Ecuador Galapagos & Amazon Family Adventure Tour

Your Guides

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The best people to immerse you in a destination are the ones who live there, which is why we feature local Adventure Guides on our trips. Here are a few that you might meet on this adventure.

Luis Die

Luis was born in Seville, Spain, and graduated from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid with a degree in Environmental Biology. He is fluent in Spanish, English, and French and has guided in Galapagos since 1999. In addition to being a professional nature photographer, Luis has a Master's Degree in Geographic Ecology and is active with conservation groups. A born teacher, he enthusiastically shares his knowledge of Galapagos with people of all ages. He lives in Quito with his wife, twin sons, and daughter and is MT Sobek's head naturalist guide. 

Fernando Ortiz

Fernando is an Ecuadorian marine biologist who has worked and lived in Galapagos for over 25 years. An accomplished diver, he has enjoyed more than 5,000 dives in the Galapagos, Ecuador, Cayman Islands, Cozumel, Baja California, Palau, Malaysia, and Costa Rica. He joined Conservation International in 2005 after working for the Galapagos National Park as Head of the Department of Control and Conservation of Marine Ecosystems. Fernando returned to guiding to re-encounter the environment that he is so passionate about and loves inspiring MT Sobek travelers on their adventures in the Galapagos.

Patricia Stucki

Patricia has been guiding diving trips in Galapagos since 1999. A native of Switzerland and originally a journalist for the Swiss News Agency, Patricia started her career in guiding as a divemaster in Honduras in 1995 and as a naturalist guide in Costa Rica. She is fascinated by wildlife, is a passionate teacher, and an active conservationist in the islands. As a resident of Galapagos, she will be able to give you an insider's viewpoint of life in the islands. Patricia is fluent in English, German, and French.

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                    [Headline] => Arrive in Quito 
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Welcome to the historic city of Quito, the capital of Ecuador. An MT Sobek representative will meet you outside customs at the airport and escort you to your hotel. After settling in at the hotel, the rest of the evening is free unwind and take advantage of the pool and onsite restaurant. Dinner is on your own tonight.
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                    [Headline] => Tour Mindo & Learn How Chocolate is Made
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After breakfast, depart for a full-day tour to Mindo, a village in the Andean Mountains that\'s known for its many bird and butterfly species. Visit a cacao farm and factory and learn how chocolate is made, from harvesting the plants to the final product. Enjoy a welcome lunch surrounded by an incredible diversity of hummingbirds. Return to Quito in the afternoon for an introductory talk and orientation about your trip. In the evening, explore Quito and have dinner on your own.
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                    [Headline] => Journey to Sacha Lodge
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After breakfast, transfer to Quito airport for a short flight to Coca airport, located on the Amazon side of the Andes. From there, take a two-hour motorized boat ride along the Napo River to Sacha Lodge reserve. From the drop-off along the riverside, take a 25-minute jungle walk along a wooden boardwalk to look for monkeys, sloths, and other wildlife. Finally, board a dugout canoe for a 40-minute ride through a jungle canal to get to Sacha Lodge, your home for the next few days.
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                    [Headline] => Explore the Amazon Rainforest at Sacha Lodge
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Spend the day exploring the 5,000 acres of pristine rainforest at Sacha Lodge reserve, home to an amazing variety of wildlife. Watch for roving bands of monkeys, hundreds of species of birds, and the occasional anteater, three-toed sloth, or ocelot. Go for a ride in a dugout canoe, fish for piranhas, and birdwatch from the top of a canopy tower. You can also go on a night walk to look for frogs, spiders, and other nocturnal critters.
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                    [Headline] => Visit a Native Community
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Enjoy another full day of activities around Sacha Lodge. Visit the Shipati Warmi project - an initiative run by and benefiting the women of the Providencia community of Yasuní - to learn about how they live, the food they eat, and their culture. In the afternoon, climb the canopy-walk tower to experience the rainforest from atop the trees. In the evening, you can go on a night canoe ride to look for caimans, snakes, and other nocturnal wildlife.
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After breakfast, depart Sacha Lodge and take a return boat ride to Coca. Then, board your flight back to Quito and transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax at the swimming pool or visit the Old Town on your own.
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                    [Headline] => Fly to San Cristóbal Island in the Galápagos
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After breakfast, fly from Quito to San Cristóbal in the Galápagos Islands. On arrival your guide will escort you to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, where you will board the deluxe EcoGalaxy. Enjoy lunch before cruising to nearby Isla Lobos - separated from San Cristóbal by a narrow channel, providing opportunities to snorkel with sea lions, sea turtles, and tropical fish. There is also a short trail great for viewing blue-footed boobies, frigatebirds, sea lions, and the picturesque León Dormido - a huge volcanic monolith located offshore.
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                    [Headline] => Visit Santa Fé & South Plaza Islands
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Wake to explore the beautiful bay and turquoise waters of Santa Fé Island. After landing on a white beach usually covered with sea lions, walk into a giant Opuntia cactus grove in search of endemic land iguanas and possibly Galápagos Hawks. Afterwards, you can snorkel and/or kayak in the turquoise waters of the bay, full of sea lions, sea turtles, rays, urchins, eels, and very colorful fish, including large schools of surgeonfish and parrotfish.

