TOUR: TMLA 22 GALAPAGOS CRUISE + TRAIN "CHASKI ANTAWA" SOCIAL PROJECT M/V GALAPAGOS LEGEND or M/Y CORAL

MONDAY Galapagos (Baltra Airport)
Departure from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra (2 and half flight). Passengers are picked up at the airport by our guides and taken to the pier to board either ^M/V Galapagos Legend or ^M/Y Coral.
North Seymour
Dry landing. Guests wil encounter swallow tailed gulls and sea lions. This site is a major nesting colony of blue footed boobies, and has the largest colony of the magnificent frigate bird. Travelers will also spot both the marine iguanas and land iguanas and will have snorkeling opportunities.

TUESDAY - Santa Cruz (Dragon Hill or Venice)
Wet landing. Passengers walk to a saltwater lagoon behind the beach, where on occasion many pink flamingos can be observed. This trail leads up to Dragon Hill, which offers a lovely view of the bay. This is a nesting site for reintroduced land iguanas, and there is also a Scalesia tree forest. Passengers may opt to take a dinghy to Venice islet and observe the vegetation and marine animals like spotted eagle rays, golden rays, mullets, sharks and sea turtles. Land iguanas have often been observed as well.
Floreana (Cormorant Point)
Wet landing on a greenish colored sand beach. Visitors will hike from the black mangrove beds to a large, brackish lagoon, which holds one of the biggest flamingo populations in the Galapagos. The island is best known for its endemic plants like the Galapagos millwork, passion flower and button mangrove.
Novice snorkelers can practice on the main beach with the playful sea lions; experienced snorkelers can roam around Devils Crown. Please keep in mind this is an open-water activity; there is nothing to step on.

WEDNESDAY - Española (Suárez Point)
Dry landing. Visitors will learn more about the lava terrain and cross the inactive lava fields. Besides the sea lion colonies, this is a very important site for bird watching. Many species, such as the hooded mocking bird and red billed tropic bird can be spotted and observed closely. You will also see a large colony of marine iguanas, lava lizards, and rally light foot crabs. After a short trek visitors encounter colonies of masked and blue-footed boobies. The nesting grounds sometimes overlap the trail. Visitors will also find Galapagos doves, hawks and swallow-tailed gulls and then reach the world’s largest colony of waved albatross. A major highlight is their mating season, from May through December. You’ll visit the famous blowhole, where water shoots into the air about 23 m (75 ft).
San Cristóbal (Interpretation Center or La Galapaguera)
Dry landing at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Passengers will visit San Cristóbal breeding center and learn about the National Park’s breeding program with the giant tortoises. Passengers will observe some animals in their natural environment.

THURSDAY - Santa Cruz (Carrión Point)
During this visit you can snorkel and see a variety of fish, rays and perhaps the harmless white tip reef sharks. From Punta Carrion the short navigation is through the beautiful Itabaca Channel with its turquoise waters. Return to the Galapagos Legend, check-out and transfer to the airport.
Return flight to Quito and transfer to Otavalo. Arrive to the northern Andes, Imbabura Province and enjoy an overnight at a traditional hacienda.

FRIDAY - Transfer from the hacienda to Ibarra Train Station. The train climbs down to the warm, dry valley of Ambuqui, going through sugar cane plantations, magical landscapes, tunnels, and crossing bridges that span large canyons and gullies. The 26-km ride to Salinas plunges from 2,200 down to 1,500 meters above sea level (7,216 to 4,920 feet) in only about 2 hours. Enjoy a unique lunch at Kleintours social project "Chaski Antawa Restaurant", our way to help the Valley of Salinas and its surroundings, well-known for its agricultural activities, to become a visited destination and to help improve its people’s life style. The exceptional and creative menu that visitors will have the opportunity to taste has been carefully selected and elaborated by the community under Kleintours´ high quality standards.
Other sites include the village of Mascarilla; an Afro-Ecuadorian community known for its unique clay masks and Otavalo and its famous indigenous craft market the largest in South America, in the market visitors will be able to be part of this ancient culture while sharing time with the friendly people from Otavalo. Back to Quito.
Overnight extension is available at a traditional hacienda and including visits to the crater lagoon of Cuicocha, the leather-making village of Cotacachi and Peguche with its traditional looms, textiles and musical instruments.