Definitive Galapagos 2016 On everyone s bucket list, the Galapagos archipelago is truly one of the planet s last incredible places. Our journey is all encompassing with so much to see and do. For this two-week itinerary we chartered the S/S Mary Anne, arguably the best boat operating in the National Park. The owner, Fiddi Angermeyer, is a true Galapagueño, having been born in the islands. We will walk on bare lava, come face to face with blue-footed boobies and displaying frigate birds. We will wander the highlands and sit with wild giant tortoises, be amazed by hundreds of unique marine iguanas basking at our feet, get up close and personal with the endemic flightless cormorants and watch waved albatross on outstretched wings soar past at eye-level. We will swim with penguins and sharks, interact with curious sea lions, snorkel alongside green sea turtles and become surrounded by yellow-tailed surgeonfish. In the islands that inspired Charles Darwin we have designed the Definitive Galapagos adventure! Highlights of the trip... A full 14 nights aboard our sailing vessel. Direct interaction with sea lions, penguins, marine iguanas, albatross, sharks, rays, turtles, finches and a host of other unique Galapagos fauna. All 4 major island groups visited & perhaps the most comprehensive itinerary on offer. Arguably the most elegant and beautiful boat in the islands with excellent cuisine. Incredible photographic opportunities above and below the water. Led by professional photographers and long-time residents of Ecuador. Leaders have published 3 books on Galapagos. Pete is an ex Galapagos guide and will colead both departures. We use a top-class licensed naturalist guide. Only 14 passengers per departure. No single supplement fee. Fully air conditioned en-suite private rooms all with ocean views. Two large, comfortable Zodiacs for shore excursions and panga rides. A Smart Voyager certified vessel. Our vessel is not simply a floating hotel but a nautical experience! Two departures 18 November - 3 December, 2016 2-17 December, 2016
Days 1-2 After breakfast in our Guayaquil hotel we take the flight to Baltra Island in the Galapagos. On arrival, we are whisked away and soon find ourselves face to face with 600lb (270kg) prehistoric, giant tortoises in the lush highlands of Santa Cruz Island, a remarkable first encounter! Tonight, until the morning of day 16 we will eat and overnight aboard our vessel the S/S Mary Anne. Days 3-4 At Punta Cormorant, Floreana, a green olivine beach, sea lions, wading birds and Darwin s finches greet us on arrival. We walk through unique vegetation, (some of which grows nowhere else in the world but this island) arriving at a saltwater lagoon where startlingly pink flamingos nest and feed. Some fabulous snorkeling off the Devil s crown, a sunken crater, is a highlight where we look for hammerhead sharks, turtles and large schools of fish. At the historic Post Office Barrel we can send a few post cards and, in so doing, maintain a centuries old tradition. While in Puerto Ayora we visit the famous Charles Darwin Research Station, then walk through massive lava tubes, and look for more giant tortoises in the wild. Days 5-7 In the land of penguins, cormorants and sea dragons we anchor off Punta Morena, Isabela Island. Hiking on lava, we find endemic plants and a brackish lagoon, home to flamingos and ducks, with a backdrop of stunning basaltic volcanoes. As we continue up the coast we will drive our Zodiacs through a mangrove labyrinth, accompanied by golden rays, turtles and even tropical penguins! We observe a different race of Galapagos tortoise, large, yellow land iguanas and a host of finch species. In Fernandina, the world s largest, most pristine island, we land directly into the heart of Darwin s Imps of Darkness. Marine iguanas are strewn at our feet as we walk the trail. We will sit with endemic flightless cormorants as sea lions entertain us. Turning inland we face a dramatic, austere vista of lava and pioneer vegetation of the archipelago s youngest island. Snorkeling in this area ranks as some of the best as we swim with turtles, myriad fish species and look for Galapagos penguins, flightless cormorants and marine iguanas feeding underwater. At Tagus Cove a hike leads us to an overview of a flooded crater, Darwin s Lake, and onward through a stunning volcanic landscape - geologist heaven! Days 8-9 To the land of pirates and buccaneers, we head first to the golden sands of a turtle nesting beach and in to the hinterland where pirates once hunted goats for food. Cruising Buccaneer Cove we see where ships were careened (hauled out and cleaned) back in the 17th and 18th centuries. In Puerto Egas, also on Santiago Island, we commune with endemic fur seals at their submerged grottos, watch the herons and waders, explore the tide pools and indulge in another great snorkel. On North Seymour Island our trail is shared with nesting blue-footed and Nazca boobies, land iguanas, sea lions and displaying frigate birds showing off their bright red pouches. After yet another wonderful snorkel we head out into the mangroves of Black Turtle Cove looking for sharks, rays and turtles from our Zodiacs. Day 10 We spend the day in Tower (Genovesa) Island, far in the north of the archipelago. Known as the Island of Birds it is a spectacular visit. Upon landing on the beach, finches come hopping over, sea lions feign a nonchalance and red-footed boobies swirl continuously overhead. Then we notice the endemic swallow-tailed gulls, widely recognized as the most beautiful gull in the world and the only one that is nocturnal. In the waters of the sunken crater we snorkel and kayak before climbing Prince Phillip s Steps to another bird spectacle. Nesting Nazca and red-footed boobies line our way as we head to a lava field, home to thousands of minuscule storm petrels on which one of our target species, the short-eared owls, have learned to feed.