Next it\'s on to South Plaza Island for an afternoon walk. Both North and South Plazas were formed by geological uplift and tilt to the north, with cliffs on their southern coasts. On small islands like this, terrestrial and marine species interact more than on the larger islands, and the occasional hybrid iguana (land and marine) with its "zebra-like" stripes can often be observed. The south facing cliffs swarm with a myriad of bird species, including tropicbirds, pelicans, boobies, Galápagos shearwaters, and swallow-tailed gulls. Bachelor sea lions climb steep cliffs in the late afternoon to spend nights away from the larger dominant bulls. Look for endemic land iguanas under the prickly-pear cactus.
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North Seymour is home to an incredible diversity of species, including dense breeding colonies of blue-footed boobies and frigatebirds. Walk North Seymour\'s loop trail and keep an eye out for Swallow tailed gulls, blue-footed boobies, and colonies of both Magnificent and Great frigatebirds. The island is rich in sea birds, but look also for marine iguanas, huge land iguanas, sea lions and other smaller birds such as Darwin finches and mockingbirds. After the walk, get ready to snorkel in one of the sites with the highest diversity of fish you\'ll find on your trip.

This afternoon, call at Mosquera Islet, located between Baltra Island and North Seymour, and home to the largest sea lion colony in the archipelago. It\'s also possible to observe several species of birds here.
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                    [Headline] => Discover Rich Birdlife of Genovesa Island
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Genovesa Island is known as Bird Island and is one of the most interesting for visitors! Hike along Darwin Beach on the north side of Darwin Bay, formed by the rim of a sunken crater. Red mangroves along the trail provide habitat for yellow warblers, yellow-crowned night herons, and pintail ducks. The highlight of this site is the incredible abundance of Red-footed Boobies, Great Frigatebirds and Swallow-tailed Gulls. Despite being the most abundant species of booby in the islands, the red-footed is rarely seen unless you visit Genovesa. The bay also offers several places to snorkel; from deep waters along the cliffs across the bay, to shallow waters by the beach. In either case, there are many fish to see and great chances of seeing sharks, rays and sea lions.

After lunch, explore the cliffs by Zodiac before climbing Prince Phillip\'s Steps to the island\'s plateau. The landing sport is a rock fall that forms a natural staircase up the cliffs but the rest of the trail is quite easy and leveled. Walk through massive colonies of Red-footed and Nazca Boobies and an extraordinary Palo Santo forest on the way to a lava ridge where thousands of storm petrels dart about while Short-eared owls stalk them for prey. This is one of the trails in the entire Galápagos with the most abundance of fauna. Snorkelers can explore the cliffs, where there are many fish and great chances of seeing sharks, rays and sea lions.

Back on the boat tonight, enjoy a festive farewell cocktail hour and a group dinner with the captain.
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                    [Headline] => See Tortoises in the Highlands & Return to Quito
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After an early breakfast, disembark the EcoGalaxy and transfer to the lush highlands of Santa Cruz Island for a special opportunity to see Galápagos giant tortoises in the wild. Then head to the Baltra airport for your return flight to Quito. An MT Sobek representative will greet you at Quito airport and provide assistance to your nearby hotel. Lunch and dinner are on your own today.
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After breakfast, use the complimentary shuttle to transfer to the airport in time for your outbound flight, or opt to stay on in Quito to join us for one of our extensions in Ecuador or Peru!
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    [ActivityHighlight] => 7 full days of nature walks, easy canoeing, snorkeling, and touring, sleeping in eco-lodges and aboard the deluxe catamaran EcoGalaxy.
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Accommodations

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An eco-lodge set in the midst of a 5,000-acre preserve and a deluxe modern catamaran. Plus comfortable and convenient hotels in Quito.

EcoGalaxy

Comfortable Small Ship

Discover the Enchanted Islands in relaxed comfort onboard the EcoGalaxy, an 88-foot deluxe catamaran. Its eight staterooms, with a capacity for 16 adventurers, are equipped with en-suite bathrooms, including full-size shower, and A/C. Guests can also relax in the dining room, bar and lounge, and open sundeck, and enjoy the inflatable pangas, kayaks, and snorkeling gear. Designed to minimize environment impact, the EcoGalaxy operates on low fuel consumption with state-of-the-art water filters, LED illumination, tin-free exterior paint, and solar panels. See more images, deck plans and more, here.

Sacha Lodge

Comfortable Hotel

Located within a pristine ecological reserve, Sacha Lodge enjoys a remote rainforest location with thatch-roofed buildings that blend harmoniously into their surroundings. The 26 comfortable rooms have spacious private bathrooms, some of which feature floor-to-ceiling windows for an immersive jungle experience. The property is a destination within itself, with thousands of acres of rainforest to explore.

Wyndham Quito Airport Hotel-Quito

Comfortable Hotel

The Wyndham Quito Airport is a convenient and comfortable stopover after your journey back from the Galápagos chosen for its location right next to the airport. Both international and Ecuadorian food options are available at the onsite restaurant and for room service. Rooms have large TVs and free WiFi. There is a 24-hour complimentary airport shuttle.

Swissotel Quito

Comfortable Hotel

One of the city's top five-star luxury hotels, Swissotel Quito is conveniently located in the Floresta neighborhood of Quito - both a commercial and residential area only 45 minutes from Mariscal Sucre International Airport. Each of its 232 elegant guest rooms is air-conditioned and features modern design.

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Inspiration to Explore

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