GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS CRUISE--
an ADVENTURE in UNSPOILED NATURE
A Galápagos yacht cruise... You and a companion... and just a few
others... Just imagine...
Imagine snorkeling in a clear blue sea with playful sea lions, giant marine
turtles and neon rainbows of fish of all shapes and sizes....
Imagine walking across a portion of the earth so new that the boiling
flowing forms of the basalt lava are so fresh the rock appears to still be
liquid....
Imagine stepping around hundreds of seabirds and prehistoric-looking marine
iguanas too unafraid of humans to move out of your way...
Imagine following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin and experiencing first
hand some of the wonders of nature that inspired his famous theory....
These experiences and much more need not be imagined... They are yours to live
in an eight-day Galápagos cruise aboard a yacht with a small group of
adventurous and equally fascinated fellow travelers.
Rutahsa Adventures is now booking week-long cruises of the
Galápagos archipelago on the yachts Cachalote and Sulidae
for $936 to $1180 per person. There are two exciting itineraries to choose
from, described below.
Cost of the cruises:
The cruise costs and airfare from the mainland vary according to seasonal
demand. The "low season" includes two periods, approximately, the months of
May-June and Sept.-Oct. During the 2001 "low season", cruise prices on the
Cachalote and Sulidae are just $936 and $945 per person,
respectively. During the "high season" (the rest of the year), cruises on
these yachts book at $1170 and $1180 per person, respectively. Air fares
fluctuate similarly, though not always in precise coordination with the cruise
prices! So, the best thing to do is enquire for a price quote for the dates
you wish to travel.
Rutahsa Adventures offers an economical cruise package for 2001 that
includes: an 8 day/7 night cruise on either the Cachalote or the
Sulidae, round trip air fare from the Ecuadoran mainland to the
Galápagos Islands, all meals while on the cruise, the services of a
bilingual national park naturalist-guide, two nights lodging in Quito or
Guayaquil, and transportation between the Quito or Guayaquil airport and your
hotel. Package costs vary from approximately $1370 to $1666, depending on
season and port of entry into Ecuador (Quito or Guayaquil). Not included in
the package price: air fare US-Ecuador-US, meals in Quito or Guayaquil, bar
service on the cruise, Ecuador exit tax ($25), and Galápagos National
Park entry ($100), or tips for the guide and yacht crew.
For travelers with limited time: five day/four night cruises are available. We
strongly feel that a week-long cruise is the minimum time necessary to fully
appreciate the wonders of the Galápagos, but if you just don't have that
much time, let us know and we'll get you prices on 5-day cruises.
New cruise fares will go into effect in 2002: Low season: Cachalote and
Sulidae: $990. High season: Cachalote and Sulidae: $1240.
Description of the yachts:
The yacht Cachalote is a steel-hulled
ketch-rigged motor/sailer built in California in 1971. She is not a large
vessel, being only 70 feet long, with a beam of 18 feet, but she is a beauty.
She has the graceful thoroughbred lines of a traditional sailing ship. The
Cachalote, which translates as "Sperm Whale", is powered by a 280 h.p.
diesel engine, but can move under sail, and the sails are commonly deployed.
Her cruising speed is 9 knots. She is well provided with radio communications,
depth sounder, marine radar, etc. Her crew consists of the captain, two
sailors, and the cook. A park-authorized multilingual naturalist guide is
also aboard each cruise.
The Cachalote is cozy, carrying only 10 guests in 5 two-bunk cabins.
Passengers share bath facilities, with two heads (each with toilet, wash basin,
and fresh water shower) for the four aft cabins. The four aft cabins are also
air conditioned. While not a luxury ship, the Cachalote more than makes
up for any lack of unnecessary amenities by providing an intimate setting for
convivial groups. She also has a maneuverability advantage over some of the
large, deeper-draft cruise vessels.
