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DAY 1 USA – GUAYAGUIL, ECUADOR
Your adventure begins this morning with your flight to Guayaguil, Ecuador. Following your late evening arrival, you’ll transfer to the Hampton Inn, situated in the heart of Guayaquil’s tourist, commercial and financial district. Dinner aloft.

DAY 2 GUAYAQUIL – GALAPAGOS
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your 90-minute flight to the island of Baltra in the Galapagos Islands where your naturalist guide will be awaiting your arrival. Following a transfer to the dock, a short barge ride takes you to the nearby island of Santa Cruz. Check in at the Hotel Palmeras for 6 nights and head to the dive shop to get fitted for your snorkeling gear. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

DAY 3 FLOREANA ISLAND EXCURSION
The Mystery Island. Today you will travel to Floreana by speedboat. Waiting to greet you are marine iguanas, sea lions and penguins. After a short ride to the highlands you will take a hike in search of giant tortoises and learn of Floreana’s mysterious history. After your hike you will eat lunch with the Wittmer Family, one of the island’s founding families. A snorkeling adventure awaits you in the Afternoon. Watch for sea lions, turtles, octopus, and maybe if your lucky, dolphins. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

DAY 4 CHARLES DARWIN STATION/SANTA CRUZ HIGHLANDS
Today you will visit the famous Charles Darwin Station where you will learn of the conservation work being done there, and see “Lonesome George” and many other giant Galapagos tortoises. You will then spend the remainder of the day in the highlands of Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz offers excellent opportunities for viewing wild tortoises. As you walk through the forest, listen carefully for the sound of heavy footsteps and the sound of shrubs being slowly crushed as the tortoises make their way through the brush to enjoy a meal. Tracking tortoises is not the only exciting activity to be found in the Highlands. There are also plenty of lava tubes, sinkholes and craters to explore. Theses eerie formations offer a fascinating hike into the belly of the island to view its volcanic make-up. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

DAY 5 NORTH SEYMOUR/BACHAS ISLAND EXCURSION
The visitor trail on North Seymour is a little over a mile in length, crossing the inland of the island and exploring the rocky coast. Along the way the trail passes large land Iguanas, colonies of Blue-Footed Boobies and Frigatebirds. Frigatebirds are known for the large red pouch on their necks. During mating season the males thrown back their heads, inflate the pouch (sometimes to the size of a soccer ball), and shake trying to capture the attention of female Frigates. Swim at a beautiful white coral beach, which is also a sea turtle nesting site. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

DAY 6 SANTA ROSA SCHOOL
This morning you and your fellow Galapagos explorers will meet the teachers and children at Santa Rosa School and spend a few hours working with the children in their English class. In the afternoon, enjoy a day at the beach on Santa Cruz. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

DAY 7 BARTOLOME ISLAND EXCURSION
Early this morning, depart by boat for Bartolome Island, the most photographed island in all of the Galapagos. You will view Pinnacle Rock and learn of the island’s volcanic history. Galapagos penguins, sea lions and pelicans are plentiful here. Today enjoy a snorkel excursion in waters teeming with undersea life. In addition to dozens of varieties of colorful tropical fish, watch for stingrays, spotted eagle rays, and white tipped sharks. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

DAY 8 GALAPAGOS – GUAYAQUIL
After breakfast this morning, take the barge back to Baltra and then fly to Guayaquil. With a population approaching 3 million, Guayaquil is the largest city in Ecuador as well as the economic and industrial center of the country. The city has a coastal location on an unusually long 30 mile inward reach of the Gulf of Guayaquil, and is the major port of Ecuador. After checking in at the Hampton Inn, enjoy a tour of the city, followed by a wonderful farewell dinner aboard the pirate boat s.s. Henry Morgan. Breakfast, lunch aloft, and dinner included.

DAY 9 GUAYAQUIL – USA
After breakfast, depart for the Guayaquil airport and your flight to the USA.

PLEASE NOTE: THE ITINERARY OUTLINED ABOVE IS SUBJECT TO REGULATION OR CHANGE BY THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, AND MAY BE CHANGED BY THE TOUR OPERATOR FOR THE OVERALL BETTERMENT OF THE TOUR, OR DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND THEIR CONTROL. THE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT YOU WILL SEE ARE BASED ON WHAT IS TYPICAL BUT IS NOT A GUARANTEE OF WHAT WILL BE PRESENT ON THE DAY OF THE VISIT.