Country: Ecuador
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San Cristóbal Day
The pre-breakfast circumnavigation of Kicker Rock's 137 m tuff walls covers frigatebirds, gulls, tropicbirds, boobies, Brown Noddy and storm petrels, with optional spectacular snorkeling among Galapagos Sharks, turtles and eagle rays; Punta Pitt offers kayaking, a large mixed seabird colony, Mangrove Yellow Warblers and the San Cristobal Mockingbird at the point closest to South America.
Read MoreEspañola Day
The oldest-island trail at Punta Suarez covers fiery Espanola Marine Iguanas, tame sea lions, Blue-footed and Nazca Booby cliffs, Swallow-tailed Gulls, Red-billed Tropicbirds, the Waved Albatross rookery, Galapagos Shearwater, Elliot's Storm Petrel, Espanola Mockingbird, Espanola Cactus Finch and Grey Warbler-Finch; Gardner Bay adds snorkel or kayak sessions with sea lions, mockingbirds, Galapagos Dove and Galapagos Hawk.
Read MoreFloreana Day
The four-hour crossing arrives at dawn; a wet landing on the olivine green-crystal beach and Punta Cormorant lagoon offer flamingos, pintails, whimbrels, herons and noddies, with green turtles and rays on the far beach. Champion Islet's 25-minute dinghy snorkel targets the rare Floreana Mockingbird and Medium Tree Finch; Post Office Bay's letter system, kayak/zodiac islet-and-mangrove exploration and Baroness Lookout (Dark-billed Cuckoo, Galapagos Flycatcher) complete the day.
Read MoreFlight, Biosecurity and Santa Cruz Highlands
The Quito-Baltra flight includes Galápagos Biosecurity Control and Transit Cards, park entrance and quarantine at Seymour Airport, and first ground-finch views. A water taxi reaches Santa Cruz for the Media Luna highlands (Miconia, tree ferns, Galapagos Martin, Galapagos Petrel colony, Galapagos Crake, tree and warbler-finches), El Chato lunch with Western Santa Cruz Giant Tortoises, and a Puerto Ayora finch scan before boarding the Samba.
Read MoreHacienda Buffer Day
Hummingbird photography on the hacienda trails, Chiche River Gorge lookouts and a visit to a pre-Inca underground tunnel, with preparations for the cruise.
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Ecuador Birding & Photography: Chocó to Amazon Circuit
An 18-day west-to-east transect of northern Ecuador, from the hummingbird gardens, hides and leks of the montane Chocó to the clay licks, canopy towers and blackwater channels of the Yasuní Amazon, via the condors of Antisana and the cloud forests of the eastern slope.
Read MoreFinal Afternoon Outing Chosen with Your Guide
After the return during the hottest hours, the final outing is chosen together with the guide, based on what the group most wants to spend more time with: late-day canopy observation from the tower, a terra firme trail, a varzea trail, or a paddle around the lagoon edges and blackwater channels.
Read MoreExploration of the Napo River Vegetation Islands
The morning visits one of the most specialized and interesting ecosystems of Amazonia: the vegetation islands of the great rivers — small, independent ecosystems that evolve completely on their own. Depending on their age, height and stage of vegetalization, the islands host very different, specialized species; the group explores several Napo islands of different ages, structures and vegetation cover in search of these specialists.
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