ECUADOR ITINERARY

March 9 Arrive Quito late in the day and transfer to our hotel. Dinner on your own.

March 10 Following a group breakfast, transfer to the airport for our flight to Coca down on the Amazon. A two hour paddle up a tributary river leads us to Napo Wildlife Center. For four days we’ll explore the area on foot, by boat, and from the canopy platforms high in the trees. A web of walking trails spiders out from the lodge, giving access to some of the most remote areas in the Amazon. By dugout canoe we’ll paddle quiet shaded creeks and a large lake in search of wildlife. We’ll visit two clay licks that attract dozens of brightly-colored macaws, parakeets, and parrotlets. We’ll climb two tall towers constructed in the midst of the forest that offer close-up inspection of all the levels of life in the tree canopy. We can also visit the nearby indigenous community, where people still live by traditional means. Our lodge is located right on the lake. All outings will be accompanied by a knowledgeable local guide.Each of 10 luxury cabanas is built with local traditional architecture with full modern amenities inside, and with a private porch with lake and forest views. Interesting wildlife seen in the area include jaguar, puma, tapir, giant anteater, armadillo, 4 species of caiman, giant otters, capybara, three-toed sloths, many species of monkeys, and hundreds of species of birds.

March 11-13 Napo Wildlife Center.

March 14 After breakfast return to the airport at Coca for a flight to Quito. After lunch we’ll take a city tour to see the well-preserved architecture of the city, and some of its fabulous museums. Dinner at a traditional restaurant, sampling many of the typical dishes of the country.

March 15 Catch a morning flight to the Baltra airport in the Galapagos, and transfer onto Nemo I, our home for the next 7 days. Set sail for our first night’s anchorage. The Galapagos were made famous by Darwin’s voyage, and they retain their mystique to this day with myriad species of wildlife utterly unafraid of human approach. Here we can swim with sea lions, float eye-to-eye with penguins, stand next to a blue-footed booby, and watch a 500lb tortoise lumbering through a cactus forest. The Galapagos is one of the finest places on earth for up-close nature photography in an unspoiled setting. We’ll cruise to a different island each day to hike all around while learning and photographing their unique flora, fauna and natural history. A professional naturalist will accompany each hike. The Nemo I is 82’ long and 33’ wide, and provides 6 comfortable double cabins each with private bathroom and hot water. It has a spacious lounge and dining areas, multiple sundecks, and great service from the crew of 6. It’s also equipped with sea-kayaks and snorkeling & scuba gear.

March 16-21 Cruise the Galapagos.

March 22 Return to Baltra airport. Fly to Guayaquil or Quito for flights home.

March 23 Arrive home.

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