Days 11-13 In the heart of the archipelago we begin with a climb to the most famous view-point in the Galapagos, the pinnacle rock of Bartolomé. Lots of snorkeling with penguins, sharks, playful sea lions, rays and a host of colorful fish and we head across to Sullivan Bay onto a recent lava field that looks as if it flowed only yesterday. From the red beaches of Rabida Island and further inland we look for a host of Galapagos specialties including the radiant vermilion flycatcher. At Cerro Dragon, past the lagoon, we hike the inland area amongst Palo Santo trees dotted with large land iguanas at their burrows and perhaps find a tool-using woodpecker finch searching for grubs. The stunning turtle nesting beaches and turquoise waters of Bachas, with oystercatchers, whimbrels and wandering tattlers sharing the scene is the perfect invitation for a refreshing swim as well as a deep water snorkel off Punta Carrion. Days 14 The tiny Plaza Sur Island has much to offer. The red carpet of Sesuvium growing between the Opuntia cactus provides a beautiful backdrop to swallow-tailed gulls, land iguanas and sea lions, all present at the landing to greet us. From the cliffs we watch Galapagos shearwaters gliding over the waves and gulls and frigates cruising at eye-level on the updraught. Santa Fé is idyllic, with giant prickly pear cactus, a new land iguana species, endemic to the island, lots of sea lions and a fantastic snorkel with turtles, rays, surgeonfish, parrotfish and sharks. Day 15 One of the best islands saved until last! Española (Hood) Island is a true naturalist s paradise. From the moment we set foot on Punta Suarez we are enthralled. The island endemic mockingbird will be there, as will marine iguanas, sea lions and finches. We will see nesting boobies, Galapagos hawks and another spectacular island endemic, the waved albatross. As we sit quietly on a cliff edge these magnificent birds glide effortlessly past at eye-level. Another fantastic snorkel and we visit one of the most beautiful beaches in the islands a perfect finale, either sitting with sea lions, walking the length of the beach or finding a quiet place to sit in self reflection. Day 16 After a morning visit to the Gemelos (Twins), a pair of large collapsed craters in the highland of Santa Cruz Island, we return to the airport on Baltra Island and fly back to mainland Ecuador for our onward flight home.
