & RESERVE
Two wonder filled day of eco-activity including nature walks, bird watching, kayaking, and interactive visits with indigenous communities of the Achuar nearby. Enjoy over 500 bird species, a variety of insect species including brightly colored butterflies most of which have not been identified by scientists, several thousand plant species many of which are used by the Achuar for medicinal purposes, amphibians and reptiles including frogs, caiman and snakes, mammals such as fresh water dolphins, monkeys, bats and several kinds of rodents. Nocturnal mammals like jaguar, ocelots, jaguarundis and other big cats, although plentiful, are harder to spot although it is quite common to find their tracks in daylight hours.
Day 6: KAPAWI ECOLODGE & RESERVE – QUITO
Return flight to QUITO where you are met by local guide and transferred to your hotel.
Day 7: QUITO – RIOBAMBA
Depart QUITO for the Valley of Los Chillos, and then south to Hualilagua. After breakfast, proceed along the spectacular Avenue of the Volcanoes en route to the wonderful Indian market of Latacunga. Continue south toward the impressive Mount Chimborazo. After lunch, visit Museum of Las Conceptas in RIOBAMBA and neighboring town of Guano to bargain for beautiful hand woven rugs.
Day 8: RIOBAMBA – CUENCA
After an early breakfast, transfer to train station to board autoferro train for lovely scenic trip to Alauisi. Travel down the Devil’s Nose switchback to Simbabe. Then board motor coach for drive to CUENCA visiting ruins of Ingapirca en route. Box lunch included. Continue to CUENCA with its red tiled rooftops, cobblestone streets, and flowery plazas for overnight and dinner.
Day 9: CUENCA – QUITO
City Tour begins along the banks of the Tomebamba River, lined with historic buildings of the barranco style, and continues to the Inter-American Center of Popular Art, where regional handicrafts are displayed. See the remains of the Todos Santos ruins before driving through the old city to visit the flower market on the little Plaza del Carmen and the new and old cathedrals on the main square, Plaza Calderon. Worn cobblestone streets recreate old Spain. Charming flower boxes adorn white adobe walls. Local markets are full of woven tapestries and pottery fashioned in nearby villages, and museums beckon for glimpses of colonial art treasures. At pre-arranged time, transfer to airport for flight to QUITO. Meeting upon arrival and transfer to your hotel.
Day 10: OTAVALO
Early departure from your hotel for drive through dramatic mountain scenery en route to OTAVALO, South America’s most famous Indian market. Enjoy wonderful artisan villages en route such as Calderon, where inventive bread dough figurines are made in myriad shapes and sizes. Continue along valleys of Guayllabamba and Cayambe with their rich dairy farms and rose plantations. Arrive at lunchtime to a charming country inn or colonial hacienda for overnight. Visit San Antonio de Ibarra famous for its woodcarvings, Cotacachi renowned for its fine leather handcrafts, Peguche where textiles are still woven in old-fashioned shuttle looms.
Day 11: OTAVALO – QUITO
After a hearty country breakfast, visit the market. Stroll the lively market and bargain with Otavalo Indians wearing their traditional blue ponchos, white trousers and long braided hair astride stands piled high with ponchos, woolen goods, tapestries, the original “Panama” hats, sweaters, Indian jewelry and many handicrafts.
Day 12: QUITO – GALAPAGOS – PUERTO BAQUERIZO
Morning transfer to the airport for flight to Galapagos Islands, magnificent series of islands, 600 miles west of Ecuador, and inspiration for Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking book, The Origin of the Species.
Meeting upon arrival and transfer to M/V Explorer II for magnificent 5 Day / 4 Night Galapagos Islands’ cruise. This modern 100 passenger vessel is fully air conditioned, offers 50 exterior suites, each equipped with a television, VCR, and refrigerated bar. Features aboard include swimming pool, jacuzzi, solarium, large conference room, lounge with music, boutique and reading room. Expert naturalist guides on board and guided visits to the islands during your journey provide eye-opening detail on the natural history of the Archipelago and its many inhabitants.
P.M. San Cristobal Island – Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Capital of the Galapagos and oldest settlement, it is second most populated island in the Archipelago with over 6,000 inhabitants.
Day 13: BARTHOLOME & SANTIAGO ISLANDS
A.M. Bartholome Island, tiny island of 1.2 square kilometers and a must see for geology buffs. Volcanic formations include lava tubes, splatter cones and cinder cones. Steep climb to summit of “Pinnacle Rock” rewards hikers with sensational panoramic views of the Archipelago.
P.M. Puerto Egas, settled in the 1920’s by Norwegian sailors attempting to establish a fishing and salt factory, is currently uninhabited. Spot fur seals, once thought to be on the verge of extinction, and swim in crystal clear waters of the Grottos. Great blue herons, lava herons, oyster catchers and yellow crowned night herons share the stage with hundreds of marine iguanas.
Day 14: FERNANDINA & ISABELA ISLANDS
A.M. Punta Espinosa. Hundreds of marine iguanas adorn black rocks, sea lions dash in and out of inlets and flightless cormorants walk tipsily along beaches joined by pelicans and penguins. Marvel at the impressive and still active volcano reaching over 4600 feet in altitude.
P.M. Punta Vicente Roca. Largest in the Archipelago, Isabela is one of the very few populated by man. Tagus Cove is a natural harbor where whalers spent the night and left their ships’ signatures painted on the rocks. On shore, there are penguins, pelicans, flightless cormorants and boobies, while inland there’s a giant tortoise nesting ground on the slopes of the Alcedo Volcano. Breathtaking scenery and exciting snorkeling among manta rays, sea turtles, sea lions, stingrays, dolphin and sunfish are yours to enjoy.
Day 15: NORTH SEYMOR & SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
A.M. Morning to explore this uplifted island where young and old sea lions waddle along the shore while magnificent frigate birds inflate red pouches during mating ritual and blue-footed boobies and swallow tail gulls complete the picture.
P.M. Home to the Darwin Research Station near Puerto Ayora, staffed with scientists doing biological research and working on conservation projects. Breeding pens and tortoise reserve up in the highlands delight shutterbugs.
Day 16: SAN CRISTOBAL – GUAYAQUIL
Morning visit to impressive Interpretation Center donated by the Spanish, and inaugurated in 1998. This state of the art facility offers a complete education on the islands of the Archipelago and its unique inhabitants. Followed by a short visit of the town of San Cristobal founded in 1860. Then transfer to the airport for flight to GUAYAQUIL. Meeting upon arrival and transfer to your hotel.
Day 17: GUAYAQUIL – HOME CITY
Morning at leisure to explore this bustling port city, relax, or last minute souvenir shopping. Transfer to the airport for flight homeward.
*For more information, contact your travel agent or Festival Tours.
^ top of page
14115 Budworth Circle
Orlando, Florida 32832
Toll Free: (800) 225-0117
Fax: (407) 208-0208
E-mail: info@festivaltours.com
Internet Marketing: L.E.T. Group
|
