November 7th - 23rd, 2007

The Galapagos and Equador:
A photographic and natural history tour

Price: £ 3995

Leader: Bob Gibbons and local guides

The Galapagos Islands are one of the most extraordinary places in the world for the naturalist, and the photographic opportunities are superb. To get there, you have to pass through Equador, so we’re taking the chance to visit some of the cloud forests and mountains of the Andes in one of the most biodiverse countries in the world.

Otovalo market, Ecuador

We fly from Heathrow to Quito to begin our 17 day tour, and spend the first night at a good hotel with superb views of the city and mountains. For the next 6 days, we travel westwards to the cloud forests of the Andean slopes, northwards to Otovalo and the Equadorian ‘lake district’, finally going southwards into the high volcanic Andes area around the giant peak of Cotopaxi, before returning to Quito for our flight to the Galapagos. The birds of Equador are exceptionally rich and varied, and we’ll get many opportunities for close views, especially around our lodges and haciendas, which are usually well-supplied with feeding stations and viewing opportunities. We’ll be able to see a good range of Equadorian flowers, too, from the orchids, bromeliads and Bomarea creepers of the cloud forests, to gentians and curious tall Puya spikes of the high Andean paramo. We may even see condors and llamas up here.

marine iguanas

On day 8, after a short flight, we land at Baltra to meet our boat, the beautiful Sagitta, our home for the next week. From here, we embark on a roughly circular tour of most of the main islands, travelling at night and visiting as many sites as possible during the days. We’ll visit Baltra, the main inhabited island of Santa Cruz, Española (Hood), Floreana (Charles), Isabela, Santiago (James), Bartolomé, and finally back to Baltra after a stop on the north coast of Santa Cruz. At most of the islands, we’ll have more than one stop to see as much as possible. We can expect to see virtually all of the famous Galapagos specialities, including marine iguanas, land iguanas, Galapagos sea-lions, fur seals, Galapagos penguins, blue-footed, red-footed and masked boobies, giant tortoises, Galapagos hawk, and some of Darwin’s finches to name but a few.

green turtles arriving

We’ll also see masses of the wonderful Sally Lightfoot crabs, perhaps the first of the green turtles beginning to gather to breed, and dozens of other birds such as the beautiful swallowtailed gull, tropicbirds, frigatebirds, vermilion flycatchers, flamingoes, lava herons and many more. Virtually all of these creatures really are as unafraid of man as the reports suggest, and most can be easily approached and photographed.

The Galapagos are more than this, though. Their situation is so isolated and so unspoilt compared to most of the rest of the world, that it allows us to experience some marvellous sights and feelings – dolphins riding in front of the boat, glistening with phosphorescence at night; incredible stars, unlike anything we see at home, masses of turtles gathering offshore to come in and breed; watching delicately beautiful swallowtail gulls gathering in the evenings to head out to sea to feed at night; having a mockingbird perch on your camera, or going swimming with sealions off a warm white tropical beach!

Galapagos penguins

The islands attract a good range of migrating birds, many of which soon seem to catch the Galapagos tameness – wandering tatlers, yellowlegs , flocks of sanderling running about like clockwork toys, whimbrel and many others, swelling the ranks of the local herons and oystercatchers. The intertidal life is fascinating, too, with pencil-spined sea urchins, endemic green sea urchins, ghost crabs, acorn barnacles, and those ubiquitous Sally Lightfoot crabs. It’s not often mentioned, but the Galapagos islands have a rich flora, too, with many endemics which we’ll certainly be looking at, though it’s not peak flowering season while we’re there. Our tour is timed to be in the dry season, when it is generally not too hot either, which is perfect for most sights.

On day 15, after a last stop at the lagoons and mangroves of Black Turtle Bay, we fly back to Quito, and spend our last day exploring the old city (a World Heritage Site) before departing on an evening flight.

The tour price includes return flights from Heathrow and internal flights, all accommodation on a full board basis throughout except for 2 evening meals in Quito, transport throught, park fees, services of leader, local guides, pre-tour information and post-tour report. No long or difficult walks.

Tour code: NHT/07/10

Price: £3995

Single room supplement: for mainland leg £295; there are no single rooms on the boat, and – as space is very limited - we are asking people to share for this section; the cost of having a room to yourself is very high, but can be arranged if necessary (please speak to David Horwell, at Select Latin America).

Deposit: £350 plus insurance insurance if appropriate.

Booking forms to Select Latin America.

(This tour can be extended, eg by a trip to the Amazon Basin, if desired, by arrangement with Select Latin America).