Galapagos & Ecuador holiday for families
| country: | Ecuador, Galapagos Islands |
| location: | Galapagos Islands |
| departures: | All year round. We offer a complete tailor made service allowing you to decide where you stay and what to do |
| price: | From £3575 (15 days) based on 2 people sharing, including flights from the UK, internal flights, all accommodation, excursions and full board on the Galapagos cruise. This trip can also be booked without flights |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This is a holiday your children will remember forever, with close encounters with wildlife guaranteed! Where else in the world could they snorkel with sea lions and turtles, see some of the rarest birds in existence and be educated without realising it, than in the Galapagos Islands. With comfortable accommodation aboard the 16 berth Millennium catamaran, you will enjoy the very best of the Islands with both land trips and snorkeling opportunities each day. We have also included places on mainland Ecuador that we think will be particularly appealing for families, with opportunities to visit colourful Andean markets and take part in some soft adventure.
(Please note we are a UK based company and are only able to help with flight arrangements from the UK.)
(Please note we are a UK based company and are only able to help with flight arrangements from the UK.)
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly to Quito and transfer to Patio Andaluz hotel. |
| Day 2: | City tour and visit to Equator. |
| Day 3: | Fly to Galapagos to board the Coral for 7 night cruise. |
| Day 4-9: | Cruise |
| Day 10: | Fly back to Quito and transfer to Cusin. |
| Day 11: | Visit Otavalo market and Cuichocha Lake in the morning and the subtropical region of Mindo in the afternoon. Overnight – Mindo Garden. |
| Day 12: | Full day enjoying water sports on the river and then return to Quito. Overnight st the Patio Andaluz. |
| Day 13: | Excursion to Cotopaxi National Park - mountain biking / horse riding |
| Day 14: | Fly home. |
| Day 15: | Arrive home. |
tailor made holiday
This trip can be tailormade to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by travel experts with intimate knowledge of the destination. It is a more luxurious trip that will suit those who enjoy immersing themselves in new cultures and environments before relaxing in comfort in some of the best and most characterful local accommodation! Quality and value are the hallmark of these trips.how this holiday makes a difference
|
Your Galapagos cruise will be run under strict environmental guidelines that ensure that minimal disturbance is caused to the wildlife and fragile ecosystems of the Islands. While there are a great number of issues and problems facing the fragile environment of the Galapagos, success stories and potential solutions abound. The introduced eradication program, though slow going has eliminated feral goats from several small islands and dogs are now absent from the island of Isabela.
The efforts to reintroduce and repopulate species such as elephantine tortoise have increased their numbers dramatically. Environmental education efforts on the islands help their inhabitants understand the larger picture and need for conservation, and responsible tourism and enforced park guidelines help preserve the Galapagos for the future. But there are seemingly endless needs for the park's preservation, and always limited funding. Other than what little budget it receives from the Republic of Ecuador, the National Park relies entirely on funding from philanthropists, fundraising efforts of the Charles Darwin Foundation, Inc. and other private organizations. All the employees at Hotel Patio Andaluz are conscious of the example that they establish in the Hotel Industry. They have made a commitment to:
|
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |