Introduction to Galapagos

The enchanted Islands of the Galapagos offer a unique above and below water wildlife experience.The 19 or so isolated Islands stretch across the equator in the Pacific Ocean 1000km from the Ecuadorian coastline and are the meeting place of two great oceanic currents, the cold water Humboldt from Antarctica and a warm equatorial current from the north.As a result,the nutrient rich waters support an amazing diversity of life from the sea lions of Isabella to the whalesharks and hammerheads of Darwin and Wolf Islands.

 

The diving is adventurous and exciting, Darwin and Wolf are only accessible from a liveaboard being some 120miles north of the main islands. The peak whale shark and hammerhead months are May through to November and our trip in June is smack in the middle of the best time. The National Park will only allow liveaboards to visit this area on a maximum of 7 night/8 day itineraries and there are currently only five vessels which hold the new Galapagos Park Authority licence to dive.

 

The Deep Blue Itinerary gives you the opportunity to make varied land visits and dive with the sealions in the Central Isles. When you combine the thrilling diving with the fascinating land tours, you come face to face with a truly remarkable variety of wildlife and there’s no doubt that the ingredients combine to make a wonderful holiday.

Liveaboards

Deep Blue

Deep Blue is a modern, purpose-built steel dive boat launched in 2004 with comfortable accommodation for 16 guests in 8 lower deck cabins, 4 mid-deck cabins and two upper deck cabins. All cabins have Air conditioning and en-suite bathrooms. The boat has a huge rear dive deck with easy access to the two Zodiac inflatable tenders. The diving is led by the on-board Dive Masters and the appointed National Park Guide. A normal schedule of 3/4 dives each day are planned by the guides and there is the opportunity to make some land excursions as shown in the itinerary. Nitrox is available at an extra cost of US$150 for 7 days.

 

• 30m Steel mono-hull
• 8 air-conditioned twin or double en-suite cabins
• Nitrox diving
• 2 Zodiac tenders
• National Park Guides

 

Sample Itinerary

Deep Blue Extended 11 day Special 05 - 17 Jun 2011:
Sun 05 Jun     Depart UK - Arrive Guayaquil or Quito and overnight in Hotel
Mon 06 Jun    Flight to Galapagos and board Deep Blue. Afternoon check out dive at Isla Lobos and land visit to the Interpretation Centre
Tue 07 Jun     AM North Seymour (2 Dives) | PM North Seymour (Land Visit)
Wed 08 Jun    AM Wolf (2 Dives) | PM Wolf (2 Dives)
Thu 09 Jun     AM Darwin (2 Dives) | PM Darwin (2 Dives)
Fri 10 Jun       AM Darwin (2 Dives) | PM Darwin (2 Dives)
Sat 11 Jun      AM Wolf (2 Dives) | PM Wolf (2 Dives)
Sun 12 Jun     AM Roca Redonda (Isabela Island)| PM Punta Vicente Roca (Isabela Island)
Mon 13 Jun    AM Cabo Marshall (Isabela Island) | PM Cabo Marshall (Isabela island)
Tue 14 Jun     AM Cousin Rocks (Santiago Island) | PM Bartolome (snorkel with penguins)
Wed 15 Jun    AM Gordon Rocks (Santa Cruz)| PM Isla Plazas (Santa Cruz)
Thu 16 Jun     AM Galapaguera Cerro Colorado - (Land visit to see tortoises) - Disembark liveaboard for flight to Quito, arrive PM, transfer to hotel.
Fri 17 Jun       AM Join add-on tour of Ecuador (see below) or homeward bound for UK.

Above itinerary is a planned itinerary dependent on weather conditions, captain's discretion and approval by the Galapagos National Park authority and may be subject to change.

Add-on Tours

Galapagos Islands Land extension

Stay longer in the Galapagos and enjoy some amazing land tours or more land-based diving. Please ask us for a hotel recommendations and prices.

Cotopaxi National Park - 1 Day

Cotopaxi National Park is an ecological sanctuary of 36,000 hectares, surrounding a beautiful cone-shaped snow capped volcano, Cotopaxi. Nature lovers will see herds of llamas and wild horses. Birdlife includes the Andean gull, hummingbirds and the famous Condor.

Quito to Riobamba Tour and Train Excursion - 2 Days/1 night

Day 1 – Depart Quito in the morning to travel through the “Avenue of Volcanoes”. Stop at Cotopaxi National Park for lunch and arrive at Riobamba to stay the night in a Hacienda for dinner and accommodation.
Day 2 – Depart for the train station to travel from Riobamba to the “Devil’s Nose” in the Andes. Return to Quito in the afternoon.

 

Avenue of the Volcanoes Tour - 4 days/3 nights

Day 1 – Quito to Riobamba. Travel from Quito on the train, enjoy breathtaking views of the Andes. Variety of stops en route. Overnight in Hacienda in Riobamba.
Day 2 – Devil’s Nose to Ingapirca Ruins. Board the train to the Devil’s Nose passing through remote Andean Villages. Disembark at Alausi and continue by road to the Inca ruins of Ingapirca. Continue on to Cuenca for two nights accommodation.
Day 3 – Cuenca, Enjoy a day exploring this UNESCO World Heritage site. Return to hotel for night.
Day 4 – Depart Cuenca to explore the Cajas National Park. After lunch return to Cuenca for a return flight to Quito or road transfer to Guayaquil.