Who we are We are two husband-and-wife teams, Pete Oxford & Reneé Bish and Theo Allofs & Jami Tarris, who have joined forces to combine our experience of many decades of hard-core travel around the globe. We are kindred spirits. Between us we have led hundreds of trips repeatedly to every continent. We specialize on Nature, Wilderness and Native Cultures. As professional photographers we have developed a keen sense of the best places in the world to be as well as when and how to be there! In this case, for Pete & Reneé, Galapagos is their backyard and they know it intimately! Team Bios... Pete Oxford, a British biologist, with his South African wife Reneé Bish have lived in Ecuador since 1985 and 1992 respectively. Departing from her background in nursing and design Reneé now travels with Pete around the world as a professional photographic team specializing in wildlife and indigenous cultures. With regard to Galapagos: - Pete was a co-founder of the Galapagos Naturalist Guide s Association (AGIPA) in 1987 - Pete was a licensed Naturalist guide from 1987 to 1993 and lived in Galapagos - Pete & Reneé have published a total of 12 books, 3 of which have been on the Galapagos Islands: - Galapagos The Untamed Isles. Pete Oxford & Reneé Bish. Foreword Dr. Graham Watkins, Director of the Charles Darwin Research Station. - Galapagos Wildlife A Visitors Guide. David Horwell & Pete Oxford. A Bradt Guide - Galapagos Both Sides of the Coin. Pete Oxford & Graham Watkins, Foreword HRH Prince Philip. Endorsed by both the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station. - Pete & Reneé continue to visit the islands every year and Pete, in collaboration with the Galapagos National Park, has been part of a giant tortoise capture team looking for Lonesome George s closest genes, a Galapagos hawk capture team, a hammerhead shark capture and tagging team, a waved albatross capture team and the annual penguin and flightless cormorant census as well as various other research projects. - Pete has climbed and camped on Alcedo Volcano on Isabela Island, with special National Park permission, to photograph the giant tortoises in the volcanic crater. - Pete s photograph of Lonesome George in life was used as the basis for the American Museum of Natural History stuffed mount of him in death. - Every year Pete is one of three judges for the Galapagos Conservation Trust annual photographic competition. - Pete s images have appeared in many publications including; National Geographic, Smithsonian, Time, International Wildlife, BBC Wildlife, Terre Sauvage, Ranger Rick and Geo.
Jami Tarris and Theo Allofs live in Santa Fe, New Mexico with their West Highland Terrier named Gershwin and have a combined 40-plus years of photography experience. They specialize in landscape and wildlife photography around the world, and lead trips on several continents. They concentrate on endangered species and fragile habitats. With Theo s educational background in geology and Jami s educational background in psychology, they add a practical and behavioral approach to their work as visual storytellers and trip leaders. Theo has published several books on subjects including Namibia, Australia, Brasil s Pantanal and Canada s Yukon Territory. They are published worldwide in publications such as National Geographic, Australia Geographic, Africa Geographic, Geo, Smithsonian, BBC Wildlife, Terre Sauvage and more. They are both award-winning photographers who share a passion for the subjects that they photograph. Together, they bring this passion, along with lots of colorful stories straight from the bush, to anyone who wants to learn more about nature and the animals that still inhabit this planet. Once again, the four of us bring decades of experience, fun and natural history knowledge to enhance this already exciting adventure to one of the most beautiful locations in the world that is teeming with wildlife. Trip Cost. USA $9,950.oo per person sharing Included. -Hotel in Guayaquil the night prior to departure to the Galapagos. -Airport transfers. -14 nights accommodation aboard the S/S Mary Anne. -All meals, drinking water, tea and coffee aboard the vessel. -Guide plus two trip leader s. -All activities. -INGALA fee. -Loan of snorkel gear. Not included. -International airfare to and from Guayaquil. -Domestic air fare between Guayaquil and Galapagos return. *** -Galapagos National Park entrance fee. -International or domestic departure taxes. -Passport expenses. -Tips to guide and crew. -Fuel surcharges. -Items of a personal nature including laundry, postage and Internet. -Ship board bar & personal shopping. -Hire of wetsuits while on board. -Please note that we do not cover medical, emergency evacuation, travel, cancellation or lost luggage insurance, you will need to take out your own insurance policies. ***Please note: For the domestic airfare Guayaquil-Galapagos-Guayaquil we will have a group block booking. Seats will automatically be assigned to you as you register for the cruise. Currently the cost is $525.oo return subject to change without notice. Approximately 140 days prior to departure you will receive an invoice for the cost of your tickets. Boat facilities. Highly popular outdoor eating area. Indoor dining room. Indoor and outdoor social areas. Sunbathing deck. Reference library. Open bridge policy. 24 hour tea, coffee and drinking water. TV monitor and video machine. 110/220 voltage. Navigation, radio and full safety equipment including 2 x 20 person life rafts. SOLAS certified, EPIRB, smoke and fire detectors. 2 Zodiacs and several kayaks. Contact details. pete@peteoxford.com renee@peteoxford.com jami@jamitarris.com theo@theoallofs.com We would be happy to arrange pre and/ or post extensions to the Galapagos trip which could include visiting Colonial Quito, the highlands of Ecuador, the Amazon rainforest or the Ecuadorian cloud forest. NB: The above itinerary is subject to change slightly at the discretion of the Galapagos National Park.