The yacht Sulidae is a truly special
vessel, for special people. She is wooden-hulled and gaff-rigged, built in
Denmark in 1901. Yes, you read that right, 1901! She has been lovingly
restored and maintained, and, of course, modernized into a motor sailer. To
be aboard the Sulidae is to be transported back in time: she has the
look and feel of a pirate ship right out of a swashbuckler movie. The
Sulidae has a fan club of passengers who love her, some returning again
and again to sail on her. But passengers must be prepared to negotiate steep
companionways and really cozy cabins. The Sulidae is slightly smaller
than the Cachalote, being just 63 feet long. She carries 12 passengers
in 6 double cabins, and is served by a crew of five. She is powered by an
82 HP Yammar diesel, but can also move under sail. She is fully equipped with
radio communications, radar, GPS plotter, depth sounder, etc.
For those who prefer a first class yacht, Rutahsa Adventures can also
put you aboard the beautiful motor-sailer Andando, or the very modern
Beluga. For those who prefer a larger vessel with its greater variety
of amenities, we can put you aboard a 90-passenger cruise ship. The
Andando, the Beluga, and the large cruise ships all have
different prices and itineraries, but we will be happy to provide this
information. The itinerary descriptions and photos that follow will give you
a good idea of the marvelous sights to be seen in the Galápagos
archipelago regardless of which boat you choose.
Itinerary for the Cachalote:
Day 1, Weds.: Fly Quito to Baltra Island, Galápagos Islands;
board the Cachalote; visit North Seymour Island for an introduction to
Galápagos birds, sea lions and other wildlife, guided by an authorized
Galápagos National Park guide/naturalist. Boobies, frigate birds,
lava gulls, finches, an occasional whimbrel, and other birds can be seen here.
Day 2, Thurs.: Visit Santa Cruz Island, a major shield volcano and home
to the Charles Darwin Research Station. The Cachalote anchors at Puerto
Ayora and you go ashore to visit the Darwin Research Station, seeing the
captive tortoise and iguana breeding programs. There's also an opportunity to
do a little souvenir shopping before boarding a bus to go up into the
highlands to experience an entirely different climatic zone with dense tropical
vegetation and birds not found in the shore zone. You may also see the great
lumbering Galápagos tortoises in the highlands.
Day 3, Fri.: Today you experience one of the birding highlights of the
trip: the famous seabird rookeries of Punta Suárez on Española
Island, where blue-footed boobies are too numerous to count, masked boobies
abound, and the waved albatrosses come home to rear their young.
Galápagos hawks, red-billed tropic birds, frigate birds, swallowtail
gulls, the bold Hood mockingbirds, sea lions, and, if you're really lucky, a
Galápagos snake, can be seen here.
The afternoon stop is at Gardner Bay, another opportunity for some great
snorkeling with sea lions and sometimes huge sea turtles.
Day 4, Sat.: During the night the Cachalote has sailed from
Española to the Island of Floreana where your morning visit is to Punta
Cormorant. Here you'll see a green sand beach (containing the volcanic mineral
olivine), the flamingo lagoon, and the beautiful white sand and clear waters of
Sting-Ray Beach. Typically, this stop also includes fabulous snorkeling at the
"Devils Crown", a ring of volcanic rock spires jutting from the sea.
Today's second stop is historic Post Office Bay, where you can mail a card from
the famous barrel, originally set up by whalers more than a century ago.
Day 5, Sun.: Today the Cachalote cruises up the west side of the
largest of the Galápagos Islands, Isabela, with stops at Punta Moreno and
Urbina Bay. At Punta Moreno you'll walk across a fascinating lava landscape,
punctuated here and there with lagoons where flamingos and other exotic
creatures find refuge. At Urbina Bay you'll walk amid giant coral heads,
uplifted above the sea by an earthquake; Galápagos tortoises can be
seen here too.
Day 6, Mon.: Continuing north along the west coast of Isabela the
Cachalote crosses the channel westward to Fernandina Island to stop at
Punta Espinoza, where you are likely to find thousands of black marine iguanas
sprawled along the rocky shores, and here you can also see the strange-looking
flightless cormorants.
Back across the channel to Isabela, the second visitors' site today is Tagus
Cove,once a shelter for pirate vessels. A panga ride along the coast here will
reveal historic graffiti, and give you a chance to see Galápagos
penguins and flightless cormorants.
Day 7, Tues.: This morning you visit Puerto Egas on Santiago Island.
