SUMMER & FALL 2012 - VOLUME 3 - Senior Tours Canada

TENTATIVE ITINERARY FOR GALAPAGOS CRUISEDAY 1 DEPARTURE. We depart for Quito viaAtlanta. Upon arrival we transfer to our hotel.DAY 2 QUITO. This attractive city surrounded byice-capped volcanoes is known as the"Convent of the Americas" because of itsbeautiful churches and monasteries.Highlights of our city tour will include theviewpoint from Guapulo, Church of SanFrancisco, the ornate Church of LaCompania, Independence Square with itsGovernment Palace and Cathedral, and awalk through the culturally diverse streets.Later we will have a rare opportunity to standin both the Northern and SouthernHemispheres at the same time at theEquatorial Line Monument.DAY 3 GALAPAGOS / SULLIVAN BAY. We departfor the island of Baltra in the Galapagos andtransfer to our ship, the M/V GalapagosExplorer II. As we set sail keep an eye out fordolphins, whales and perhaps ahammerhead shark. Today we visit SullivanBay on Santiago Island, a site of greatgeological interest due to the incredible lavaformations found here. We will have achance to view the lava fields and we willalso get our first close-up encounters withsome of the amazing Galapagos wildlife aswe observe both marine and terrestrial birds,Galapagos fur seals and the black marineiguanas.DAY 4 BARTHOLOME & SANTIAGO ISLANDS.Bartholome Island was formed by basalticlava and so the unique island landscapeseems like a moonscape. The northernbeach is ideal for swimming and spottingpenguins while the southern beach offerssharks, turtles and rays. After our visit weproceed to Santiago Island where we visitEspumilla Beach. Here the main attractionsare a palo santo (saint wood) forest, thebeach and the landscape. The beach offersbeautiful white sand and is the perfect placefor swimming and snorkeling with thedolphins. This is also an important site fornesting marine turtles.DAY 5 ISABELA & FERNANDINA ISLANDS.Today we visit Punta Vicente Roca onIsabela Island, where you can see theGalapagos fur seals and many marine turtlesfeeding on the algae. Look out for whalesand dolphins as well. We then continue toPunta Espinoza, Fernandina Island, home toDAY 6DAY 7DAY 8DAY 9DAY 10the most active volcano on the planet.Highlights here include flightless cormorants,marine iguanas and blue herons. Activitiesinclude hikes and dinghy rides.ISABELA ISLAND. Isabela Island offers avariety of diverse landings. Our first visit willbe to Tagus Cove, used historically as ananchorage for pirates and whalers. One canstill find the names of the ships carved intothe rock above the landing. From the shore,a trail leads to a saltwater crater (DarwinLake) where several terrestrial bird speciescan be viewed. In the afternoon we continueto Elizabeth Bay, a small protected bay withcalm waters creating a perfect habitat for seaturtles. We will enjoy a zodiac ride around thebay during which we’ll spot blue footedboobies, penguins, pelicans and sea lions.FLOREANA ISLAND. This morning we visitthe historic site, Post Office Bay on FloreanaIsland. Whalers used to frequent theGalapagos Islands to pick up GalapagosTortoises. Post Office Bay became amessage centre where outbound ships woulddrop off letters after rounding the cape andthe ships returning home would mail them.This afternoon you may choose between ahike to a pond to see one of the largestcolonies of flamingos in the Galapagos, or achance to go snorkeling off Floreana Island.SAN CRISTOBAL ISLAND. San CristobalIsland is the only island with a fresh waterlagoon located inside a volcano crater. Wewill visit the crater, a giant tortoise reserveand interpretation centre. This afternoon wevisit Ochoa Beach, a small white sandybeach made of coral. It is home to bluefooted boobies, frigates, pelicans and gulls.In the sea it is possible to see rays, turtles,sea lions and many tropical fish.SANTA CRUZ. Today we visit the island ofSanta Cruz. We travel inland by coach to see“Los Gemelos” (“The Twins”), two volcanicdepressions found on the highest part ofSanta Cruz. The surrounding forest is full ofbirds such as the vermilion flycatcher and theyellow warbler. Later we disembark andtransfer to the airport for our flight back toQuito. We’ll have our Farewell Dinner thentransfer to the airport for our overnight flighthome via Atlanta.HOME. We arrive home in Canada.65.