Here the remnants of a few buildings testify to a one-time salt mining
operation, but these days the beach is taken over by lounging sea lions. Here
too, in tidal coves, can be seen fur seals. Puerto Egas is especially
picturesque due to the contrasting colors and erosional forms of the black lava
and the lighter brown ashy sediments.
In the afternoon the Cachalote anchors near spectacular Pinnacle Rock,
and you take an easy climb to the peak of Bartolomé Island for one of
the most dramatic scenic vistas in the islands; next,
snorkeling around the Pinnacle Rock.
Day 8, Weds.: The final visitors' site for the cruise is Turtle Cove,
which comes by its name legitimately. Mustard rays are sometimes seen here in
abundance, too. After a morning visit here, the Cachalote puts into
harbor on Baltra Island, and you are taken by bus back to the Galápagos
airport to catch your flight back to the mainland.
After overnighting in Quito (or Guayaquil), you can board your return flight to
the U.S., or, if you like, stay on for an Andean/Amazonian Ecuador tour which
Rutahsa Adventures can also arrange for you.
Intinerary for the Sulidae
Day 1, Tues.: Fly Quito to Baltra Island, Galápagos Islands;
board the Sulidae and sail for North Seymour Island, where more sea
lions occupy the beach and sea birds nest along the trail through the island's
brushy interior. Frigate birds, boobies, lava gulls, finches, and upon
occasion, a whimbrel, can be seen here.
Day 2, Weds.: In the morning the Sulidae anchors near
spectacular Pinnacle Rock, and you take an easy climb to the peak of
Bartolomé Island for one of the most eye-popping
scenic vistas in the islands; next, snorkeling
around the Pinnacle Rock.
This afternoon you visit Puerto Egas on Santiago Island. Here the remnants of
a few buildings testify to a one-time salt mining operation, but these days the
beach is taken over by lounging sea lions. Here too, in tidal coves, can be
seen fur seals. Puerto Egas is especially picturesque due to the contrasting
colors and erosional forms of the black lava and the lighter brown ashy
sediments.
Day 3, Thurs.: The morning visit is to Rábida Isalnd, with a
beach of dark red sand where sea lions like to sun, and a lagoon that is likely
to be inhabited by sea lions, flamingos, and, in the nesting season, lots of
brown pelicans.
The afternoon visit is to Cerro Dragón where you can expect to see land
iguanas, a forest of Palo Santo, and many land birds, including species
of Galápagos finches, made famous by Darwin's studies.
Day 4, Fri.: Today the Sulidae puts into port at Puerto Ayora
on Santa Cruz Island, and you will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station
to see the results of the giant tortoise and land iguana captive breeding
projects. You'll also have a chance to do a bit of souvenir shopping in town.
Next you'll board a bus and be carried up into the highlands of the large
shield volcano island to see ecosystems completely different from the lower
coastal areas, featuring dense tropical vegetation and many birds not found
along the shores. With a little luck you'll see the giant Gaápagos
tortoises in the wild.
Day 5, Sat.: During the night the Sulidae has transported you
from Santa Cruz to the Island of Floreana where your morning visit is to Punta
Cormorant. Here you'll see a green sand beach (containing the volcanic mineral
olivine), the flamingo lagoon, and the beautiful white sand and clear waters of
Sting-Ray Beach. Typically, this stop also includes fabulous snorkeling at
the "Devils Crown", a ring of eroded volcanic rock spires jutting from the sea.
Today's second stop is historic Post Office Bay, where you can mail a card from
the famous barrel, originally set up by whalers more than a century ago.
Day 6, Sun.: Today is a thrilling day for birdwatchers, hiking through
the astonishing seabird rookeries at Punta Suárez, Española
Island. You may have to walk around blue-footed boobies and masked boobies
that commonly nest right in the trail and refuse to yield the right-of-way.
Galápagos hawks, swallowtail gulls, frigate birds, and red-billed tropic
birds are also seen. And it is here on Española where the stunning
waved albatrosses nest and rear their young. The lava herons, yellow-crowned
night herons, and American oyster catchers also frequent these shores, and of
course, sea lions and marine iguanas abound.
In the afternoon you'll visit Gardner Bay at the other end of Española,
where you can snorkel with the frolicking sea lions, and sometimes with giant
sea turtles.
Day 7, Mon.: Setting sail from Gardner Bay, the Sulidae's next
stop is Santa Fé Island, where there is good snorkeling with playful sea
lions, and sometimes the thrilling sighting of a spotted eagle ray. On shore
a trail takes you up through a "forest" of tall Opuntia cacti which have
evolved tree-like trunks, apparently in response to being eaten by the giant
tortoises and land iguanas. Beautiful Galápagos doves are commonly
seen waddling along the ground here; Galápagos finches, hawks, and
other birds are seen, too.
The afternoon stop today is at South Plazas Island, where huge yellow land
iguanas laze underneath the weird Opuntia cactus; sea lions play along
the rocky shore, and swallowtail gulls and other sea birds nest in the cliffs
along the high side of the islet.
Day 8, Tues.: The final visitors' site for the cruise is Turtle Cove,
which lives up to its name. Mustard rays are sometimes seen here in abundance,
too. After a morning visit here, the Sulidae puts into harbor on Baltra
Island, and you are taken by bus back to the Galápagos airport to catch
your flight back to the mainland.
After overnighting in Quito (or Guayaquil), you can board your return flight to
the U.S., or, if you like, stay on for an Andean/Amazonian Ecuador tour which
Rutahsa Adventures can also arrange for you.
How to get on board
A deposit of $250 is required to reserve a place on a cruise. A second payment
of $500 is due 120 days before the cruise date, with the balance due 60 days
before the cruise date.
For further information about the detailed itinerary, costs, reading
suggestions, or other information, contact:
Dr. Ric Finch
Rutahsa Adventures
299 Allen Hollow Road
Cookeville, TN 38501
tel: 931-372-3751
fax: 931-372-3363
e-mail: rfinch@tntech.edu
"Here's lookin' at you, kid!"
MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW!
Photos on this webpage by Janie and Ric Finch, @copyrighted.
Imagine stepping around hundreds of seabirds and prehistoric-looking marine
iguanas too unafraid of humans to move out of your way...
Imagine following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin and experiencing first
hand some of the wonders of nature that inspired his famous theory....
These experiences and much more need not be imagined... They are yours to live
in an eight-day Galápagos cruise aboard a yacht with a small group of
adventurous and equally fascinated fellow travelers.
Rutahsa Adventures is now booking week-long cruises of the
Galápagos archipelago on the yachts Cachalote and Sulidae
for $936 to $1180 per person. There are two exciting itineraries to choose
from, described below.
Day 2, Thurs.: Visit Santa Cruz Island, a major shield volcano and home
to the Charles Darwin Research Station. The Cachalote anchors at Puerto
Ayora and you go ashore to visit the Darwin Research Station, seeing the
captive tortoise and iguana breeding programs. There's also an opportunity to
do a little souvenir shopping before boarding a bus to go up into the
highlands to experience an entirely different climatic zone with dense tropical
vegetation and birds not found in the shore zone. You may also see the great
lumbering Galápagos tortoises in the highlands.
Day 3, Fri.: Today you experience one of the birding highlights of the
trip: the famous seabird rookeries of Punta Suárez on Española
Island, where blue-footed boobies are too numerous to count, masked boobies
abound, and the waved albatrosses come home to rear their young.
Galápagos hawks, red-billed tropic birds, frigate birds, swallowtail
gulls, the bold Hood mockingbirds, sea lions, and, if you're really lucky, a
Galápagos snake, can be seen here.
The afternoon stop today is at South Plazas Island, where huge yellow land
iguanas laze underneath the weird Opuntia cactus; sea lions play along
the rocky shore, and swallowtail gulls and other sea birds nest in the cliffs
along the high side of the islet.
Day 8, Tues.: The final visitors' site for the cruise is Turtle Cove,
which lives up to its name. Mustard rays are sometimes seen here in abundance,
too. After a morning visit here, the Sulidae puts into harbor on Baltra
Island, and you are taken by bus back to the Galápagos airport to catch
your flight back to the mainland.
After overnighting in Quito (or Guayaquil), you can board your return flight to
the U.S., or, if you like, stay on for an Andean/Amazonian Ecuador tour which
Rutahsa Adventures can also arrange for you.